Propane

Wanda · #**121** 02/01/14, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Local news tonight was saying demand for the past month this year was LESS than the demand the year before.

I presume that is in your local area.

big rockpile · #**122** 02/01/14, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by light rain

Big Rockpile you mentioned earlier that you couldn't use your fireplace. Does your ins. co. allow 1 woodburner or 0 woodburners? We have 1, has to be ul approved, and we pay an extra rider for that. I do wonder how some posters can have multiple woodburners and find insurance. More power to them! And note I said what your co. allows and not what do you personally have in your home. Got to be careful about too much info!

They come out, see I have Propane Furnace, Primary Heat. See Fireplace Insert say I can have Gas Log but NO wood heat, no matter how much it was checked over. NO wood heat in my Shop or they will drop us.

big rockpile

Harry Chickpea · #**123** 02/01/14, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanda

I presume that is in your local area.

I've been searching for the source of the graphic they used without luck. However, since demand figures are likely based upon the actual deliveries made, and dealers have been rationing, I suspect that it holds both locally and nationally.

20% of our propane was exported last year, the major pipeline was taken offline, and more than usual amounts were used in the fall for crop drying.

What I didn't know is that when we and others pre-bought propane last spring, the dealers did not take delivery on their contracts. (Our dealer has a HUGE tank locally, so I did not anticipate this.) That means the only assured supply is in what is currently in people's tanks at home.

I am curious how much of this was manipulation, how much propane prices will stay up, and how the supply will be this spring and summer. I'm going to have to do some figuring on our usage. I'm tending to think that buying a tank or more to store two or three years worth onsite might be needed to time the purchases enough to save money. I don't see a significant down cycle in price this year, but next year might have a glut as people abandon the fuel.

light rain · #**124** 02/01/14, 02:23 PM

Big Rockpile do you have any other insurance companies in your area? I have a friend in Fla. that has or had agents come to inspect something about her house from the outside without prior notice. I don't know if she still has that company. Florida home insurance is a whole 'nuther ball of wax. My husband suggested getting a tea party politician's opinion on it. I don't know, guess it couldn't hurt... Beautiful fireplace!

big rockpile · #**125** 02/01/14, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by light rain

Big Rockpile do you have any other insurance companies in your area? I have a friend in Fla. that has or had agents come to inspect something about her house from the outside without prior notice. I don't know if she still has that company. Florida home insurance is a whole 'nuther ball of wax. My husband suggested getting a tea party politician's opinion on it. I don't know, guess it couldn't hurt... Beautiful fireplace!

My wife called every company.

big rockpile

light rain · #**126** 02/01/14, 02:39 PM

I'm sorry, I just don't understand. But the world as it is, and me the way I am I guess I better get used to it. It may become a well-traveled path.

Wanda · #**127** 02/01/14, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

I've been searching for the source of the graphic they used without luck. However, since demand figures are likely based upon the actual deliveries made, and dealers have been rationing, I suspect that it holds both locally and nationally.

20% of our propane was exported last year, the major pipeline was taken offline, and more than usual amounts were used in the fall for crop drying.

What I didn't know is that when we and others pre-bought propane last spring, the dealers did not take delivery on their contracts. (Our dealer has a HUGE tank locally, so I did not anticipate this.) That means the only assured supply is in what is currently in people's tanks at home.

I am curious how much of this was manipulation, how much propane prices will stay up, and how the supply will be this spring and summer. I'm going to have to do some figuring on our usage. I'm tending to think that buying a tank or more to store two or three years worth onsite might be needed to time the purchases enough to save money. I don't see a significant down cycle in price this year, but next year might have a glut as people abandon the fuel.

I went to weather underground and checked for heating degree days. We are above average for the year and well above average and last years amount for January. The wind has been very bad this year when the cold waves move in. You might check your local weather stats from last year and see how they compare.

Harry Chickpea · #**128** 02/01/14, 03:25 PM

Wanda, I agree that this is a colder winter and logically more propane is being used. My conclusion is that the statistics used to gauge usage are skewed.

WriterontheHill · #**129** 02/01/14, 03:56 PM

My husband brought home two electric heaters and we put in an electric range. Just can't afford another fill up at $3+ per gallon. Need a wood stove, but after the stove and heaters, I can't shell out more. Heck, we lucked out with getting the appliances we got for under $80 total.

We have a bucket water heater if all else fails. I'd love to have a wood cook stove like my old one.

Conhntr · #**130** 02/01/14, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by light rain

Big Rockpile do you have any other insurance companies in your area? I have a friend in Fla. that has or had agents come to inspect something about her house from the outside without prior notice. I don't know if she still has that company. Florida home insurance is a whole 'nuther ball of wax. My husband suggested getting a tea party politician's opinion on it. I don't know, guess it couldn't hurt... Beautiful fireplace!

