More tinkering with numbers.
The DOE’s energy calculator is awesome.
I’m very confused right now.
1 kwh = 3412BTU
1 gallon of heating oil is 139,000BTU
Yearly kwh consumption: 1.291e3 * 3.412e3 = 4.4e6
Yearly fuel consumption: 1.162e3 * 1.38000e5 = 1.6e8
This isn’t all that surprising, since we use the oil to both heat the house and to heat our water. All the electric has to do is run the computers and the lights. Plus, there’s some inefficiency in the conversion of fuel oil to heat, otherwise known as “what’s hurtling out the chimney.” I’m willing to believe that keeping the house warm and the shower piping hot is two orders of magnitude more energy than keeping the lights on.
But, if I wanted to buy the same amount of BTUs from the electric company, it would cost a lot more.
1.6e8 BTU / 3.4e3 = 4.7e4
4.7e4 * $1.2e-1 (cost per kwh) = $5.6e3
So, assuming that all the inefficiencies are identical on my end, it would cost me around $5600 to get as many BTUs from electricity as I currently get for $1800 from fuel oil. Of couse, there’s tons of other stuff, like the fact that an electric heater would be more efficient (rather than running hot water around my basement in pipes, I could produce the heat exactly where I need it).
Put that in your electric car and smoke it.
I do love math.
Leave a Reply