[tkln]

From an article in this week's Stowe Reporter:

Last year at this time, fuel oil prices averaged $2.54 a gallon in Vermont, says the Department of Public Service, which conducts a monthly survey. By March of this year, the price was $3.46 a gallon.
Bourne’s Inc. in Morrisville and Waterbury plans to send fuel-oil contracts to customers in June, but company officials don’t know yet what the prices will look like.
As of Monday, Bourne’s was selling home heating oil for $4.98 per gallon, up from $2.68 in October. Propane was $3.03, up from $2.60 in October.
The average Bourne’s customer uses about 1,000 gallons of fuel oil per year. A $2.68-a-gallon price for 1,000 gallons works out to $2,680 for the winter; $4.98 is $4,980, a $2,300 increase — 85 percent.

The Stowe Reporter


I know the price increase is the same down here in NY...this is going to be a very interesting winter...

[harry chickpea]

If heating oil costs $5000 for a season, a lot of people will see the light.

Cost of new coal burning stove $1600
Cost of coal for season under $1,000

Payback time if ordered for October delivery - 3 months. It doesn't get much better than that on ANY investment. Savings the following year - about $4,000.

Even if the coal is used 1/2 the time, it still pays for itself over a single heating season.

Blast from the past - More Vermonters will heat with coal due to fuel prices

IMO, burning oil for heat was always an expedient based on market conditions, and is an incredibly inefficient use of the resource, predicated on cheap oil burning furnaces and lack of improvements in coal furnace technology.

The energy in the oil could easily power a small home diesel engine, driving a heat pump compressor. Instead of the theoretical maximum 100% efficiency of a high efficiency furnace, the combination of the "waste" heat from the diesel and the over unity recovery of heat from the exhaust stream, such a unit could be the equivalent of as much as 300% efficient. Literally, the exhaust exiting such a system would be colder than the air coming in, or the unit could even more efficiently be used in connection with geothermal.

The low cost of oil in the past has made such ideas impractical, but if the cost of manufacture can be kept down, such technology can compete in the marketplace.

[flu189]

The shock value and ramifications has yet to set in. Just think, last years' prices as cheap as they may seem today, stretched many home budgets to the limit and broke many as well. Now with gasoline, food, heating, and misc consumer goods in general to follow due to transportation costs, it will be a very somber winter for more and more folks who never would have imagined to be in such straits. Savings have been tapped out, retirement funds are being raided with penalty all while the principal of these accounts have for the majority dropped double digit percentage amounts, home equity loans are harder to get even if at all, and for those with credit card debt the interest keeps on just compounding. Interesting times indeed and it will be even more interesting to see the reactions of people as more and more pushed into desperation.

[OhBeeHave]

Interesting times indeed and it will be even more interesting to see the reactions of people as more and more pushed into desperation.

I do believe we are teetering between recession and depression.

[flu189]

What really concerns me the most is that our govt at all levels from local, state, and federal, despite knowing what faces the population is so unfocused and wrapped around the axle wasting time, effort, and money on non urgent and special interest agendas that the overall situation will have to get much worse. In all liklihood we seem to be headed toward a course where we will try to tax ourselves into even worse shape not to even mention the emergency funding requests which will inundate the govt for aid and assistance.

[Catamount]

Have to burn wood, just because when I am buying it,
it is money I am giving to a Vermonter.
I tried coal last year, and it seems to work well.
Easy to control,
and easy to deal with.

Wood is a pain, but I feel good about it.

Last winter I burned about five hundred pounds of coal,
and three cords of wood.
Not bad for a Northeast Kingdom winter, I feel.

I have an oil furnace, and a gas heater, but there
is no way I am paying a thousand bucks to fill my oil tank.
Propane is prohibitively expensive also.

[68vette]

Unless you can cut and season your own wood, expect the price of wood to go up substantially as well. Good deals can still be found, but as an example we were given a price of almost one and a half times as much as last year.

Our oil company is not sure they will have a budget plan this year. They are waiting to see if the price of oil stabilizes. We are looking into converting to natural gas. We are waiting for the gas company to come out to the house. Some furnaces can be converted at little or no cost and they are offering free hookup with up to (I belive) 100 feet of line. The gentleman we spoke to also told us he would calculate everything for us to tell us if it would even be worth converting at this time.

The south is looking better and better after every winter.

[flu189]

The use of coal would be something I would like to consider, but I fear that if it gains popularity then we will then face regulation against it. C'mon, we are talking about Montpelier who will stomp on us for heating due to the carbon footprint. Meanwhile, China I believe still adds one coal fired plant per week and now several nations in Europe are exploring increased coal use to keep their industrial capacity and economy operating. With the exception of folks with rural woodlands of the quantity and timber stand quality to provide sustainable annual wood yields, the rest of us face expensive heating options. Conversions can be very expensive and would only be feasable if you are looking at five or more years remaining in the same residence. Just wait until we lose Vermont Yankee and the contracts with Hydro Quebec expire to see even more price spikes. Research into alternative energy must continue, but we also have to be realistic and realize that it will be decades until a combination of these sources will supply any appreciable percentage of baseload requirements. Even if we were to embark on a massive and comprehensive geographical distribution of nuclear power generation, which could potentially allow for clean electric heating, it would take at least fifteen years. Anyway, Vermont just published their 267 page energy report plan and forecast which I plowed through. It covers all the facets and is full of charts and graphs. The report, though, while acknowledging pro and con aspects provides no direct plan tending to more follow the tone of lets wait and see and probably to the chagrin of many it is very binding in terms of global warming concepts, many which can be argued are subject to debate and questionable premises.

[harry chickpea]

Too true, flu. For those on fixed or minimal incomes, yet another call to leave Vermont. I predicted a few months ago that the summer would be interesting in the south, and as winter approached, more northerners would be either abandoning the north and moving south, or facing foreclosure. Time to declare the state a loss to the eco-nuts, abandon it, and let them eat grass and berries as they rub sticks together to keep warm. Be sure to demand a few new taxes and environmental regulations before leaving.

[Idunn]

Many houses are predicated on and were built for relatively inexpensive energy. While such things as retrofit of good insulation can be helpful, these residences were not designed to be efficient.

Obviously any type of construction involves money, but for new construction, or those determined to remain and do this over time, certain changes might be cost effective.

Case in point the Earthship houses, many localized near Taos, NM. While the climate is not as severe as Vermont's, at an elevation of 7,000 feet the winters are cold and it does snow. An advantage there is a prevalence of sun, but the basic concept of such dwellings, and their innate energy efficiency, can be and is extended globally.

An Earthship house is purpose built to be as energy efficient as possible; many of them are not connected to the electric utility grid, the only fossil fuels used often no more than some propane for gas stoves. In many cases there is no or minimal additional heating beyond the passive solar gain from the south facing windows. These dwellings often have indoor gardens, and even grow banana plants throughout the winter.

If concerned with every penny consider that the equation is changing, with this certain alterations formerly impractical now feasible. Also that the proven technology to do this already exists. Money is involved, but more importantly creativity and the willingness to think outside inherently drafty boxes. Aesthetics are important but can be entwined with good design, and if a dwelling considered solely in terms of energy and comfort a great deal might be done.