Hello! My oil company is quoting my price cap at $4.49 - $4.89 per gallon for 2008-2009. What do the premium pellets sell for by the ton nowadays? Do I need to be concerned about availability or lack thereof this coming season? I would hate to invest in this and find prices going through the roof just like oil!

I am wondering will I save enough with a pellet stove to make it worth it as supplemental heat? We have typically used about 800 gallons of oil in each of the last three winters for an 1800 square foot raised ranch in the North East, but the winters have been pretty mild recently. I always reserve 1000 gallons in case we get a really cold winter, and that would probably be the most we would use. We do have new windows in most of the house, but it is not well built (1974) and is a bit drafty and probably not well insulated by today's standards. How many tons do you think I would need?

Also, in trying to decide what to put in the open (arched) fireplace in the downstairs family room, I am concerned about my son's asthma. We don't use the open fireplace for this reason. Will a wood stove insert or pellet insert be very noticeable or should it probably not be a problem? Which would be better in this case? I know when the neighbors are burning their fireplaces, the smoke smell in the neighborhood can be very irritating and I try to limit his exposure by keeping windows closed, and entering/exiting the house quickly, etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!