Estimated yearly savings by using coal

Well for me this will be a better year then last altho last year was good.

06-07 $1600 for coal ~8ton, October thru April, AA 260m. If I had used oil it would have cost me $3500.

07-08 $640 since my domestic hot water is all done by the AA 260m Figuring ~8ton for October thru April, hopefully less. BTW my electric bill dropped $60 a month turning the hotwater heater off.

U235a4 wrote:Well for me this will be a better year then last altho last year was good.

06-07 $1600 for coal ~8ton, October thru April, AA 260m. If I had used oil it would have cost me $3500.

07-08 $640 since my domestic hot water is all done by the AA 260m Figuring ~8ton for October thru April, hopefully less. BTW my electric bill dropped $60 a month turning the hotwater heater off.

Hi U235a4 how many SQ. FT. are you heating with that The A A 260M

coal berner wrote:

U235a4 wrote:Well for me this will be a better year then last altho last year was good.

06-07 $1600 for coal ~8ton, October thru April, AA 260m. If I had used oil it would have cost me $3500.

07-08 $640 since my domestic hot water is all done by the AA 260m Figuring ~8ton for October thru April, hopefully less. BTW my electric bill dropped $60 a month turning the hotwater heater off.

Hi U235a4 how many SQ. FT. are you heating with that The A A 260M

A 3500 SQ. Ft Log house built by hesian (SP?) slaves in 1790, the 260 was put in 1958 in place of the hand feed coal furnace / gravity system, this year I took out all the old piping and redid everything altho due to weather and time I didn't get to redo the boiler other then replaced the tk-50 tank coil with a in-160 coil.

For my 1800 sf Raised Ranch in SE PA

Last year I used a combo of Oil , coal EFEL, solar and Kerosane.
Made it thru til spring one a tank of oil 275 gal $500
About 20 - 25 bags of coal about 1/2 ton 125
Kersone 100 estimate
Passive Solar + solar Hot water 0
Electric 100 estimate
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Total 825

For this year, Burning a combo of wood and coal

I found a trailer full of Coal, a ton or so for $120
another trailer of wood 80

Haven't bought any oil yet so far!

Small place 1000 sq. ft.
Used 2 tons of coal last year, $200.00 per ton for a measley $400.00
Used such a small amount of oil that I could'nt notice a drop on the gauge.
Without coal, 3 tanks of oil minium @ about $600.00 each for a whooping $1800.00 to $2000.00

Coal stove cost, $1200.00
Ton of coal cost $200.00
Not buying fuel oil for 3 yrs. PRICELESS!!!!!!
Just bought 2 more tons this year. Can't wait for the cold.
There is no fuel like an old fuel.

Last year I burned $3300 worth of propane heating my ~4000 sq ft colonial in Southeastern New Hampshire: AND FROZE MY ARSE OFF!! PLUS I WOULD GO INTO CONVULSIONS EVERY TIME THE FURNACE KICKED ON!!

This year I purchased a new Keystoker Koker and 8.4 tons of Blaschak bagged rice; and, my family and I are warm and toasty!

Installing Koker and duct work: ~$4700 (3 year payback worst case; probably 2 years with oil and propane prices climbing...)

8.4 tons of NEPA's finest: ~$2000

Going into work every day and listening to my colleagues talk about not turning their heat on until Thanksgiving because heating oil is $3.00/gallon: PRICELESS!

Anthracite heat is a beautiful thing! I'm really glad I was born and raised in NEPA!! Most of the New Englanders up here think burning coal contributes to global warming. Please. I'm simply supplying the carbon dioxide our plants and trees need so badly to survive and thrive!!

Most of the New Englanders up here think burning coal contributes to global warming. Please. I'm simply supplying the carbon dioxide our plants and trees need so badly to survive and thrive!!

I've been burning 3.75 tons/season, which costs $1000.50 here, keeping.the house anywhere from 60* (on days in the single digits) to 70* ( in the low 30's outside)

Before the coal stove, I was going thru 4 tanks of oil to maintain about 60* or less inside. On the real cold days (single digits or below zero), house would be in mid to low 50's! For this year @ $700/tank, that comes out to $2800 at least!!

I bought 4 tons last year & had 11 bags left over, so I bought 3.75 tons this year. Thankfully, it's been warm -- started the stove the latest in the season ever

Found a good comarison chart http://www.pelletheat.org/3/residential/compareFuel.cfm

I have been burnng wood in a boiler .I use 6 cord a year . I also have a propane fireplace ,just had the tank filled @$3/gal ouch . Last year cost me about $1400 to heat .Aprox 2000sq.ft cape cod w/10 ft ceiling in the unfinished basement . Radient floor hot water heating . I won't save a lot of money going to coal but I will save in time . Dave

Well your 6 cords of wood should be about 4 tons of coal. And where you are I would guess that would be about $700 for the same amount of heat. Some savings and a lot less work.

