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From the best calculations that I can make, which may still be sketchy, the savings on gas between the two boilers, at present prices, will be about $300/yr. Should prices rise, the savings will increase, of course.
Currently, the wholesale price of natural gas is around $7.20 per mmBtu, this is a 39% decline since energy prices peaked on Friday, July 11, but it is 28% higher than the price on September 4, 2007.
You can easily monitor the natural gas regular session futures prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange (because these prices are available at no charge, they come with a 30-minute delay) by going to: Natural Gas Futures
Walter,
Does that price include transportation costs? LIPA charges for fuel then transportation. But this doesn't address thoughts on which decision to make.
Built in 1962. The original boiler is the one being replaced.
I will suprise you....go with the 84% AFLUE boiler. There is a growing concept that 90+% AFLUE boilers are too good for old homes and should be speced only for new homes.
Sounds nuts? I thought so too but here is the reasoning.
Instead of spending an extra $3000, that money could be better spent on making other parts of the home energy eff. and will give you more bang for your buck. $3000 can pay for alot of weatherization, lighting, energy star appliances, energy audit/planning and insulation that will give you a higher rate of return. Plus, your new 84% boiler is already much better than your current boiler. Its a win/win.
Catch is you need to spend the $3000 and not pocket it.
but I've already done all the weatherizing and Energy Star appliances and I have solar PV too. The attic is R-30 to R-38. The outside walls have mostly been torn down and the insulation replaced and one-inch Celotex wall board (R-7) on top of the studs just under the sheetrock. I use 750 gal of oil per yr. in a 3,000 sq ft house.
The futures price is the price in dollars, cents and hundredths of a cent per mmBtu for 10,000 mmBtu (million British thermal units) at the Henry Hub in Louisiana, the nexus of 16 intra- and interstate natural gas pipeline systems that draw supplies from the region's prolific gas deposits. The pipelines serve markets throughout the U.S. East Coast, the Gulf Coast, the Midwest, and up to the Canadian border.
but I've already done all the weatherizing and Energy Star appliances and I have solar PV too. The attic is R-30 to R-38. The outside walls have mostly been torn down and the insulation replaced and one-inch Celotex wall board (R-7) on top of the studs just under the sheetrock. I use 750 gal of oil per yr. in a 3,000 sq ft house.
Do you think I should still use the 84% AFLUE?
In your case, spend the extra money on the boiler.......750 gallons/ year is very good. Good for you!
If anybody does convert to natural gas, be sure to run a line to your barbecue grill - one of the nicest perks of natural gas!
My plumber wants $500 to run a line to the deck. Then one also needs a BBQ conversion kit. The other thing is that natural gas burns cooler than propane.
Since I use only two propane tanks a year, it's not really worth it just to avoid refilling the tanks.
I also don't have any vehicles that use compressed nat'l gas for fuel.
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