EA$Y ENERGY USA

Fuel Cost Calculator

 
MMBtu (or Million Btu) is a unit for measuring heat. In order to accurately determine which fuel and equipment is most cost-effective for heating your home, the dollar cost per MMBtu should be determined and compared. With this calculator, you can do just that! The third column below is "Price Per Unit." Here, you enter how much you pay per unit for that particular fuel (ie, $0.13/kWh for electricity). The eighth column is "Efficiency Rating/Estimate." Here, you enter the efficiency rating (or estimate) of the heating equipment installed (or to-be-installed) in your home (ie, a fuel oil boiler may have a rating of "78 AFUE"). Once information is entered, the results in BOLD RED & BOLD GREEN are automatically adjusted. Some areas on this table require further input. For these areas, refer to the notes in red.
 
Example:
If I have a fuel oil boiler, and I'm interested in replacing it with a wood pellet boiler, I find Fuel Oil in the first column and enter my cost per gallon in the third column, let's say $3.75. Now, let's say my boiler has an "AFUE" of 78. So I enter that in the eighth column. Then, I find wood pellets and repeat this process. We'll say I could get wood pellets for $220.00/ton and the unit I'm looking to install has an estimasted efficiency of 85%. The calculator will determine the dollar amount per MMBtu based on the fuels' heat contents and prices per unit. This number is displayed in BOLD RED in the fifth column. I can see that fuel oil has an associated cost of $27.04/MMBtu, and with wood pellets is $13.33/MMBtu, a difference of nearly $14! However, this number reflects what you would pay if the unit fired by this fuel was 100% efficient. This is why we also entered the efficiency ratings/estimates of the heating units, which have been converted into an efficiency percentage, in BOLD GREEN in the ninth column. In the last column, also displayed in BOLD RED, is the heating units' costs per MMBtu based on the fuels' prices per MMBtu and the heating units' efficiencies. In this case, the cost to produce 1MMBtu with an oil boiler is about $34.67, and with wood pellets, about $15.69, a difference of nearly $19! Try it yourself!
 
Fuel TypeUnitPrice per UnitHeat Content per Unit (Btu)Price per Million BtuHeating EquipmentEfficiency Rating TypeEfficiency Rating/EstimateEfficiency PercentageCost per Million Btu
Fuel Oil: Gallons 138,690
$27.04
 		Furnace/Boiler AFUE
78%
$34.67
Electricity: kiloWatt-hours (kWh) 3,412
$38.10
 		Furnace/Baseboard/Space Heater Estimate
99%
$38.49
Air-Source Heat Pump HSPF*
5.9
174%
$21.87
Region: Rated HSPF:
*The actual performance of an Air-Source Heat Pump may vary significantly from its rated Heating Season Performance Factor (HSPF). Select your state & nearest region; then enter the unit's rated HSPF. The resulting effective HSPF will be adjusted automatically.
Geothermal Heat Pump COP
330%
$11.55
Natural Gas: Therms**
100,000
$9.00
 		Furnace/Boiler AFUE
90%
$10.00
CCF** 102,900
**Natural Gas is typically sold to residential customers in units of "therms," but may also be sold in units of "hundreds of cubic feet (CCF)." Enter your billing rate in the corresponding box.
Propane: Gallons 91,333
$27.37
 		Furnace/Boiler AFUE
90%
$30.41
Wood: Cords 20,000,000
$10.50
 		Fireplace/Stove Estimate
60%
$17.50
Wood Pellets/Corn Kernels: Tons 16,500,000
$13.33
 		Stove/Boiler Estimate
85%
$15.69
Kerosene: Gallons 135,000
$21.11
 		Space Heater (vented) Estimate
80%
$26.39
Coal: Tons 24,916,000
$9.03
 		Furnace/Boiler/Stove Estimate
75%
$12.04

Easy Energy USA