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Moved to NH in November, this being the first house I've had with propane heat. Here it is Jan 31 and I've already spent over $3000 on propane! 3200 sqft house with thermostat set at 70F. Is this normal? What are your bills like?
Yes, think about an alternative heat source for that amount of sqft.. Also, keeping thermostat at 70F is very high relative to what many have it. I keep mine at 65-67F in the winter, always wear layers inside.
Moved to NH in November, this being the first house I've had with propane heat. Here it is Jan 31 and I've already spent over $3000 on propane! 3200 sqft house
Where in NH?
How close to empty was your propane tank when you moved in?
What kind of per gallon pricing are you getting?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo58
with thermostat set at 70F. Is this normal? What are your bills like?
No, thermostat set at 70F is not normal
My house is about the same size; In a really cold year I might spend $3000 on heating oil for the entire heating season (less if I supplement with wood heat). I've also increased my storage capacity so I can get my second tank filled in late summer when fuel prices are generally at their seasonal low.
Wow. $3,000?? And you're only halfway through the heating season? I use 550 gallons of propane per year for heat, hot water, gas stove, and standby generator (tests every week) in a 2000 sq foot house built in 2015. That's about $820 at the lock price I have this year of $1.49/gal.
I suspect your house is old, drafty, and poorly insulated. 3200 is a lot of square footage to heat, especially in an older house that wasn't built to energy codes.
I am glad I bought a newly constructed house. It was worth every penny - Energy Star rated. Thermostat set at 67-68 during day, 63 at night upstairs in the bedrooms.
I hope there are some easy measures you can take to reduce your usage like sealing drafts, plastic film on windows, turning thermostat down. Do you use all 3200 square feet and if not, is it zoned so you can turn heat down in unused areas?
It's too bad that natural gas is not available in most of NH and won't be anytime in the future. The wackos killed the 2 pipeline projects (access northeast pipeline and energy northeast direct pipeline) that were slated to bring in natural gas from PA and other areas to New England. Have you seen the thread linked below?
Well, you bought a pretty big house. Also, many people lock in their propane rates during the summer when rates are lower. If you have an old house, get the house properly insulated, caulk around the windows, replace windows if they are not double pane.
The best thing about heating systems up here is the hot water baseboard... so quiet and warm.
New Hampshire's lack of household NG is not due to a shortage of high-pressure 30-inch gas transmission pipelines.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wells5
It's too bad that natural gas is not available in most of NH and won't be anytime in the future. The wackos killed the 2 pipeline projects (access northeast pipeline and energy northeast direct pipeline) that were slated to bring in natural gas from PA and other areas to New England. Have you seen the thread linked below?
Really? Wackos? Neither pipeline project would have improved local distribution of natural gas within NH towns. Kinder Morgan's Northeast Energy Direct (NED) pipeline had zero provisions for residential distribution in New Hampshire, it was ultimately about export and power generation, not residential customers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by steveusaf
I hope there are some easy measures you can take to reduce your usage like sealing drafts, plastic film on windows, turning thermostat down.
Anybody participate in the energy audits or weatherization programs offered through NHSaves?
There's been other threads on propane here before.
Do you own your tank? If not you're paying a rental fee and high prices on propane.
We have two 125 gallon tanks here and paid $1300 installed for them. We have paid anywhere from $1,00 to $2.00 for propane I think in the middle the last time. Rymes sold us these tanks and the two 500 ones at an old house, which we buried. You'll probably pay for the cost of the tank and install in the first year.
Our house is older like yours perhaps? We heat it with oil the propane is for a commercial building we use for an office.
The house is well insulated, but we supplement the heat with wood. We keep the thermostat at 63 and wear a sweater. The winters are spent near the stoveDecember oil delivery 36 gallons, January 50 gallons, so 86 gallons plus 3/4 of a cord of wood so far. Let's call that $450 for round numbers. The first thing we did when we bought our places was have the basement spray foamed with one inch of closed cell urethane, that has made a huge difference over the field stone walls alone it covered. It's very dry now too.
70 degrees? How about trying 63 when you are sleeping or not home and 67 when you are in the home and awake. Get a programmable thermostat. That will help.
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Propane is one of the more expensive heating fuels
New Hampshire's lack of household NG is not due to a shortage of high-pressure 30-inch gas transmission pipelines.
December oil delivery 36 gallons, January 50 gallons, so 86 gallons plus 3/4 of a cord of wood so far. Let's call that $450 for round numbers. The first thing we did when we bought our places was have the basement spray foamed with one inch of closed cell urethane, that has made a huge difference over the field stone walls alone it covered. It's very dry now too.
