Photo: Monstera

What is the cheapest form of heat?

Natural gas: $1,024 Of the four main fuels used to heat US homes, natural gas is the most popular and now the cheapest, as well.

businessinsider.com - The Cheapest Way To Heat Your Home This Winter - Business Insider

What do you cover firewood with?

The easiest way to cover your firewood is to use a tarp. After you've stacked the wood, place the tarp on the top of the stack. Cover only the top...

Last updated Nov 5, 2019

Can I sleep in my outbuilding?

The short answer is no, if you're talking about a traditional garden shed. A garden building that is to be used as a 'granny annexe' or regular...

Last updated Nov 16, 2019

Can I build my own shed?

Yes, with the right plans you can build your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

respres via Flickr

What’s the cheapest way to heat your home: oil, natural gas, electricity, propane?

Home heating costs vary by region and even by house.

4. Heating oil: $2,526

Oil prices have risen so high that oil heat, once competitive with other major home-heating fuels, has become the most expensive to use. Prices are tied to world events, so they can change quickly. But the trend of the past decade is clear: Heating oil prices have more than doubled from $10.31 per million British thermal units to more than $25 per million Btus. Nationally, only about 6 percent of homeowners use oil as their primary home heating source. Most of them are located in the Northeast. This comparison uses the EIA’s Northeast prices, because it’s the one region that uses all four fuels in quantity and because it reflects the full costs of heating in a northern climate.

3. Propane: $2,386

Although it’s a relatively clean fuel, propane is expensive and has been losing popularity for years. In the winter of 2006-07, some 6.5 million homes used it for primary heat; this winter, that number is down to 5.6 million, according to EIA estimates. The cost varies a lot by region. In the Midwest, heating a home with propane costs an average of only $1,534. In Maine, propane is replacing oil because it's cheaper to use. Although it’s a relatively clean fuel, propane is expensive and has been losing popularity for years. In the winter of 2006-07, some 6.5 million homes used it for primary heat; this winter, that number is down to 5.6 million, according to EIA estimates. The cost varies a lot by region. In the Midwest, heating a home with propane costs an average of only $1,534. In Maine, propane is replacing oil because it's cheaper to use.

2. Electricity: $1,315

The use of electric heat is on the rise, even in the frosty Northeast. Cost is a main draw, although some homeowners complain that electric heat isn’t as efficient as other fuels. Nationally, about a third of US homes rely on electricity as their primary heating source.

1. Natural gas: $1,024

Of the four main fuels used to heat US homes, natural gas is the most popular and now the cheapest, as well. A decade ago, gas cost about 80 percent of an equivalent amount of oil; it now costs less than half of oil, as oil prices have risen and America’s boom in natural gas drilling has kept gas prices low. Nearly half of all homes use natural gas as their primary heating source. Some analysts forecast a huge supply of the fuel will be available for decades to come. Not everyone believes the supply is so large that natural gas will continue to be a low-cost fuel. The trends of the past decade, however, are encouraging: In inflation-adjusted terms, natural gas prices are roughly the same as they were in 2003-04, even before adjusting for inflation.