Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook

Energy Information Administration ^ | October 7, 2008 | Energy Information Administration

[thackney]

[Red Badger]

I’m glad I got natural gas......................heating, that is.......

[Realism]

Average household expenditures for all space-heating fuels are projected to be $1,137 this winter

Since I spent a little more than $1,700 last year I sure I will be keeping my above average reputation this year. : (

[thackney]

What is your source of heating fuel?

[Realism]

NG Boiler

[thackney]

Households heating primarily with natural gas are expected to spend an average of $155 (18 percent) more this winter.

Ouch. At least you don't use fuel oil.

[Realism]

At least you don't use fuel oil.

I don't know, sometimes I believe that the cost is calculated by BTU's, using electric as a baseline.

[thackney]

sometimes I believe that the cost is calculated by BTU's

That should be true, Residential Natural gas is often priced by the Therm. (1 therm=100,000 Btu, which is the heat content of about 100 cubic feet of gas)

using electric as a baseline

That part sounds doubtful. I do not understand how (or why) they would do that.

If you are interested, some more information may be found at:

Residential Natural Gas Prices
What Consumer Should Know
http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure/oil_gas/rngp/index.html
Release Date: November 2007
Next Release Date: November 2008

Judging from your home page, you probably already know this stuff, but maybe there is some new info there for you.

[Realism]

Electric heat is 100% efficient, seems like a good place to start? Never looked in to it that closely.

Electricity (MWH) 3,412 BTUs/kilowatt hour

Fuel Oil (gal. 000’s) 138,700 BTUs/gallon

Nat. Gas (cu. feet 000’s) 1,031 BTUs/cubic foot

LPG/Propane (gal. 000’s) 95,500 BTU/gallon

Coal (short ton) 24,580,000 BTUs/short ton

Purchased Steam (BTUs) 1,000 BTUs/pound

[CRBDeuce]

Worthy of note:

Domestic crude production has been steadily declining since the 1970s and the 2008 projection for crude oil production falls under 5 million bbl/d for the first time since 1946.

[thackney]

Electric heat is 100% efficient, seems like a good place to start?

Keep in mind you pay for quite a few inefficiency in the process of generating and bringing the electricity to your house.

2007 data available by clicking picture.

[mysterio]

And Pickens wants to increase NG demand tenfold. Great idea there.

[thackney]

At least he wants to drill as well. We need to produce more natural gas domestically. We are increasing, but not enough.

[mysterio]

It would be awesome to go back to 1999 when I bought my furnace and choose something other than NG. An electric would have paid for itself several times by now.

[Realism]

Here we go, just fill in the blanks.

HOME FUEL COST COMPARISON
http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/files/31924.pdf

[Realism]

You got me going, now I can’t stop till I have the numbers.

Cost in my area per 100,000 btu
Electric - $4.98
Oil - $2.69
NG - $2.10

[mysterio]

What area are you in? Because where I’m at, electricity is super cheap compared to the rest of the country.

[nascarnation]

Thanks
good info

I plan on supplementing my propane with a lot of spot heating using electric this winter, because here in Indiana, electric is cheaper.

[Realism]

Upstate N.Y., electric alone is cheap until you consider the transport, service, and tax tacked on. My fees are usually more than the cost of electric I use.

[thackney]

Yeah, the inefficiencies of taking fuel, converting it to electricity and bringing it to your house show up in the costs.

You would have to have a very inefficient NG Water heating unit to make up more than twice the price difference.

I had a similar unit in Alaska. Much better efficiency than a forced air, IIRC.