FHW Experts: Oil boiler vs Propane Combi Unit

[sjwaste]

I'm a New England noob - we've had natural gas everywhere else, along with forced hot air heating.

Can anyone with a recent (15 yr old) oil-fired boiler tell me, how much oil are you using in the off season just keeping the boiler warm and generating domestic hot water for a small family?

I'm starting to consider converting the home we're purchasing from an oil boiler with indirect hot water to a wall mounted propane combi unit (meaning on-demand DHW and FHW for heat out of the same unit).

I'm going to be paying 3.89 a gallon for heating oil next week, while the tiered propane prices would be 3.29 for 750-1000 gallons (which I estimate we'd use if it was our heating fuel). Corrected for efficiency and BTU, propane still costs a little more so I'm basically wondering if generating hot water on demand and not having to keep it fired all summer will swing the cost advantage back to the propane unit.

For now, let's ignore the actual costs of the new system, I'm more interested in knowing if on demand for FHW/DHW is generating a net savings for anyone over an oil boiler and indirect DHW.

Anyone?

 

[jme5343]

We burn 20/30 gal a month in non heating season. Burner is 5 years old. Family of four and no attempt made to save $$$ by shorter showers.

I moved here from the midwest and let me tell you. Heating oil prices SUCK. I'm on an even pay plan (avg annual cost/12)at $355 per month for heating oil. It's three times the cost Of hearing a home in Northern Minnesota.

Propane isn't much better.

 

[NetWareHead]

Like the previous poster said: Propane is not much better. Unless your current oil fired equipment is seriously old, inefficient or constantly needing repair, you wont save much more per month (if any) by switching from oil to propane. Both fuels are notoriously expensive and New England is a cold place (not this winter though) and groundwater entering your home will be very cold and require large enermy demands to heat up.

Regarding the difference in water heating, tank vs tankless (ondemand), what is your current DHW demand? How many people, laundry and dishwasher cycles are needed?

 

[DrPizza]

Having two choices - propane or oil heat, I went with "none of the above." It would be nice to have either as a backup heat source though. The three options: coal, wood pellets, and wood are significantly cheaper than oil or propane. Though coal definitely varies in availability depending on your geographic area. If I want, I can leave either the coal stove or the pellet stove unattended for about 3 days without requiring any intervention on my part.

Personally, I prefer that my hot water and heat are on separate systems. But, that's just my preference; and it's for the same reason as to why I don't want a combo television/VCR. Depending on the availability of wood in your area, you might even want to consider a dual fuel furnace - wood heat, with a propane or oil back-up.

 

[NetWareHead]

OP some people in your situation in New England get an alternative heat source in the form of a stove installed in the main living space of the house. You can keep your existing heating setup, but the stove will supplement that system and put cheaper heat right into the house where you spend most of your day. If you have an existing fireplace, you can buy a high-efficiency fireplace insert, or you are free to mount the stove wherever else you want, provided it can be ventilated properly. You don't even need a vertical flue pipe, most models can be power-vented through the wall to the outside.

I'm getting ready to buy my first house in New England and I also have been spoiled by natural gas in my previous locations. I'm not exactly happy that everyone here seems to use oil or propane either, but its what we have to live with. IMHO, solid fuels are the most cost-effective ways to heat, coal being the best (and offer a quicker and noticeable ROI than switching from oil to propane). Depending on the house I choose and if natural gas is available, I'll seriously consider a supplemental free standing coal stove or a central coal fired stoker boiler for FHW/DHW.

 

[MWink]

We have an 8 year old boiler that provides indirect hot water and heats the house in the winter with baseboard radiators. I'm told this is such a great setup but personally I hate it. Our oil bills seem outrageous and just keep going up (due to the price of oil). We average 1000 gallons per year and are paying just under $4/gal. That works out to $4000 per year. It just seems high since we keep the house pretty cool in the winter.

Even in the summer when it is only providing hot water, we still burn around 33 gallons per month which works out to ~$130/mo just for hot water. I'm kind of wondering if an electric water heater might be cheaper to run. We only have 3 people in the house and I'd say we probably use a bit less than average per person.

I recently used a few of those calculators that compare the prices of different fuels and for us, resistance electric is only slightly more expensive than oil. If the price of oil keeps going up, electric might be cheaper soon.

We actually have an old heat pump on the one side of the house but it runs very poorly. A friend recently gave me his 8 year old heat pump (he upgraded to geothermal) and that would probably be great for the other side of the house but we can't really afford to get it installed.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Propane. Much cheaper than oil. Natural gas is even better. My natural gas bill is around 100/mo for my 1100sqft not so well insulated house, and we get -20's and colder regularly. Natural gas is also convenient as it's a continuous supply. Though guess having a "tank" supply is good in a way as you are not relying on the grid, but it's not like natural gas service is something that goes out often if ever.