Cost
of Fuels - Please
enter the cost in US Dollars, using a decimal point where needed. Do not use
the $ sign. Use a decimal point if needed - for instance, if you pay 1.50 cents
a therm for gas, enter 1.50. Please notice that the electric calc asks for cost
per KWH in cents, so no decimal point is needed except for fractions of a penny.
(i.e. you pay 9.5 cents per KWH, enter 9.5)
Efficiency of Appliance - Common values are already entered. These
are expressed as a percentage. Efficiency is defined as the percentage of available
heat in the fuel that is actually delivered into the room. Some common efficiency
ranges are given below.
Older Models - 50% to 70%
Newer Models - 70% to 85%
Wood Hearth Products
Open Wood Fireplace - 5% to 25%
Older Non-Airtight Stoves - 25% to 35%
Older Airtight Stoves - 40% to 50%
Newer EPA non-catalytic Stoves and Fireplaces - 60%
Newest EPA catalytic Stoves - 72%
Pellet Stoves
Older Pellet Stove or EPA Exempted - 55% to 65%
Newer Pellet Stove - EPA Approved - 65% to 80%
Gas (LP or Natural) Hearth Products
Vented Gas Fireplace Logs - 5% to 15%
B-Vent Gas Fireplaces and Stoves - 35% to 65%
Direct-Vent Fireplace and Stoves - 40% to 75%
Vent-Free Fireplaces, Stoves and Logs - 90%
Coal Heating Systems
Older Coal Furnace/Boiler - 50% to 65%
Modern Coal Stove - 60% to 80%
Stoker or Hopper-Fed Stove - 70% to 85%
Electric Resistance Heat - 95% to 100%
Notes - due to large numbers of variables, this calculator should be used as only a rough guideline for your study. Many factors affect the performance of most any heating system, but especially those of solid fuels, where the variables include operator, chimney, wood moisture, wood species and more.
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