How much do you spend heating your shop/garage?

[toyotadriver]

Just got fuel oil delivered the other day. Located outside Fairbanks, AK with ambient temps dipping down into the low -40s in December and January. With an 1,100 ft^2 garage, 12' ceiling over 64 days -- 183 gallons of #1 at $3.76/gal. I heat the place with a single Toyostove, keeping the thermostat at 65 from 9 am to 10 pm, set back to 50 at night.

I'd be quite happy if the price of heating oil went back down, but it still costs me less than my daily commute to work cost before retiring. Being able to walk out into the shop anytime and have it be a comfortable temperature is a small luxury I can afford.

How much oil do you think you use per day? For Alaska that doesn't sound too bad.

 

[BruceMc]

How much oil do you think you use per day? For Alaska that doesn't sound too bad.

It's not bad. Where I am we don't get much wind, just the deep cold. For that period it averaged 2.8 gals/day, but obviously we get big swings in temperature and there's really no such thing as "average". Heating at -45º ambient ***** a lot more oil than heating at +20º. It's not overly built - 2x6 walls with blown-in cellulose should be around R-20, ~R-50 blown in the ceiling, and 4" of foam under the slab.

 

[FMB4]

My calculation for last Jan works out to be ~ $20 for NG to keep our 3 car at no lower than ~ 38 degrees with ambient temps dropping to the low 20s (we live in S. Idaho).

 

[topcok88]

Location - Lynchburg, VA
Climate Zone - 7A
Garage Type - Attached (one common wall)
Garage Dimensions - 24’ W X 24’ L X 9’ H
Doors - Two 9’X7’ R5 Wayne Daltons and one 36W personnel door (OSB only until I get a chance to install the door).
Windows - Two 30” W X 60” H
Insulation - R15 Rockwool (all four walls including common wall) & R48 Fiberglass ceiling.
Heating/Cooling - MrCoolDIY 12K BTU

I keep my garage conditioned 24/7/365 to 68 degrees.
My monthly electric bills is $10-$20 higher than it historically has been (compared to my previous 10 years at this house).

 

[Garagebound1]

Upstate NY (5+ miles from lake Ontario) 480 square ft. It used to cost me $50-100 but this year I've been keeping it 45° and pushing to 62-65° when I'm out there. With cost of propane I'm already up to over $300.

 

[dcg9381]

Texas: It's hard to say as we don't heat very often. Using heat pumps (ductless) in "reasonable" weather (IE - no lower than freezing, with "regular" ductless, not hyper-heat designs) - we'd spend $185 or so a month on electrical heating in the 2 coldest months.
40x60 building, 3-4" of open cell foam, 3 very crappy roll up doors, 16' walls. That's keeping it "liveable" inside - meaning between 62-72 degrees.

When it drops below 30, our heat pumps become inefficient at heating, can't keep up, and I've started using portable propane units.

Not living in it, we don't heat it at all and it would probably go at least 4-5 days with temps in the 20s before I worry about it getting below 30 degrees. Now we just heat it when "in use" for a few hours...

 

[PDang]

I just started building my garage and couldnt decided between Natural or Remote Propane. Electric was out of the question. So i went with propane, bought a 100lb tank and think it willm save me the hassel of tapping into the main line. Although i think it would be easy to do but shop heaters are pretty pricey, plus running the duct. Filling a 100lb tank is about $80 bucks. and with a 200,000 btu heater warming up a 600 sq/ft garage, i think it will be okay.

 

[nadogail]

The Electric heat in my workshop is Solar Powered, sunshine is still free.

 

[Rc_Guy]

The Electric heat in my workshop is Solar Powered, sunshine is still free.

For how long though?

 

[PoorUB]

I just started building my garage and couldnt decided between Natural or Remote Propane. Electric was out of the question. So i went with propane, bought a 100lb tank and think it willm save me the hassel of tapping into the main line. Although i think it would be easy to do but shop heaters are pretty pricey, plus running the duct. Filling a 100lb tank is about $80 bucks. and with a 200,000 btu heater warming up a 600 sq/ft garage, i think it will be okay.

Other than the cost to get the gas hooked up natural gas is by far the lowest pice to operate between LPG and NG. Electric in generall high, at least for resistance herat. A heat pump can compete with NG until the outdoor temps drop. In a climate that has winter averages around 32F a heat pump is probably the best choice.

 

[tdkkart]

I take issue with the thought that if I heat with wood my cost is zero. The amount of time spent cutting splitting stacking has to count for something. But then again I enjoy it being outside and I don't have a gym membership. Maybe it all balances out? Plus I really like wood heat.

One of the fellas I work with has been all wound up about heating with wood this year, installed a new furnace, bought a bigger splitter, upgraded saws etc.

We're not even fully into the heating season, and he's already "anybody that's ever said heating with wood is cheap, is FULL OF S^&T!!, this is WORK, and i don't like it."

I'm looking at him and grinnin'
"I told you, there's a reason the good Lord planted that gas line stickin' out of your lawn son."