oil to gas heat - has anyone converted

[doodlebugg 10]

With the ever rising price of oil these days and the gloom and doom on the horizon re: Iran, has anyone thought of or has anyone already converted from oil heat to gas heat? I have National Grid coming over in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate because right now I'm paying $4.43/gallon and with a 250 gallon tank that is $1,107/month that I"m looking at *if* it stayed the same which I highly doubt. The comparable price of gas right now is $3.34/unit though so not a whole lot different and if oil goes down I'll kick myself but I would get $1,500 off of a new burner.

[payxibka 10,045]

With the ever rising price of oil these days and the gloom and doom on the horizon re: Iran, has anyone thought of or has anyone already converted from oil heat to gas heat? I have National Grid coming over in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate because right now I'm paying $4.43/gallon and with a 250 gallon tank that is $1,107/month that I"m looking at *if* it stayed the same which I highly doubt. The comparable price of gas right now is $3.34/unit though so not a whole lot different and if oil goes down I'll kick myself but I would get $1,500 off of a new burner.

You burn 250 gallons each month? I remember way back when we used to burn 500-600 gallons each heating season.... and that was in MN.

[doodlebugg 10]

With the ever rising price of oil these days and the gloom and doom on the horizon re: Iran, has anyone thought of or has anyone already converted from oil heat to gas heat? I have National Grid coming over in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate because right now I'm paying $4.43/gallon and with a 250 gallon tank that is $1,107/month that I"m looking at *if* it stayed the same which I highly doubt. The comparable price of gas right now is $3.34/unit though so not a whole lot different and if oil goes down I'll kick myself but I would get $1,500 off of a new burner.

You burn 250 gallons each month? I remember way back when we used to burn 500-600 gallons each heating season.... and that was in MN.

Yeah I'm hoping to also increase efficiency since my oil burner is older than dirt and breaks down each winter.

[Marilyn. 340]

our apartment has gas heat already.... we pay about 30 to 40 bucks a month on gas during the winter months.. but we are also in LA so doesn't get nearly as cold as some places...

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

With the ever rising price of oil these days and the gloom and doom on the horizon re: Iran, has anyone thought of or has anyone already converted from oil heat to gas heat? I have National Grid coming over in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate because right now I'm paying $4.43/gallon and with a 250 gallon tank that is $1,107/month that I"m looking at *if* it stayed the same which I highly doubt. The comparable price of gas right now is $3.34/unit though so not a whole lot different and if oil goes down I'll kick myself but I would get $1,500 off of a new burner.

what about propane?

[DARUMA07 25]

What ever type of gas you use (Natural or Propane) you should have a load calculation done on your home by a Heating & Cooling professional. This calculation will tell you exactly how to size your new furnace and air. It will let you know where the heat loss and Infiltrations are coming into and out of your home.

I agree with you about getting rid of the inefficient oil burner! You should look at 90% furnaces which is very very efficient to heat your home These furnaces have 2 heat exchangers instead of 1... It recycles the heat that you would normally lose out your flue into the 2nd heat exhanger making this very efficient. Ask your Professional alot of questions about what is best for your home! Warning......... Be careful with some Companies.... Use a Well Known and Reliable Heating and Air Company! This will save you from many headaches and a empty wallet.

Let us know what type of system you decide to use. Good Luck to you!

Dan

[chri'stina 190]

We only have electric...

[Peikko 1,575]

I haven't used any heating since I moved here.

[Nagishkaw 510]

I have always had gas heat. And it ain't cheap.

[jundp 191]

With the ever rising price of oil these days and the gloom and doom on the horizon re: Iran, has anyone thought of or has anyone already converted from oil heat to gas heat? I have National Grid coming over in a couple of weeks to give me an estimate because right now I'm paying $4.43/gallon and with a 250 gallon tank that is $1,107/month that I"m looking at *if* it stayed the same which I highly doubt. The comparable price of gas right now is $3.34/unit though so not a whole lot different and if oil goes down I'll kick myself but I would get $1,500 off of a new burner.

We have oil heat but I haven't had to refill the tank yet this season. We have several companies here that offer a monthly payment plan like you would have for electricity or water service. They just estimate the usage for the year and spread it out over the 12 months.

You go through a 250 gallon tank a month?!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I have always had gas heat. And it ain't cheap.

Depends on where you are located.

In GA, gas heat (and cooking) is marginally cheaper than full-electric. In TN, using gas heat/cooking clobbers royally.

