For example,
there is no way to decide if propane selling for $1.30 per gallon is
cheaper or
more expensive than home-heating oil selling for $1.50 per gallon
without
comparing on the basis of dollars per million BTUs. Yes, a gallon is a
gallon,
but home-heating oil contains about 138,000 BTUs per gallon while
propane
contains about 92,000 BTUs per gallon.
The Energy Cost Calculator is an Excel spreadsheet with two
worksheets.
- On
the first worksheet, Energy Costs, you need to enter the costs in Column
E for
the various fuels in your area. If you do not know the price of some of
the
fuels, just use the numbers that are already listed.
- When
entering the price of
electricity, be sure to express the price in the form of dollars. An
electricity
price of 9 cents per kWh, for example, needs to be entered as $0.09.
- The
price of natural gas must be entered as the price per therm (100,000
BTUs
of energy).
- If your price for natural gas is based
on dollars per 1,000 cubic
feet, then divide that number by 10 to enter it on the Energy Costs
worksheet.
For example, if your cost for natural gas is $7.50
per 1,000 cubic feet, then
divide by 10 and enter $0.75 on the Energy Costs worksheet. - The
second worksheet, Graphical Comparisons, presents the energy costs per
million BTUs based on the cost inputs that you provided on the Energy
Costs
worksheet.
