At What Point Is It Not Worth Burning Coal .

hi,
I am trying to decide if it is worth shutting down the stoker for the rest of winter and just use oil. I just checked oil and my supplier is at 2.01 today. buying coal locally is 260/ton plus 60 to deliver.i bought 3 ton and it was like $850. now I have an older oil boiler with effencies around 82%. I still need to burn oil at night because I cannot get the heat upstairs but that is a different issue.i have used about 70 gallons of oil since early/mid october, heat only. now I am wondering if the coal is heating the home better than I think or the baseboard heat just heats the upstairs by itself.My house is about 2500 sf ( 5 bed 2 bath) I burn 50 pounds of coal a day and am not sure if it is worth just burning oil. I hate to use oil because of many reasons and don't want the towel heads benfitting from me any more than neccessary, but money savings can change your mind temporarily.
what do you all think?

I used a fuel calculator on the hearth forum and for me to switch to oil the price per gallon would have to be around $1.30-$1.50/gallon but my coal price is only $170/ton delivered. Of course this is just for BTUs and doesn't take into consideration the "work" involved with loading the hopper and emptying the ashes. If the price comes down to $1.50/gallon I am at least going to fill my oil tank since I have a dual fuel boiler.

Fishhunter,
You already have the coal paid for. might as well use it. If your using 50# of coal a day you have a stove that should heat your whole house. I'd find out what the problems are and get good use out of running the coal stove.

Can you tell I like using coal. This is my first year burning coal and I love it. The heat is nice and steady and the house is more comfortable.

Good luck
JB

I like burning coal but like saving money even more. I would never get rid of or totally stop using the stove as oil prices will go back to 3-4 dollars a gallon soon. I keep the downstairs of my house at 76 but the upstairs will only go to about 63 on your normal day (35high,20low). I have a toddler in the house so I need it 68 at night so the oil boiler kicks on occaisonally. my house is 130 years old with new windows and decent insulation. I have cut a couple of floor vents on the 2nd floor to circulate the air better but that did not work as I hoped. I thought they would act as cold air retuns but I feel quite a bit of heat rising up and my stairwell at the opposite end of the house is the cold air return. I cannot cut vents above the stoker because it is in a part of the house that is 1 story (sunroom). just testing the feelings about stopping use for the year. I know several wood burners that stopped burning wood because price justified it. 225 a cord here.

Go back Are you kidding I have been burning coal since 1979 when fuel oil was less than a $
My house has never been warmer than with coal I use 2 tons a year for the upstairs(2400 sq. ft.) and another
ton for the cellar (1800 sq. ft.). Total cost this year of $900. With the hot air propane that I have I used 4 tanks
to heat just the upstairs, current cost of propane about $2800.00 for the season. My current house is a tight log
home with cathedral ceilings. My old house was a split level and we used a Surdiac to heat that with only 2 tons.
I would find a way to get the heat upstairs and why the stove is not producing heat.
From my cold dead hands will they ban my coal stove
Regards,
Rick

fishhunter wrote:hi,
I am trying to decide if it is worth shutting down the stoker for the rest of winter and just use oil. I just checked oil and my supplier is at 2.01 today.

Excellent question!

I started burning coal almost 30 years ago & money saving was only a small part of the equation for me. With the forced warm air (by gas) of my central heating system, the house is much less comfortable than is the nice constant heat delivered by my coal stove. I have learned to almost enjoy the ritual of coal stove operation & the money savings has just been a plus for me.

I can certainly understand the rethinking that lowered oil prices may be causing among new coal burners however.
I will continue to burn coal for the foreseeable future however & can only assume that if traditional home heating fuels stay low in price that lower coal demand should force a reduction in its price too.

The stove produces plenty of heat. it is 84 in the room where the stoker is in right now. the thermostat that I use for discussion is 30 feet away at 76. I could heat myself out of the place but would have to use 80 pounds a day. I use the timer on the stoker that goes from 1-9 and it is never above 5. the coal burns completely and am at .03wc on the manometer. the stove works fine but the big old colonials are tough to heat. I think if I had another staiway leading upstairs it would be much more even heat. I agree you stay much warmer with a coalstoker it is just not as even heat. I eventually want to get a coal boiler but cannot justify the cost currently. but again I have a buddy with a hyfire 11 and he burns 110 pounds a day.

Hmmmmm.....good questions. Uisng the excel heat calc spreadsheet shows my cuttoff to be $1.70 for oil with coal here in central Maine running $315.00 per ton. Current oil price is $2.38 where I am.

I am hoping coal prices will fall abit here in New England as transportation prices decrease. I am looking into getting a full trailer but need to find a supplier that will sell bulk bagged skidded coal at a resonable price. I can get a excellent price on a dedicated truck like yellow freight using my employers account. if I could get it for say 180 a ton plus shipping there would be no question about it. I will just have to do some research and find a few people to split with. if a supplier puts 1 1/2 tons per skid you could have 40 tons delivered for the same shipping charge as 20-25 tons with a dedicated carrier.

that calculater needs to be adjusted in the effiency area though, both for coal and oil. I had my oil guy check the eff. of the stoker and it was 86% not the 75 that is commonly used.

Devil505 wrote: I have learned to almost enjoy the ritual of coal stove operation & the money savings has just been a plus for me.

ALMOST!! Come on Dev! You know you love it.. You can say it! That's why your here.. Just like the rest of us! :bag:

I'm not in love with coal, oil, elec, wood or any other heat source...what I do love is heat at a reasonable price. I've stated this before...most people who buy a drill don't necessarily want a drill...they want a hole.

Razzler wrote: ALMOST!! Come on Dev! You know you love it.. You can say it! That's why your here.. Just like the rest of us! :bag:

Alright...Alright.....I admit it!!

exactly bear creek. I feel the same way. though coal aint "cheap" here like it is there. I actually paid less than most in the area for coal delivered.

bear creek burnout wrote:I've stated this before...most people who buy a drill don't necessarily want a drill...they want a hole.

But......There are some of us who just love the feel, heft & beauty of a well made drill! (the hole is merely a nice benefit)