How to calculate natural gas cost for my new stove

[TheSiege]

So I talked to another HVAC guy at work today, he said that the average humidifier system in Utah, in the winter, will put out 2 - 4 pounds per hour. At 30,000 BTUs mine would put out a max of 30oz an hour. So the moisture is a non issue. He also said that there is A LOT more problems with vented systems being dirty and plugged and the exhaust leaking back into the house or through the flue than with ventless. Bottom line, if both are maintained like they should be, there is no problem with either.

 

[Eug]

Actually, for both cooking and heating purposes, gas is far superior. Gas stoves generally have higher heat output and MUCH faster on/off time compared to electric

If you want super fast on off, a non-gas option is induction. They also generally boil water faster than gas. It's also safer and easier to clean. 50 amp circuit recommended for induction though.

We have a gas power stove though, and would likely get the same the next time around too.

 

[NetWareHead]

Actually, for both cooking and heating purposes, gas is far superior. Gas stoves generally have higher heat output and MUCH faster on/off time compared to electric, and condensing gas furnaces may not be as efficient as electric, but the fuel cost is so much lower that it's a moot point.

Using high-value energy for heating purposes is a scam.

Its kind of apples to oranges comparison when you compare efficiencies of electric heat to anything else. Simply because they are measured at different places. To adequately judge electric's efficiency, it need to be measured at the power plant. What is the efficiency percentage of a coal plant or a nuclear plant etc etc...? How much of that fuel is being converted to electricity? Then as the electricity travels via transmission lines and utility poles to your house it also suffers transmission losses.

This is somewhat difficult to measure since electricity gets generated by so many different types power plants and utilities routinely buy/sell power to one another. Once electricity is on the grid, its all mixed up and indistinguishable.

The 100% electrical efficiency is measured from the point electricity enters your house and is not accounting for any time since its creation at a power plant. Compared to gas, oil etc... burned for your home heat, those efficiencies are measured where the fuel is consumed and paint a more accurate picture.

Note the amount of BTUs in a gallon of propane or fuel oil or therm of gas along with the price of each unit and compare that with the kilowatt-hour price charged along with BTUs in each kWH. Factor in for any inefficiency and that is the best way to compare which energy choice is more economical.

 

[BoomerD]

Tree-fiddy.

/thread

 

[TheSiege]

9 cents a KWh here and $7.99 per decatherm

 

[NetWareHead]

9 cents a KWh here and $7.99 per decatherm

3,412 BTUs per kWh

100,000 BTUs per therm *10 = 1 dekatherm (1,000,000 BTUs)

293.0833 kWh needed to equal BTUs in 1 dekaterm of nat gas

therefore 293.0833 kWh x $0.09 = $26.377 + any electric delivery charges part of monthly bill

$26.377 comparable electric + delivery fees > $7.99 comparable gas + delivery fees

(Note: I did round in some of these calculations)

This is one example of why electric appliances are less cost effective to run than gas fired counterparts. As a rule of thumb, gas is almost always cheaper than electric. A gas dryer for instance costs $50-100 more than electric counterpart but you will make it up in a year or so with the cheaper cost of gas.

In my house I have an electric dryer even though the house is piped for natural gas. The damn gas lines are right there for the boiler and could be extended 3 feet to where the dryer sits but nobody though about doing that... <facepalm> That's my next project...

 

[Scarpozzi]

The problem is with using a stove as a heater is that the flame should be vented. When NG burns, it puts off a mixture of CO, CO2, water vapor, and a number of other trace pollutants in the air. Recently, there have been quite a few studies about cooking in the household and how gas ranges almost always cause more lung disorders than electric ranges. (but I wouldn't switch to electric for anything)

It's not terribly dangerous, but isn't 100% safe either due to long-term effects.

I've got a NG gas logs set in my fireplace that's vented....venting your stove/range would be less than 99% efficient. If you could get a real NG furnace (more expensive, but vented properly), you would be better off and have the advantage of using a thermostat on the wall without having to rig something.

 

[NetWareHead]

The problem is with using a stove as a heater is that the flame should be vented. When NG burns, it puts off a mixture of CO, CO2, water vapor, and a number of other trace pollutants in the air. Recently, there have been quite a few studies about cooking in the household and how gas ranges almost always cause more lung disorders than electric ranges. (but I wouldn't switch to electric for anything)

Yep, lets not forget the combustion products from the mercaptan odorant added to gas as well which includes sulfur dioxide (SO2), a component of air pollution. If you check out the link to the manual posted earlier in this thread., one of the troubleshooting symptoms is "headaches" which can either be caused by carbon monoxide or sulfur dioxide contamination of indoor atmosphere. This is result of incomplete combustion or from improperly setting up the "logs" so that they are burning. The "fix" for such a problem is to increase the combustion air or ventilation air of the room.

A cooking range is also unvented but you have the option of using a range hood or vent. The better ones are piped to outside, the crappy ones simply recycle the air after passing it through a charcoal filter. An unvented fossil fuel appliance just doesn't sit right with me. The industry calls them vent free. I call them room vented, lung filtered.