I dont know rockpiles situation but i know a friend in the same county as me ended up the same way. Could not get anyone to cover woodburning stove. Im 10 miles away and i have 1 in barn and 1 in the house and it is a 5$ rider for both of them. He dug into the situation and got to talk to an underwriter. They told him it was the distance/response time for the fire deptartment. I am 2 miles away he is 12.

ErinP · #**131** 02/01/14, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big rockpile

My wife called every company.

big rockpile

I wonder why State Farm would insure wood stoves and fireplaces in both Nebraska and Kansas, but not Missouri...

(In Nebraska, our house was 18 miles from a fire department, in Kansas it's 12)

big rockpile · #**132** 02/01/14, 06:53 PM

State Farm is first place she called.

We are 2 miles from Fire Station.

big rockpile

VERN in IL · #**133** 02/01/14, 07:37 PM

Who cares how close you are to a fire station!!

The Ideal is no fire to start with, the only reason you need to live near a fire station is you are EXPECTING a fire!

and really with outdoor wood stoves, this really isn't a problem!

plowjockey · #**134** 02/01/14, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Local news tonight was saying demand for the past month this year was LESS than the demand the year before.

Not up here and it's hard to believe that's the case in your area, as well.

March 12, 2013

Quote:

NOAA released data on Monday that the last winter was warmer and wetter than average. [USA Today] The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during the winter season was 34.3 degrees, which is 1.9 degrees above the 20th-century average, marking the 20th-warmest winter on record, NOAA reported

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/201...y-areas-drier/

February 07, 2012

Quote:

"It has been an unusually mild winter," said Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. "The Northeast region had their fifth warmest December on record, and January has been warmer than average," he told OurAmazingPlanet. The NCDC will release final numbers for January this week.

The warm weather extended over to the northern plains as well, Crouch said. In Minneapolis, Minn., temperatures didn't drop below zero until Jan. 19, a tie for the latest date for the milestone temperature drop since record-keeping began in 1871.

http://www.livescience.com/18351-mil...m-weather.html

jlxian · #**135** 02/03/14, 08:13 AM

Just ordered 150 gallons --- $3.60/gallon. It really hurt to order, but I'm tired of being cold.

ErinP · #**136** 02/03/14, 08:26 AM

Well at least $3.60 isn't $5!

light rain · #**137** 02/03/14, 09:33 AM

A neighbor that I ran into on Sat. said he rents from a supplier and they quoted $6.00 gal. on Friday. He doesn't have to order yet either and is waiting to see if $ come down. I am glad that we own our own tank so we can price compare. He doesn't have that option but has a much more efficient furnace. I put an oil-filler radiator in my bedroom last night and turned down the thermostat further for that part of the house last night. Called the electric co. today to see what the price of electricity would be pkh if we had them control usage. As I understood it .064 as opposed to our reg. cost of .105. If we went over I believe a certain amt. then the price per kilo hr. would jump to .25 pkh. Think I better forget that option. Also, I found out from a family member that our channel3000 internet site has done more reporting on the propane shortage than what I was aware of. Also I have been aggravating the wrong senator and will get correct information in that area as well. My apologies to both and to you folks for the incorrect information.

myheaven · #**138** 02/03/14, 09:45 AM

I found my neighbor with the broken back a perfectly working pellet stove! Now to get the piping and find a licensed person to install according to insurance specifications.
Happy dance.

NorthwoodsMike · #**139** 02/03/14, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by light rain

Called the electric co. today to see what the price of electricity would be pkh if we had them control usage. As I understood it .064 as opposed to our reg. cost of .105. If we went over I believe a certain amt. then the price per kilo hr. would jump to .25 pkh.

Does the .25 pkh kick in even if you don't let them control usage? Even if it does, where is that cutoff?

At .105 you are still looking at 30.76 per million BTU versus $66 per MBTU with propane. Even if you exceed the limit a bit, you would still be ahead.

arabian knight · #**140** 02/03/14, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Wanda, I agree that this is a colder winter and logically more propane is being used. My conclusion is that the statistics used to gauge usage are skewed.

Yes it sure has been a rough one in both temps and snowfall over a lot of the uSA and way down South even. And very severe winter for sure and it will go down in the books as a very bad one indeed. And this is from our TV station, and what is being said about this winter so far.

Quote:

"Really that's been the whole story this winter," said SkyWarn 13 Chief Meteorologist Darren Maier.
He says all the ingredients have been right to make this one of the harshest January winters.
"I think what has been most surprising is not only the well below average temperatures but above average snowfall in January and December.