comparing oil pricing to gas

Leo

A few things to consider before even turning up the thermostat. Add the cost of the new boiler, the cost of installation, the cost of removal of the old tank, oil, and boiler. Then add the cost of bringing the gas line across your property. Now get an estimate to replace the oil boiler and oil tank. In our area they were giving away gas boilers if you switched. After adding all the costs I just listed it was the same or cheaper to stick with oil.

Leo

Ray Landry_3

Hey guys, looking for a little advice here. I am in the process of buying a new house, which currently has a 20 year old peerless dinosor and a seeping oil tank. I have found that there is gas available on the street, and can get a burnham alpine for a third of the price I would even pay for it. I have always been a fan of oil and know you get more btus from oil then gas. but the increased efficiency at such a cheap price has got my attention. are there any formulas I can use to compare a therm of gas to a gal of oil? also, anyone install a burnham alpie yet? I have done buderus, the big v, munchkin, tt, but never this one!

Robert O'Brien

Another

Giannoni HX. Unless NatGrid has a different deal up there than LI,I'd shop better.Here it's only a few hundred bucks and for that pittance,I'd much rather have a TT!

Steamhead (in transit)

To make a good comparison

you must first establish the cost per BTU. A gallon of #2 oil contains 139,000 BTU or so, a therm of natural gas 100,000 BTU. If the local gas monopoly bills gas by the cubic foot instead of the therm, a cubic foot can contain 950-1150 BTUs but averages around 1040.

Here's the dirty little gas secret: In most cases the advertised price per therm/cubic foot does NOT include all those little taxes and fees that appear in very small print on the bill. You have to take the total price you paid and divide that into the amount of gas you used to get the true cost.

With oil, the advertised price per gallon generally includes all taxes/fees.

Also, don't forget that oil suppliers are in competition but gas is almost always a monopoly, and is seldom regulated anymore. It's pretty easy to switch oil suppliers but if you go gas you're stuck, possibly with a utility CEO who likes to give himself and his cronies AIG-style bonuses.

Also, it will probably cost a bundle to get a gas line into the house. Many times they don't tell you about that part until you sign up.

I'd stay with oil.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

billtwocase

well said Steam

My thoughts exactly. peace

T_5

GAS

Many advantages to gas. 1. You only pay for what you use and you only pay after you use it. 2.If you are injured or lose your job, usually just some attempt at payment will keep your gas flowing.3.With gas in the house you can now dry your clothes, cook your food,have a vent or vent free fireplace that uses no electric during a blackout but continues to heat your house, you can connect your backyard grill so there is no need to refill those 5 gallon tanks and you can also connect a generator that runs on a fuel that doesnt go bad if it doesnt get used for 5 years. Natural gas comes from the North American continent and there is no war money involved. As far as expense goes... let that leaking oil tank go down your floor drain and you will know what expense really is.

Steamhead (in transit)

\"Vent-free fireplace\"?

You can't be serious- these are ILLEGAL in many areas! And for good reason- for many years they have caused CO poisoning.

Sure, newer ones have sensors that supposedly shut the burner off if the oxygen in the room gets too low. But do we really want to trust something like that, which was almost certainly supplied by the lowest bidder?

My company won't touch one of these, except to rip it out and hit it with a sledgehammer.

Do you work for the gas company?

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Jerry_27

Frank you always ask me that

How many times are you going to ask me that?

Big Ed_4

Condensing Boiliers

Conensing Boilers efficancy depends on the disign temperature radiation of the home. To achive the higher efficancy rating the boiler relies on low temperature return water to condense. Radiant slab heat works the best to adchive the 90%+ efficancy. Tube and fin radiation run on a lower delta T and higher running temperature and would bring the condensing boiler back down in the 80%+ effiancy.

I like the idea of a duel fuel system. A good boiler which is rated for oil and gas. Say gas drops switch our to gas. Just use up the oil in the tank first it starts to break down in six months in today fuel.

Unknown

Just for the

record so we give an correct report. I do not know of any Carbon Monoxide incidents casued by ventless space heaters. You are more likely to have CO issues with cooking ranges, water heaters of heating equipment than vent free equipment.

Paul Fredricks_9

#1 You only pay for what you use: Same with oil. At first you have to fill the tank, but then you use it. No real difference for me.

#2 may be correct, I don't know.

#3 We have gas for cooking only and I love it.

Lastly, see what happens with a leaking gas appliance when you hit the light switch or anything in the house makes a spark. I'd rather clean up the ground.

Yeah, I'm an oil fan. And I've heard stories of people that switched to save money, only to find out how much more expensive gas really is.

Jamie Hall

I've followed these things

over the years (just curiousity; I have a choice where I live: oil or oil!)(unless I want to go LP, and I'm not that wealthy) and what I've noticed is that the prices tend to track, when considered (as Steamhead suggested) on a fully costed, per therm or BTU basis. Oil tends to be a little more up and down, while gas tends to be steadier, but over the long run I've not seen that there's much in it, one way or the other.

Which means, translated to the check book, that unless what you've got is really truly busted, stay with it -- you'll never get your money back, and that goes either way (if you have oil, stay with it; if you have gas, stay with that).

As to efficiency? They're so close in practical terms (skip the advertising) that there's nothing in that, either.

Robert O'Brien

Jamie

You're basically correct,except for modulating/condensing boilers which are gas only and that skews the comparison

Steamhead (in transit)

As many times

as you post under yet another name with yet another bogus e-mail address.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Steamhead (in transit)

Not the current crop, Tim

but older types of unvented equipment were notorious for this, as we both know. They are illegal in Baltimore. Very small gas logs are sometimes permitted, but we don't install them.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Ray Landry_3

Thanks for the input guys.As far as the installation cost goes, its a non issue since I am a lic plumber. The cost to have the gas co put the line in is just a few hundred more than a new oil tank. when converting I get a very good deal on a new modcon burnahm, and will be running it for med temp hwbb, radiant, and panel rads so I will reap the benifigts of condensing

Robert O'Brien

NYSERDA

has all this data available

http://www.nyserda.org/Energy_Information/nyepc.asp


http://www.nyserda.org/Energy_Information/nyepl.asp

ralph_9

gas v oil

I'm in York County, PA. Last year oil was $150.00 a bbl and when I got my budget bill for oil I knew it was time to switch. I calculated that at the previous year's oil price and the current gas price, if I used the same number of BTU's I would save $1000.00 per year (25%). I switched to the WM Ultra mod con, replacing a 35 yr-old energy hog, and heated my house for half the cost of the previous year's oil bill. Plus, gas is cleaner, no stain on the chimney, no soot or oil smell in the basement. Money well spent!

billtwocase

Ralph

A System 2000 would have done the same for you. Ofcouse your heating costs are less, not just due to conversion, just by upgrading to about anything would be a plus with a 35 year old system. No rocket science there. peace