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Because in order to get the electricity to your house the power plant had to first do whatever it needed to do to generate the electricity. for example if the

Because in order to get the electricity to your house the power plant had to first do whatever it needed to do to generate the electricity. for example if the power plant is burning oil, and converting that to electricity, then you convert that electricity to heat you're going to get much less heat than just burning the oil yourself.

dragonwriter 8y ago
> for example if the power plant is burning oil, and converting that to electricity, then you convert that electricity to heat you're going to get much less heat than just burning the oil yourself. OTOH, the power plant probably has a rail connection or pipeline for oil, and the marginal energy cost of transporting an additional unit of oil to the power plant is probably quite low compared to the marginal energy cost of transporting the same additional unit of oil to your house.
- dec0dedab0de 8y ago
  I'm not sure about that. I usually get about 125 gallons at a time. And since heating oil is just diesel with dye in it, we can just add deliver costs in gallons. Even assuming im the only delivery, I doubt it would take more than a gallon of gas to travel to my house. But to be safe lets say 5. With the above assumption, the question is Could 130 gallons burned at a power plant generate more heat in my house via electricity. Than 125 gallons burned in my house directly. I dont know enough to give an answer but my gut says no.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    Oh, I'm not saying distribution efficiencies necessarily outweigh transmission losses, just that if you weigh the cost of getting energy from the place to your house you should also make sure you consider the cost of getting fuel to each location.
- bluGill 8y ago
  While technically correct, this is the wrong way to look at it. The energy density of oil is large, so transmission losses per unit of energy is low. Any modern house furnace will be at least 80% efficient, and 96% isn't unheard of. The most fuel efficient power plants are around 60%, (combined cycle coal plants) but any plant running oil is probably less, plus you have all the transmission losses for electric (8%). In the end if you are burning fuel for heat it is both cheaper and a better use of energy to burn it locally. Of course that isn't the full picture either. Electric can come from many sources (wind, PV), and scale means they can mix sources cheaper. (imagine a coal furnace, gas furnace, oil furnace, PV heat, and a windmill all at your house - it is obviously ridiculous, but large utilities have this) You also don't have to burn for heat directly. Electric leaves open the option of a heat pump which can be >100% efficient when it isn't too cold.
- buttcoinslol 8y ago
  >OTOH, the power plant probably has a rail connection or pipeline for oil, and the marginal energy cost of transporting an additional unit of oil to the power plant is probably quite low compared to the marginal energy cost of transporting the same additional unit of oil to your house. Uh, I have a natural gas pipe coming directly into my home, along with nearly everyone in my state, and also region. Electric heating is more efficient than natural gas, but electricity is more expensive per BTU, at least where I live.

dragonwriter 8y ago

> for example if the power plant is burning oil, and converting that to electricity, then you convert that electricity to heat you're going to get much less heat than just burning the oil yourself. OTOH, the power plant probably has a rail connection or pipeline for oil, and the marginal energy cost of transporting an additional unit of oil to the power plant is probably quite low compared to the marginal energy cost of transporting the same additional unit of oil to your house.

dec0dedab0de 8y ago
I'm not sure about that. I usually get about 125 gallons at a time. And since heating oil is just diesel with dye in it, we can just add deliver costs in gallons. Even assuming im the only delivery, I doubt it would take more than a gallon of gas to travel to my house. But to be safe lets say 5. With the above assumption, the question is Could 130 gallons burned at a power plant generate more heat in my house via electricity. Than 125 gallons burned in my house directly. I dont know enough to give an answer but my gut says no.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  Oh, I'm not saying distribution efficiencies necessarily outweigh transmission losses, just that if you weigh the cost of getting energy from the place to your house you should also make sure you consider the cost of getting fuel to each location.
bluGill 8y ago
While technically correct, this is the wrong way to look at it. The energy density of oil is large, so transmission losses per unit of energy is low. Any modern house furnace will be at least 80% efficient, and 96% isn't unheard of. The most fuel efficient power plants are around 60%, (combined cycle coal plants) but any plant running oil is probably less, plus you have all the transmission losses for electric (8%). In the end if you are burning fuel for heat it is both cheaper and a better use of energy to burn it locally. Of course that isn't the full picture either. Electric can come from many sources (wind, PV), and scale means they can mix sources cheaper. (imagine a coal furnace, gas furnace, oil furnace, PV heat, and a windmill all at your house - it is obviously ridiculous, but large utilities have this) You also don't have to burn for heat directly. Electric leaves open the option of a heat pump which can be >100% efficient when it isn't too cold.
buttcoinslol 8y ago
>OTOH, the power plant probably has a rail connection or pipeline for oil, and the marginal energy cost of transporting an additional unit of oil to the power plant is probably quite low compared to the marginal energy cost of transporting the same additional unit of oil to your house. Uh, I have a natural gas pipe coming directly into my home, along with nearly everyone in my state, and also region. Electric heating is more efficient than natural gas, but electricity is more expensive per BTU, at least where I live.