I rented a 1-br apartment in Memphis (Blair Tower, downtown--and it's a high-rise) where the utility bills were combined gas/electric delivered through the apartment management--the lowest bill I got there was $140, and I actually turned off the thermostat when I wasn't in town a few days (not unusual occurence) or even just because it wasn't too cold (as is generally the case in Memphis). Earlier (in 1996), I had rented at a full-electric complex in Bartlett (suburb) and maximum I had paid then was $85 for:

• vaulted cieling
• inside temp 70^o with outside temp of 97

Both apartments I rented, the following were true:

• I took showers twice daily
• laundry equipment in apartment, which I used weekly

An acquaintance of mine with a 3-br/2.5-ba house on Stage Rd (northern Bartlett/Millington) was paying $330/month for gas heat (additional to electricity which runs about $75), while his neighbours were paying $162 for full-electric 3-br/2.5-ba.

For Daruma--an added benefit of getting rid of the nearly-prehistoric oil-burners--the storage tank is no longer needed (if the tank is inside the house, such as basement, this yields some valuable FREE FLOOR SPACE!)

Edited July 11, 2008 by CherryXS

[DARUMA07 25]

I have always had gas heat. And it ain't cheap.

Depends on where you are located.

In GA, gas heat (and cooking) is marginally cheaper than full-electric. In TN, using gas heat/cooking clobbers royally.

I rented a 1-br apartment in Memphis (Blair Tower, downtown--and it's a high-rise) where the utility bills were combined gas/electric delivered through the apartment management--the lowest bill I got there was $140, and I actually turned off the thermostat when I wasn't in town a few days (not unusual occurence) or even just because it wasn't too cold (as is generally the case in Memphis). Earlier (in 1996), I had rented at a full-electric complex in Bartlett (suburb) and maximum I had paid then was $85 for:

• vaulted cieling
• inside temp 70^o with outside temp of 97

Both apartments I rented, the following were true:

• I took showers twice daily
• laundry equipment in apartment, which I used weekly

An acquaintance of mine with a 3-br/2.5-ba house on Stage Rd (northern Bartlett/Millington) was paying $330/month for gas heat (additional to electricity which runs about $75), while his neighbours were paying $162 for full-electric 3-br/2.5-ba.

For Daruma--an added benefit of getting rid of the nearly-prehistoric oil-burners--the storage tank is no longer needed (if the tank is inside the house, such as basement, this yields some valuable FREE FLOOR SPACE!)

I agree! The storage tank would have to go and it would create more space....

[doodlebugg 10]

I have always had gas heat. And it ain't cheap.

Depends on where you are located.

In GA, gas heat (and cooking) is marginally cheaper than full-electric. In TN, using gas heat/cooking clobbers royally.

I rented a 1-br apartment in Memphis (Blair Tower, downtown--and it's a high-rise) where the utility bills were combined gas/electric delivered through the apartment management--the lowest bill I got there was $140, and I actually turned off the thermostat when I wasn't in town a few days (not unusual occurence) or even just because it wasn't too cold (as is generally the case in Memphis). Earlier (in 1996), I had rented at a full-electric complex in Bartlett (suburb) and maximum I had paid then was $85 for:

• vaulted cieling
• inside temp 70^o with outside temp of 97

Both apartments I rented, the following were true:

• I took showers twice daily
• laundry equipment in apartment, which I used weekly

An acquaintance of mine with a 3-br/2.5-ba house on Stage Rd (northern Bartlett/Millington) was paying $330/month for gas heat (additional to electricity which runs about $75), while his neighbours were paying $162 for full-electric 3-br/2.5-ba.

For Daruma--an added benefit of getting rid of the nearly-prehistoric oil-burners--the storage tank is no longer needed (if the tank is inside the house, such as basement, this yields some valuable FREE FLOOR SPACE!)

Well $330/month is a LOT cheaper than $1,100/month!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I was thinking of converting my mother's 35 year old oil heater to high effiency gas.

[DARUMA07 25]

I was thinking of converting my mother's 35 year old oil heater to high effiency gas.

That is a great idea! Your mother would save alot on energy expenses with a 90-93% Furnace. This also depends on how tight her home is..... ex.. Windows, insulation, siding and anything that would stop heat loss. The R-value of siding, 2-3 pane windows and insulation would dramatically reduce her heat loss and save her that much more when she gets a new furnace. As I said in my earlier post to the OP, you need to get a Load Calculation done on her home to size her furnace and air properly. Some contractors calculate by square footage, but actually it is more involve than that. They will measure each room and all the windows and determine what construction material was used and the R-value on the insulation. I have a program here at home that does Residential Load Calculations and it is very precise in sizing a Air Conditioner and Heating in a home. Heating is more forgiving than Air Conditioning when it comes to sizing a system for the home. Anyway, I didn't mean to make a novel out of this! I am only trying to help! Wish you luck!

Dan