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Hey Everyone,
We just recently purchased a propane heated home in Morris County and our energy bills are nowhere near what we budgeted for. This colonial home is just about 2k Sq FT and we have had the tank filled every 4-5 weeks. The below is the breakdown of the fills and costs on my meter tickets...
When we first moved in we left both thermostats at 62 all Day, and when we were home we would adjust them up to 66 but we quickly realized we were burning through a ton of fuel. After this we keep the house colder than we like to save on energy but it doesn't seem to be helping much. I called a local HVAC company that they advised setting back the 2 zone thermostats by 10 degrees and it will help so they are setup as below..
First Floor M-F 5pm-8pm 64 Degrees; 8PM-5PM(next day) 56Degrees
Sat & Sun 7am-7pm 66 Degrees; 7pm-7am 56Degrees Second Floor M-F 8PM-5:30AM 66 Degrees; 5:30am-8pm 60 Degrees
A few friends we know have similar or slightly bigger homes that are oil fueled homes and they're consumption is nowhere near ours and they keep their homes much warmer...so we are wondering if it makes sense to convert the home to oil. The biggest downside is the home came with both new forced air furnace's and water heaters are brand new..
Stupid question first... do you have the capability to convert to natural gas?
If not, oil will be more cost-effective and efficient at heating your home to a more comfortable temperature.
We also recently installed Nest thermostats (any smart one will do) that regulates our heat much better than the old one. We've already seen a noticeable change in the heating bill.
Stupid question first... do you have the capability to convert to natural gas?
If not, oil will be more cost-effective and efficient at heating your home to a more comfortable temperature.
We also recently installed Nest thermostats (any smart one will do) that regulates our heat much better than the old one. We've already seen a noticeable change in the heating bill.
Unfortunately no natural gas at the moment, the gas company did say they are slowly hooking adding lines throughout the town so maybe in 4-5 years that might be an option. The nearest line is at my sons school which is only a mile away but I guess things take time.
Once the Natural gas was out of the picture we picked up two Nest Thermostats to help regulate the heating throughout the home. This being my first winter here and only my third month, I'm not sure if I can see a noticeable change.
How well is the house insulated- thermopane windows and insulated steel exterior doors? Are the studs 2X6" and what "R" value is your insulation?
As to when new natural gas hookups become available, many areas of NJ have a moratorium because new gas pipelines into New Jersey are being held up by the environmental wackos and NIMBYs. Construction on the Penn East pipeline has not even started.
I switched from oil to natural gas. My oil prices were roughly similar to your numbers and I have a smaller, well insulated house. I would skip oil and wait for natural gas.
The price of Oil vs LPG track very close. (LPG is an Oil product).
If Natural Gas is heading your way, your LPG systems can be converted in most cases to Natural Gas. For minimal Costs.
If you convert to Oil you will have the Sunk Cost of the insulation of the Oil System, and Oil Systems can not be switched over to NGas. So you would have the lost of "Life value" on your new LPG Heat and/or Hot Water
If you do go to Oil, I would suggest you retain your LPG Hot Water system, LPG makes Hot Water Faster, and more efficiently.
Wow that is really expensive. That is more than what I pay for gas/electric/water per month My house is 2 floors and 2200sq ft. You system is probably very inefficient.
Last month I paid $150 to heat/cook with gas. I expect this month to be around $175. Since I have solar my electricity bill will most likely be around $80 and my water bill is $75.
As to when new natural gas hookups become available, many areas of NJ have a moratorium because new gas pipelines into New Jersey are being held up by the environmental wackos and NIMBYs. Construction on the Penn East pipeline has not even started.
Transmission pipelines (which move large volumes of gas over long distances at high pressures) have nothing to do with regular service mains which supply low pressure gas to customers. Main extensions are subject to NJBPU regulation, which essentially relies on a formula to ensure that the gas company can only extend a main which will supply gas in such a way that there will be a reasonable return on investment. This is to deter companies from simply extending mains willy nilly and then recouping the expenses incurred by raising rates on all ratepayers.
How well is the house insulated- thermopane windows and insulated steel exterior doors? Are the studs 2X6" and what "R" value is your insulation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wells5
All of the windows are Anderson Double Pane, and all the doors are insulated steel but are original to 1990 when the home was built. I don't think the home is as well insulated as it should be as I sometimes feel a draft in certain areas of the house. For instance when I walk up to the second floor I feel cold air in the staircase but its warm at the landing. The same is true for the bedrooms, some are colder than others. I picked this up yesterday to see if it helps me identify the areas where there needs to be more weather striping done to help. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044R87BE/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_J8GqCbXY1827K
Quote:
Originally Posted by vision33r
Wow that is really expensive. That is more than what I pay for gas/electric/water per month My house is 2 floors and 2200sq ft. You system is probably very inefficient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vision33r
Last month I paid $150 to heat/cook with gas. I expect this month to be around $175. Since I have solar my electricity bill will most likely be around $80 and my water bill is $75.
Yea it is very expensive but it's not due to the system being inefficient. I do believe its a mix of insulation and propane fuel costs as I have a family relative who has a 2700 SQ Ft colonial home with a finished basement that's also forced air(natural gas) and his gas/cooking bill is usually $325-375 in the winter and under $100 in the spring/summer.
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