Comments on: Oil Vs. Propane Fuel Calculator

By: Todd

Todd — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:54:44 +0000

Jon – Thanks for sharing :)

By: Jon T

Jon T — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:38:04 +0000

One should also consider the following as well:
1. Local cost of propane vs fuel oil
2. A propane furnace can be equipped with a modulating gas valve allowing it to use only the amount of fuel it needs for the conditions at that moment. Considering a properly sized furnace is sized for the worst conditions of the year (think maybe -10 and very windy) and that it will only be those conditions for a few a days each year your furnace doesn’t really need to burn at full capacity. A modulating gas valve furnace starts at 35% of full capacity and ramps up in small increments to properly heat your home.
3. A propane furnace can also be equipped with an ECM variable speed blower motor which will only use about 20% of the electricity that a standard blower motor will use. Beyond using less electricity, this allows you to circulate the air more regularly. If equipped with a whole home humidifier and high efficiency filtration system, this not only gives you better air quality but can also even out temperature variations throughout your home. Hard to put a price on air quality in your home.
4. All this said, if you haven’t improved the envelop (insulation, air sealing and windows) of your home then you’re still throwing away your energy dollars.

Get an energy audit or whole home assessment performed on your home first and see which improvements make the most sense for you, your family and your home.

Hope this makes the readers think completely through their decision.

By: Todd

Todd — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:17:15 +0000

There is a link to the spreadsheet right in the article, click on it and open it in excel.

By: Paul & Tina Watt

Paul & Tina Watt — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:42:54 +0000

We are 54 and 50 years of age and have only ever used wood or coal to heat our home. We switched from wood to coal for less work and now that we are getting older are thinking about putting a furnace in. We are leaning towards propane because we would like to also switch to a gas kitchen range and have a small gas fireplace. Can you send us the Excel calculator please.

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:35:53 +0000

Joan – Glad you found the site useful. I hope you’ll consider signing up for our FREE weekly newsletter.

It really comes down to the pro’s and con’s for your situation. I frankly prefer propane as I feel it’s much cleaner. Good luck…not an easy choice.

By: Joan

Joan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:06:37 +0000

Hi Todd,
First I have to say WOW, you have given a TON of great information. Here is my question, if you can help. We currently live Part Time in Vermont. We have Propane for cooking and a gas stove. We also have direct vent for our oil boiler, which sadly passed away 2 weeks ago. Our tank for the oil is buried outside. Our thoughts are, do we get a larger propane take and just buy a propane boiler, and get rid of the Oil tank? OR, do we invest in a new oil boiler and keep what we have. As I am sure the new boilers are more efficient than what we had (20 years old). With the price of Oil going up and up, and being in rural Vermont, I’m concerned about pricing going up, efficient of Oil VS Propane and being the most energy efficient today AND going forward as this will become our full time home within 5 years..
Thanks Todd, I do appreciate you taking a look at this for us.
Joan