Flyer5 What do you mean you won't save money if you go with coal I heat my house that is 3121.36 Sq.ft. 1949 coal ash cinderblock ranch with a Hand - Fed stove I burn 2.5 to 3 tons in winter and for 3 tons I spent 360.00 Picked up at the breaker even if you would have it deliverd it would around 500.00 With a full blown hot water boiler You might use 5 to 7 tons but that would be all year long With a E.F.M Or a A-A Or a Keystoker At 5 tons it would only 825.00 a year and you would have all of the hot water you could stand and then some You can get used or rebuilt E.F.M. 350 & 520 for 800.00 up to 3.500 In the Paper shop I can say this oil will be not coming down anytime soon if ever so coal is the way to go Especially if you live in PA

coal berner wrote:Flyer5 What do you mean you won't save money if you go with coal I heat my house that is 3121.36 Sq.ft. 1949 coal ash cinderblock ranch with a Hand - Fed stove I burn 2.5 to 3 tons in winter and for 3 tons I spent 360.00 Picked up at the breaker even if you would have it deliverd it would around 500.00 With a full blown hot water boiler You might use 5 to 7 tons but that would be all year long With a E.F.M Or a A-A Or a Keystoker At 5 tons it would only 825.00 a year and you would have all of the hot water you could stand and then some You can get used or rebuilt E.F.M. 350 & 520 for 800.00 up to 3.500 In the Paper shop I can say this oil will be not coming down anytime soon if ever so coal is the way to go Especially if you live in PA

I haven't been burning oil in over 2yrs . Wood I have been getting for $110 - 125/cord I still have heating oil that I paid around $1.20 sitting in my tanks . I burned a little oil so far this year . We have a propane fireplace in the living room and the wife loves to park in front of it ,I think this year she will be dissapointed because it is off . The propane got me last year then I get my bill this month and 3.10 /gal ,they didn't fill it at the end of the season last year . I'm ready to rip it out and put a stoker up there also, SCr@#@w the oil companys .I was figuring 5 tons conservitivly at 200/ton next yrs prices . Although I will probably pick it up with my dump truck so it may be cheaper . So if I use $1000 in coal I am only saving $400 .Far less savings than if I was burning oil (except this year ). I burned stokers when I first built the house but oil was cheap I think it was only $0.78 first time I filled the tanks I only burned oil for 3 yrs . Right after I filled my tanks with the $1.20 oil the price jumped close to $2/gal been burning wood since . Now I have to move my tanks to get my coal bin back plus right now oil is the cheapest thing for me to use ,but I am still having a hard time using it . I may just pump it into barrels to use later in my tractors . Dave

After moving in a year ago into this drafty old 1890 Victorian, our Gas was as follows...but, new windows, door seals, etc...have helped so far.

Dec. $99
Jan $177
(Put in Coal Stove First of Feb)
Feb. $53
Mar $25
Apr $24
May $25
June $24
Etc....still the same into this Dec.!!!

Our electric runs $90-100/mon, but everything is electric, Hot Water (sometime soon I will hook into coal stove), Range and Dryer.

Hopefully 4.5 ton will be enough to heat this big old house!! So far so good! only use about 3/4 ton for over a 1-1/2 month of heating.

To blue83camaro,
Now that NG is over $1.20 a therm and coal is around $205, which is cheaper per month?
Any Idea?

To coldsweat,
When you say 6 cord of wood equals 4 ton, that is 6 FULL cords?

To WNY,
Any idea as to what your monthly consumption is in coal tonnage to heat that big Victorian house?

Thanks for any answers I get because I have just over 2 ton and need to figure out how far I will get based on $1.31 a therm NG this cold Wisconsin winter.
drujinin

I've just begun using coal. 1800 sq ft ranch, heating just the upstairs living space (another 1800 downstairs, but only a small section is heated and it's done via oil fired hot water) Tonight marks 5 days of burn time. Coal-Trol set at 69 (which is 3-4 degrees warmer than I'd set it with oil heat) and I'm burning the last of my initial 150 pounds of rice coal...probably 20 pounds left in the hopper as I type. Temps have been in the 20s and windy, but this house is pretty well insulated as it was built in 1986 and was all electric and converted to oil a few years before we bought it. Stove runs a consistent 250 degrees at night according to my magnetic thermometer and under 200 during the day (most days so far) so I guess the stove is really idling most of the time. Convection fan runs very slowly most of the time...can't even hear it. I suspect this will change as the weather gets colder, but for now...these are the stats I have to offer. At this rate, I'm projecting a savings of about $600 this season and I'm able to keep the house 3 degrees warmer which makes my wife and daughters very happy.