what do you pay for propane? (rent, how much, home)

[mathjak107]

because the basement runs as much as 9 degrees cooler then the upstairs so the basement is in the upper 40's.... we use the house at least once or 2x a month so we cant shut it down totaly. we need to keep the basement no colder than the 40's so if power goes out you got some slack ....

besides the extreme cold of shutting the heat down totaly for the winter eventually takes its toll on cracking walls, lcd screens and cabinets ...

[rcb1966]

Mathjak....being in the business, I had in the past used Amerigas, however, there service waned. I switched over to Suburban...they had a salesman named Terry. Call their Pittston Pa office & ask for Tery to call you. I believe he is commissioned....I negotiated my price with them. I pd $2.65 back in August when everyone else was paying $3.20 & up. I locked in at their preferred rate for (3) years....the actual rate floats, but it is their commercial rate based on the market. What I agred to do, was bury a 500 gal. tank. I hired an excavator to dig the hole, line it with sand, & lay some conduit in place. They actually own the tank....but I in turn get the rate. I only use it for my fireplace & cooktop...so when I buy 500 gal., it may last me 18 months or better. With time on my side, when rates drop...I call & have them top off the tank. Just a suggestion. I am not far from TT & frequently work in the area. I don't mind helping if required...even to help you lay it out & line up the excavator. I have a great referral for a guy in White Haven that is inexpensive & does great work. Contact me directly for more info.

[rcb1966]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

because the basement runs as much as 9 degrees cooler then the upstairs so the basement is in the upper 40's.... we use the house at least once or 2x a month so we cant shut it down totaly. we need to keep the basement no colder than the 40's so if power goes out you got some slack ....

besides the extreme cold of shutting the heat down totaly for the winter eventually takes its toll on cracking walls, lcd screens and cabinets ...

Is your basement insulated??? A lot of older homes in your subdivision have uninsulated basements. Ground temp. is 54 degrees....how about installing a small "crawlspace heater", that would come on when the temp. drops below, say 50 degrees. Fact - 30% of your heat loss comes from your basement walls....Check out your R-value in your attic as well. I blew in an additional 6" in my parents home for $600, they saved approx. $600 that same year (2007) on their fuel bill, oil at the time. Their new home & mine as well, I spray foamed the basement walls this time....my basement is 68 degrees all the time....the residual heat off of my heat pump keeps it temperate. Just a few suggestions on how to save on heat.

[Riverside4ever]

If you live in a community some propane suppliers will give a ""Community Rate "" Check with your provider

[okaydorothy]

Found my bill. it was $2.32 per gallon for 16 gallons. We only have the fireplace working from gas. That was in Feb.

d

[okaydorothy]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

we arent there alot and are set for 57 degrees when we arent there...its also only a 3 year old hose and is pretty well insulated

.

We are in the same situation. We only heat the bathrooms when we are not there. The house is only a year old and about 1400 sq ft. We do have a heater under the kitchen sink that comes on when the temp goes below 50.

Also in the crawl space, we have a heater that comes on when that area goes below $40. The most i have paid in electric all winter was $234 ; that was the highest bill in Jan when we were there a lot. The heat is electric except for that fireplace.

We use Locklins gas in Hamlin.

d

[bldginpa]

How do you only heat the bathrooms? Our house is one year old with electric heat pump & a/c. Not sure how I could direct heat to the bathrooms only. We also have a crawlspace heater. We ran it last winter but decided not to this winter. Even on the coldest days, the thermometer we put in the crawl read 48 degrees without the heater on. Have a propane insert in the fireplace but haven't arranged for propane yet. Maybe this summer we'll get the tank and have the line connected. We too thought we'd wait for the prices to go down. We would only be using it for the fireplace (not a necessity).

[okaydorothy]

oh just turn the thermostat on to 50 and it comes on. With our electric heat, there is a thermostat in every room.
We also waited last year on the propane and got it connected in Sept.

Good luck
d

[bldginpa]

We only have one thermostat....never knew you could have one in each room. We keep it set at 57 when we're not there. Highest bill so far this winter was $200.00 (PPL). Also, have a freeze detector in the first floor bathroom that is set for 40 degrees. If it goes below 40, we get a call from the alarm company. So far so good though.

[DE_NePA]

Originally Posted by bldginpa

We only have one thermostat....never knew you could have one in each room. We keep it set at 57 when we're not there. Highest bill so far this winter was $200.00 (PPL). Also, have a freeze detector in the first floor bathroom that is set for 40 degrees. If it goes below 40, we get a call from the alarm company. So far so good though.

Your heat pump is a whole house system. Most houses that hve electric heat are heated by the room. There's a thermostat that controls the electric baseboard heat in just that room. So, you turn down the thermostats in the living room, bedrooms, etc, and set to 40 or so the ones in the bathroom. Close the bathroom door, and open the vanity cabinet, to let the heat get to the pipes.