Heating Cost by Fuel Type

Have you ever wondered exactly how much it would cost to use another heating source? For instance, would it be worth the initial expense to change for oil to gas? Or maybe it would be better to switch to a pellet stove? In order to answer these questions, an article on InspectAPedia has developed a table that compares the average cost of various fuel types:

Table 1 - January 2009 Comparison of Current Energy Costs per BTU for Heating Oil, Natural Gas, Firewood, Pellet Stove Fuel, Propane, Coal
Heating Fuel	Heat Content in BTUs	Unit Cost	Cost / 1000 BTUs	Notes on Formulas & Fuels
Home Heating Oil	140,000 BTUs/Gal HC = 140	$2.00/gal UC = 2.00	1.42 cents	Price varies by time, season, economy, locale
Natural Gas	1029 BTUs/Cu. Ft. HC = 1.029	$7.00/1000 Cu. ft. UC = 0.7	0.68 cents	Price varies by time, season, economy, locale.
Firewood	150,000 BTUs/Cu. ft. HC = 150	$75/face cord UC = 6.46/Cu. ft.	4.30 cents	BTUs vary by wood type, condition, design of wood heater. A face cord is 4' x 8' x 16" of wood tightly stacked = 42.6 cu. ft. About $50./face cord in Dec 2008 in MN A full cord 4' x 4' x 8' = 128 Cu. ft. about $150. in Dec 2008 in MN, more in NYC
Electricity	3413 BTUs / KWH HC = 3.413	$0.11/KWH UC = 0.11	3.22 cents	1 KWH = 3413 BTUs. Cost/1000 BTUs = $0.11 / 3.413 = .032258
Propane				in process
Pellet Stove Fuel	8200 BTUs/pound HC = 8.2	$225 / Ton	1.4 cents	$225. per ton of pellet fuel, 70% efficient. 50 40-pound bags per ton, or 60 40-pound bags per skid. One bag of pellet fuel burns for 24 hours in a typical pellet stove. $225 / 2000 (pounds per ton) = 11.25 cents / pound. .1125 / 8.2 = .0137
Coal				In process Assuming xx-sized coal for use in coal stoves used as interior heat source, not coal fired furnaces or boilers which use pea coal.
Formulas Used [1]	HC	UC	(UC / HC) * 100	Unit Cost (UC)__ x 100 = Heat Cost per 1000 BTUs Heat Content (HC) See notes above for specific fuels.

For the full article and methodology, visit the website.