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Heating Fuels Cost

Reference data and engineering information about heating fuels cost for material properties applications.

heatingfuelscost

Overview

Engineering reference data for Heating Fuels Cost in material science and properties.

Key Formulas

Stress

σ=FA\sigma = \frac{F}{A}

Force per unit area.

Strain

ε=ΔLL0\varepsilon = \frac{\Delta L}{L_0}

Change in length per original length.

Hooke's Law

σ=Eε\sigma = E \varepsilon

Stress proportional to strain in elastic region.

Thermal Expansion

ΔL=αL0ΔT\Delta L = \alpha L_0 \Delta T

Length change due to temperature.

Variables

Symbol Description Unit
σ\sigma Stress Pa
ε\varepsilon Strain —
EE Young's modulus Pa
α\alpha Thermal expansion coefficient 1/°C
ΔT\Delta T Temperature change °C

Detailed Formula Explanations

The cost per standard energy unit for each fuel is calculated using its price and energy density. All formulas compare cost over 100,000 BTU.

1. Electricity Ce=pe×100,000 Btu3412 Btu/kWhC_e = \frac{p_e \times 100{,}000 \text{ Btu}}{3412 \text{ Btu/kWh}}

  • Calculates cost CeC_e per 100,000 Btu.
  • Requires electricity price pep_e in $/kWh.

2. Natural Gas Cng=png×100,000 Btu1028 Btu/ft3C_{ng} = \frac{p_{ng} \times 100{,}000 \text{ Btu}}{1028 \text{ Btu/ft}^3}

  • Calculates cost CngC_{ng} per 100,000 Btu.
  • Requires natural gas price pngp_{ng} in $/ft³.

3. Propane (LPG) Clp=plp×100,000 Btu91,333 Btu/gallonC_{lp} = \frac{p_{lp} \times 100{,}000 \text{ Btu}}{91{,}333 \text{ Btu/gallon}}

  • Calculates cost ClpC_{lp} per 100,000 Btu.
  • Requires propane price plpp_{lp} in $/gallon.

4. Fuel Oil Cfo=pfo×100,000 Btu140,000 Btu/gallonC_{fo} = \frac{p_{fo} \times 100{,}000 \text{ Btu}}{140{,}000 \text{ Btu/gallon}}

  • Calculates cost CfoC_{fo} per 100,000 Btu.
  • Requires fuel oil price pfop_{fo} in $/gallon.

Variable Definitions

Variable Symbol Unit Description
Electricity Cost CeC_e $ per 100k Btu Cost of electricity for 100,000 BTU of heat
Electricity Price pep_e $ per kWh Price of electricity from the utility
Natural Gas Cost CngC_{ng} $ per 100k Btu Cost of natural gas for 100,000 BTU of heat
Natural Gas Price pngp_{ng} $ per ft³ Price of natural gas from the utility
Propane Cost ClpC_{lp} $ per 100k Btu Cost of liquid propane for 100,000 BTU of heat
Propane Price plpp_{lp} $ per gallon Price of liquid propane
Fuel Oil Cost CfoC_{fo} $ per 100k Btu Cost of fuel oil for 100,000 BTU of heat
Fuel Oil Price pfop_{fo} $ per gallon Price of fuel oil (e.g., No. 2 heating oil)

Common Energy Basis: All costs are normalized to 100,000 BTU to allow direct comparison between different fuel types.

References