Fuel Cost Comparisons  Comparative calculations as to the actual cost of pellets versus other fuel should take account not only of the cost of the fuel, but also the fuel calorific value and how efficient your heating appliance is.
For example, an open fire is 25% efficient whilst a room heating pellet stove is 80% to 85% efficient. Delivered Energy Costs Todays fuels are bought / delivered in differing forms. Heating oil is a liquid and is sold in 'cents per litre' whilst other solid fuels such as coal and wood pellets are sold in 'cents per kg'. For this reason it is best to compare fuels in terms of how much it costs to buy a single unit of energy, known as a 'kilowatt hour' of energy. Once this calculations has been made we are the able to compare all fuels on a like-for-like basis. | Price to buy
(cents / unit) | Â Gross calorific value
(kWh / unit) | Delivered energy cost
(cents / kWh)Â | | | | | Wood pellets - bulk loose, kgs | 21.00 | 4.85 | 4.32 | Wood pellets - 1tonne bulk bag, kgs | 23.00 | 4.85 | 4.74 | Wood pellets - kbf loose, kgs | 25.00 | 4.85 | 5.15 | Wood pellets - 15kg bag, kgs | 30.00 | 4.85 | 6.19 | | Â | Â | Â | Â | Oil - gas oil, litres | 76.00 | 10.55 | 7.20 | Oil - kerosene, litres | 74.00 | 10.18 | 7.27 | | Â | Â | Â | Â | Gas (LPG) - bulk, litres | 76.50 | 7.09 | 10.79 | | Electricity, unit | 15.20 | 1.00 | 15.20 | | Â | Â | Â | Â | | Coal, kgs | 42.50 | 7.90 | 5.38 | | Peat Briquettes, kgs | 38.50 | 6.70 | 5.75 | | | | |
Actual Energy Costs with Appliance Efficiency Heating appliances vary in efficiency. The table below gives an realistic indication of how much it actually costs to you the householder to use 1 kilowatt hour of energy, taking into account both the delivered cost of the fuel (calculated above) and the efficiency of the applinace that you are using or intended to use. Read off the fuel cost against the appliance efficiency to compare actual costs. Appliance efficiencies can be found below. | Delivered
energy cost
(cents / kwh) | | Actual Energy Costs
(cents / kwh delivered) | | Appliance Effiency (%) | |  95% | 90% | 85% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 25% | Fuel Type | | | |  | | | | | | Wood pellets - loose bulk | 4.32 | 4.55 | 4.80 | 5.08 | 5.40 | 6.17 | - | - | - | Wood pellets - 1 te bulk bag | 4.74 | 4.99 | 5.27 | 5.58 | 5.93 | 6.77 | - | - | - | Wood pellets - kbf loose | 5.15 | 5.42 | 5.72 | 6.06 | 6.44 | 7.35 | - | - | - | Wood pellets - 15kg bag | 6.19 | 6.52 | 6.88 | 7.28 | 7.74 | 8.84 | - | - | - | | | | |  | | | | | | Oil - gas oil | 7.20 | 7.58 | 8.00 | 8.47 | 9.00 | 10.29 | 12.00 | - | - | Oil - kerosene | 7.27 | 7.65 | 8.08 | 8.55 | 9.09 | 10.39 | 12.12 | - | - | | | | |  | | | | | | Gas (LPG) - bulk | 10.79 | 11.36 | 11.99 | 12.69 | 13.49 | 15.41 | 17.98 | - | - | Electricity | 15.20 | 16.00 | 16.89 | 17.88 | 19.00 | 21.71 | 25.33 | - | - | | | | |  | | | | | | Coal - standard | 5.38 | 5.66 | 5.98 | 6.29 | 6.73 | 7.69 | 8.97 | 10.76 | 21.52 | Peat briquttes - BNM baled | 5.75 | 6.05 | 6.34 | 6.76 | 7.19 | 8.21 | 9.58 | 9.58 | 23.00 |
Appliance Efficiency | Wood pellet stove, room heating | 80% to 85% | | Wood pellet stove, backboiler | 90% to 95% | | Wood pellet boiler | 90% to 95% | | Â | Â | | Oil boiler, standard | 70% | | Oil boiler, condensing | 90% | | Â | Â | | Open fire | 20% to 25% | | Open fire with backboiler | 50% | | Â | Â | | Solid fuel stove, room heating | 60% | | Solid fuel stove, backboiler | 70% | | Â | Â | | Gas stove, room heater | 65% to 75%Â | | Â | Â | | Electric storage heater | 90% | | Electric fire | 100% |
All figures above have been sourced from
the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's website, dated April 2010
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