1GirlTwinBoys Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We currently are all electric and my last 2 energy bills have been outrageous! $375 last month and $512 this bill. I know it's higher because of the extreme cold temps, but it's also almost $300 higher this year compared to same time last year. I just turned the temp down from 71 to 68 to try and save some money. Our furnace is almost 17 years old and I'm wondering what we should do differently when it's time to replace everything. We live in the country and don't have gas so it would have to be propane tank. Thoughts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Not sure, but I know a friend that's had to fill their propane twice this winter and propane has been on a shortage so the price has been ridiculous. Over $4/gallon. We keep our house at 67 during the day & 60 at night, we just wear layers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Now is not a good time to switch to propane. Thirty-three states have declared a state of emergency over the shortage, and prices are skyrocketing. In our area the prices have more than doubled since the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachskittles Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I do not like propane heat. I much prefer electric heat. We have propane in the house we are renting. Due to the extreme cold, it currently costs $5 a gallon with a minimum purchase of 250 gallons. Add in the problem that our heater uses an electric blower as well, and our heating costs are horrifying. If I couldn't have electric, I would agree to natural gas. I will never move to a house with propane again unless it is an absolute must.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What about burning wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowing Brook Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I agree it is not a good time to switch to propane. We have to sign a contract for propane and we pay over 200 a month even in the summer months. I have heard that the prices have risen to over three dollars a gallon in our area and will soon be over five dollars a gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We have a very high efficiency gas boiler. It is not cheap, but is way cheaper than the oil we had before. We supplement with wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charcat13 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We use propane heat for our first floor system. It's crazy right now. I ordered yesterday and it was 4.36 a gallon. Lady said it was first time in a while it was under $5. You can get 200 gallons. No more, no less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venia Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Last year we spent around $300-$400 a month in propane when it was only $2 a gallon. That kept the house at 63F. The price is double now. This year we are using our wood stove and electric zone heaters. Our electricity bill went up about $30-$50 per month with varying use. If we did not cut our own wood, we would likely spend about $500 to get us through the winter. Huge savings. Edit: Also if you are hooking up propane for the first time, there will be fees for line installation and inspection. You may just want to replace your current unit with a more energy efficient model, check your insulation in your attic and add more if necessary, check the ducting for leaks and disconnections, or maybe have a wood or pellet stove installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We had propane heat. We switched to a wood stove, with small electric heaters for individual rooms that aren't well covered by the woodstove. No regrets, especially after reading this thread. We do still have a propane kitchen stove. Side benefit is that when it's cold enough to be running the woodstove during dinner-cooking time, we can save even more propane/electricity by cooking on the woodstove instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Wood stove. I'm so happy we don't have a propane tank to fill anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Not us, but a childhood friend who lives in a rural location, in S.W. Utah, where it can get VERY cold, heats his house with Propane. I spoke with him on Skype, 2 or 3 nights ago, and we were discussing that. He told me that when they were going to build (they ended up having a manufactured house built in Idaho and installed on a foundation), he looked into the cost of a BTU, with electricity or with Propane, and at that time, it was less expensive with Propane. Now, with the Propane shortage, I'm not sure how the cost of a BTU would compare. He has a 500 gallon Propane tank and would like them to change it to a 1000 gallon tank. If there is a power failure, he has a generator (also Propane powered), so he can continue to have the heat in his house operational. (We live in a Tropical Valley, so we have no heating or air conditioning) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 My df can no longer afford the propane for her heating. She has spent two winters without heat--without THAT heat, I should say. They use space heaters (electric, I think) at the baseboard and keep the house pretty cool. Have you looked at pellet stoves? My bil in NC sells a bunch (I don't think they ship, so this website is just for information--hope that's ok by board rules). Fireside, Murphy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia7278 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 First, there really isn't a shortage of propane. There's a controlled release of it, so with the high demand right now, they should release more, but they won't. It's nonsense. Prices will come down in about two months. This happens many years. You need to call around and talk to propane companies. They frequently offer deals for people who are first time customers. They also will offer discounts to people who own their own tank. It's well worth it to purchase your