Propane costs in our area have gotten so high that it is unaffordable for us to heat our home. When fall came this year we turned our heat on at 60 degrees. I had heard that this would save us 3% for every degree we had turned our thermostat down. (technically it is 1% for each 8 hr period per degree) However, in a 6 week period in 2008 we still used 360 gallons of propane @ $2.11 per gallon. This resulted in a $759.60 bill for less than two months of 60 degree heat.
When we moved in to our house we could contract propane for $.67 per gallon. We could have heated our house in the same period of time for $241.20
This has prompted me to search for alternative methods of heat. 18 days ago I bought a used corn stove. Since that time we have not had to use propane to heat our house even though the temperature has been below zero several days in the last couple of weeks. As a matter of fact, one morning it was -13 degrees.
On warmer days we use about a bushel of corn to warm the house. On colder days we burn about a bushel and a half. This has resulted in about one and a quarter bushels per day for the month of January (I imagine it will be less as the winter wears on).
At this point you are wondering what this is costing me to heat the house. We have averaged 67 degrees in the colder parts of the house, but in the kitchen and dining area it will easily keep the house considerably over 70 degrees.
I bought corn for $3.76 per bushel. This means that one and a quarter bushel costs $4.70 (this is what it has averaged per day to heat the house). For the last 18 days it has cost us $84.60
To heat our house for 2 months it will cost us about $282.00 or $141.00 per month.
This is a significant savings but the best part of it all is the family time that the stove has created. Every evening when I come home I can find my family sitting in the dining room reading their books or their Bibles next to the corn stove!
For those of you that are interested, it is a St. Croix corn stove. The model is the Auburn stove with a gold door. These stoves can be seen at http://www.stcroixheat.com/
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2 comments:
You are the master at titling blog posts, dear cousin.
Wow! That is pretty cool...er..hot/ But at any rate, what a great idea. You have always been, to say the least, innovative and productive...
Of course, does this mean that popcorn is out of the quesiton?
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