Fuel Type
Btu Value Per Unit
Units Required To
Produce 1,000,000 Btu
Fuel Price Per Unit
1/10/2012
Cost To Produce
1,000,000 Btu
Appliance
Efficiency
Effective Cost Per
1,000,000 Btu
Shelled
Corn
7,000 per pound
143 lbs
$6.53 bushel (spot)
$16.65/143 lbs
$16.65
80%
$20.81
Bagged Corn
7,000 per pound
143 lbs
$255 per ton (retail)*
$18.23/143 lbs
$18.23
80%
$22.79
Natural
Gas
1000 per cu. ft.
1 therm = 100 cu. ft.
10 therms
$1.39 per therm
$13.90
80%
$17.38
Fuel Oil
139,000 per gallon
7.1 gallons
$3.93 per gallon
$27.90
80%
$34.88
LP Gas
(Propane)
91,690 per gallon
11 gallons
$3.35 per gallon
$36.85
80%
$46.06
Wood
22,000,000 per cord
0.0607 cords
$250 per cord (green)*
$15.18
60%
$25.30
Wood
Pellets
8,000 per pound
125 lbs
$240 per ton (avg.)*
$15.00/125lbs
$15.00
80%
$18.75
Kerosene
135,000 per gallon
7.41 gallons
$3.87 per gallon
$28.68
95%
$30.11
Electricity
3,413 per kWh
293 kWh
$ 0.1383 per kWh
$40.53
100%
$40.53
alternative heating gif
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*Does not include delivery charge (usually around $65).
Fuel costs are averaged from suppliers in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New York and do not
include the fixed monthly customer charge assessed by utilities.

You might also be interested in the Table of Current Average Annual Heating Fuel Costs that compares the annual
heating cost of 8 different fuels for 12 heating appliances at varying degrees of efficiency. Included are geothermal
heat pumps, catalytic wood stoves, portable kerosene heaters, wood, wood pellet, and corn stoves; natural gas,
propane, and oil furnaces.
Fuel Cost Comparison Chart
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