own. Then you are under no obligation to take fuel from a specific company. You can call around and see who has the best price. Don't let them talk you into a small tank either. Get a 500 at least, this way you can tank up in the summer when the prices are lower. We generally fill our tank at the end of the summer. Some years we need to put a bit in to get us through the winter. It's been so cold this year, we had to put some in to get us through the next couple of months. In our area though, it's the most efficient fuel. Also, double check. Minimums here are 150 gallons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We heat with propane. I hadn't heard about the shortage until this thread but when I just did some googling around, I can't figure out if it's here in NJ or not. We locked in a price last summer. We sign a contract with our propane supplier, pay a set amount each month ($200-something) and they make regular deliveries and guarantee we won't run out. I think we make payments year round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 First, there really isn't a shortage of propane. I'd be interested in seeing a source to support that claim. Everything I've read says there is a shortage and the stocks are low in many areas. The weather has caused transportation issues, as did a pipeline outage in December. There may not be a shortage in your area, but that is not true for much of the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We have propane, and a lot of people in our town have either propane or heat pumps (natural gas is now available, but that's only been for the last 12 years, so most people have not made the switch yet). About 5 years ago the cost of running the heat pump was slightly more than propane. Right now propane is through the roof, so heat pumps are cheaper. 10 years ago the cost of natural gas and propane were close (in terms of running a system in your house). But because of fracking, natural gas is now much cheaper. I would not put in a propane system at this time. I would do a heat pump and maybe a propane fireplace. I don't see the price of propane getting better any time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 No propane supply issues here, thankfully. The prices are up, but we locked in the price and have a fixed amount that we pay every month. IMHO we were always cold with a heat pump, even in a town house. Even in below zero with wind, we are relatively warm with a propane furnace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I am sick over the propane bill every month. Don't do it if you can't help it. I will say that we are very warm even in the bitter cold, but the cost is awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 We must be using a different definition of shortage. "The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today invoked its emergency authority under the Interstate Commerce Act to help alleviate a shortage of propane supplies to consumers in the Midwest and Northeast." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torikei Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I'm hesitant to post as we only spend $500 or less a year in propane. My husband buys our propane in the summer. He purchases approx $1000 of propane at a preset price that is much lower than winter prices. It does save a lot of money. Our real money saver is the fact that we have a concrete form house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 We used to have propane for the furnace, the dryer and the stove. Propane prices fluctuate wildly. When gasoline prices are up you are paying dearly for delivery, or we did at least. Can you get a wood stove installed? This would take the edge off the heating bill - at least if you have some access to wood. Even if you have to pay $250 or $300 per cord, it may be cheaper for the entire winter if you get a new, efficient wood stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 We use propane with a in ground heat converter as well. We'll pay $1000 (roughly) this year for fuel. It's been a bitter cold winter (-20 as we speak). We live in a 4 story 2700 4 x4 farmhouse. The house is warm (we do have new windows, and we always do the plastic covering every year). We dress warmly, but not excessivly so- ds will wear t-shirts in our finished basement which is always a bit colder than the rest of the house. We bought propane for $1.46 this summer and just did a 1/2 tank (1000 gal) re-fill for $2.80-ish. It def fluctuates, but if you can get a good rate locked in, you are set. We heated with wood before our house fire (nno connection to the fire). Oy vey. I do NOT miss the hard, hard work and heiny freezing early morning cold of that life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 My parents have a wood doctor. (At least that is what they call it) It looks like a shed, but it's a wood stove. Since it is the size of a shed you can stick really big pieces in and can usually get by with loading it every other day or so. (I think) http://www.wooddoctorfurnace.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 We have propane as back-up heat to our house in case we are going to be gone for a long period of time during the day or on vacation or something. We use about 200 gallons at most per year since most of our traveling is done during none heating weather. We have radiant floor heating which is very efficient with our main source of that heat an exterior wood boiler. When we don't have time to cut and dry our own wood, we spend about $200.00 a month from mid Nov. - mid. Mar. having wood delivered. This year, for the first time, we spent $280.00 in January due to the long period of sub freezing temps and high winds. By April, we'll likely be using very little. My brother uses propane and has been paying $3.64 a gallon, but I've heard of places in Michigan that are charging over $5.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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