Anyone switch from heating oil to natural gas?

[hemitom]

Originally Posted By: oilmutt
I am currently on the budget plan with Ct. light& power at $620 per month.That includes baseboard heat and hot water.We have 7 portable ac on dedicated electrical lines.Gas co will put in 210ft. line at no cost providing I install gas furance with ac and all necessary vents.Quotes to date range from 18k to 27k.Any advise?
That is a lot of money. Your pushing $7500 a year in utilities. Not to be a smart a--, i would be moving if it were my home.

 

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted By: oilmutt
I am currently on the budget plan with Ct. light& power at $620 per month.That includes baseboard heat and hot water.We have 7 portable ac on dedicated electrical lines.Gas co will put in 210ft. line at no cost providing I install gas furance with ac and all necessary vents.Quotes to date range from 18k to 27k.Any advise?


$620 a month good lord that's expensive.

 

[supton]

I live in NH, and determined last year that one full wall of my 700 sqft house (two story) is not insulated; the other three use that blown in stuff (old camp). We usually only go through 450 gallons of oil per year, and that includes hot water (off the burner). Seems like something is up with your house; you have more insulation that me. Last year we took out a sliding glass door and replaced with a normal door, and that made a sizeable difference.

Might want to check how your roof is insulated.

I have to wonder about these conversions from one fuel to another, if it's worthwhile to keep the old unit. What's hot today might not be in a few years. Odds are an old burner isn't worth keeping, but still.

 

[Kuato]

Holy smokes some folks are paying out the nose...

We only paid around $1000 for propane last winter for heat in the 2400 sq ft home in MT! Granted the thermostat was at 63* and we closed off a couple of rooms, but still.

 

[rjundi]

I learned the hard way moving away from natural gas. Fuel oil is horrid at best and expensive. Requires lots of maintenance and upkeep compared to clean inexpensive natural gas.

I burn 900 gallons a year(typ $3.5/gallon) to heat hot water and heat my home(2400SF) that is older.

I would switch in an instant if they ran the lines down my street but no. Sadly I live 1 mile from a pipeline from Canada(NS)& Maritines to Dracut, MA that feeds natural gas down here.

 

[SHOZ]

I've been heating with fuel oil since 1980, actually it's #2 with additives. Usually used around 300 gallons a year. It runs about $.60 under pump price.

Last year I put in a 20k btu no vent wall furnace which uses propane. It cost about $220 to heat with the propane, fuel oil would have been over $1100.

I still bring the house up to temp in the morning with the fuel oil. And if it ever got down below 0F I would use it too depending on how windy it would be at the time.

 

[Thermo1223]

FYI those grates in the floor were from an old coal stove in the basement.

The heat would start down there and radiate into the house via convection. That is not forced air.

The problem with old oil furnace/boiler is they are really inefficient new and even worse as they age.

We estimated my grandma's was at best in the 60% range before it was replaced. So out of 100,000 BTU's you were lucky to get 60,000 into the house as actual heat. That is crazy, I love gas heat just wish the PO of my house choose not to cheap out on a basic furnace. I would also prefer radiators or in floor heating vs forced air. Better on you & the house and easier to be energy efficient with.

Edit: If you mean fuel oil is #2 diesel with additives it is not. Kerosene is cleaner burning, #2 fuel oil has a high sulfur amount which makes it really dirty. True some add additives to improve burning but it really is a dirty fuel.

 

[zzyzzx]

I just helped someone switch from fuel oil to a heat pump and they absolutely love their new heat pump. They also have a pellet stove that they use sometimes in the coldest part of the year, but around here that's not often since the heat pump is so efficient it works good even at some low temperatures (even below freezing). I would think in some colder places, you could do the same, but just use more pellets. Or just get natural gas. They were spending several thousand each winter, just for the oil, and I think their highest monthly electric bill last winter was $175. Plus they did not have central air before. Fuel oil might be the worst way to heat a house these days.

 

[Thermo1223]

Yes my in-laws used a mini-split system this year to heat most of the house. It will put out full heat(as much as it can) down to 14F where it starts to taper off.

They did this to combat oil usage which always was stupid high. I've told them that natural gas certainly isn't a bad idea based on the price and it being readily available to them plus it would reduce the heat load on the A/C. Their boiler has to stay hot year round for hot water. A low mass unit with a hot water storage tank would not.

 

[123Saab]

My house Is all electric. Hopefully soon I'll have the spare change to put in some solar panels.

Even so, It has not been that expensive (at first I thought it might)

Love the radiant ceiling heat too.