Pellet Fan
Accessories & Essentials => Pellets -- comments & questions => Topic started by: BC Buck on July 04, 2018, 06:39:25 PM
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Dad asked if I had ever heard the BTU out of a pound of propane compared to pound of pellets. I told him there are some variables involved but Iv never read anything on it. You guy have any info.
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Pellet Fuel Institute has a calculator that compares fuel coasts. Its under the Pellet tab. You will have to do more math to find answer. 1 Pound of propane is .236 gallon or 30.2 Ounces. Now I am lost from this point...
Mudflap
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1 gallon of propane is 91,502 BTU @ 60ºF. 1 gallon of propane is 4.23lbs, so that's 21,631 BTU/lb. Here's the btu per pound for common wood species.
https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=2553.msg33157#msg33157
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My Dad was asking cost of using pellets to heat a home. Look like here in STL propane is about 1/3 cheaper per BTU.
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If I were currently heating with propane I would evaluate the advisability of converting to wood pellets by–
A million BTUs of propane, at 91,502 BTUs per gallon, is 10.93 gallons.
Multiply that by propane’s cost per gallon to get the cost of a million BTUs of propane.
A million BTUs of wood pellets, at 7,817 BTUs per lb., is 127.93 lbs.
Multiply that by wood pellets’ cost per lb. to get the cost of a million BTUs of wood pellets.
EDIT: Of course this omits the conversion costs.
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Propane here in Mayberry right now is appx $3.25/gl. Hardwood pellets are about .13 cents/lb.
So 1MM Gas is $35...1MM pellets is $17...
If I were currently heating with propane I would evaluate the advisability of converting to wood pellets by–
A million BTUs of propane, at 91,502 BTUs per gallon, is 10.93 gallons.
A million BTUs of wood pellets, at 7,817 BTUs per lb., is 127.93 lbs.
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If I were currently heating with propane I would evaluate the advisability of converting to wood pellets by–
A million BTUs of propane, at 91,502 BTUs per gallon, is 10.93 gallons.
Multiply that by propane’s cost per gallon to get the cost of a million BTUs of propane.
A million BTUs of wood pellets, at 7,817 BTUs per lb., is 127.93 lbs.
Multiply that by wood pellets’ cost per lb. to get the cost of a million BTUs of wood pellets.
EDIT: Of course this omits the conversion costs.
You also need to factor in the efficiency of each type - gas furnaces can be significantly more efficient than wood pellet stoves.
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I remember back in the day that kerosene heaters were the cheapest way to heat your home in my area. Lotsa people used them, the price went up, and people switched to wood pellet burning stoves. Lotsa people used them, the price went up, and people switched to propane stoves. Lotsa people used them, the price went up, and they move onto something else. I don't remember. Moral of the story. Don't invest a lot of money investing in changing your source of heat because you will probably be changing it again in 5-10 years. I wish I could have natural gas heat piped right into the house from local sources.
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Then there is the labour factor. Wood is far more labour intensive. There may be an insurance price difference to consider too.
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Wood is far more labour intensive.
Yes, if you're handling bags of pellets. In Europe loads are bulk delivered down a chute into the bin, in much the same way coal was delivered. Then it's just augered into the furnace.
There may be an insurance price difference to consider too.
I hadn't thought about that. I wonder???