On Jan 4, 5:57*am, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Thu, 3 Jan 2013 20:04:14 -0800 (PST), bob haller
wrote:



you might want to check the current cost. 30 years ago everything was
special steel pipe.


While the price of pipe may be relatively less, the cost of everything
else involved, eg labor, benefits, has skyrocketed. IOn my
experience
with plumbing, absent actual fixtures, the materials are not a major
part of the cost. It would
be interesting though to know what the cost would be today.
I'd bet it's more than the $10K from 30 yearss ago, unless the
utility has a new policy of eating more of the cost themselves.
Which is possible. They are regulated and if pressure or
mandates are put on them by regulators, anything is possible.



today the lines are plastic rated for natural gas. in addition if you
had a buddy with a backhoe you could have him do the digging saving
even more

That would depend in part on where the digging has to
be done and if the utility is OK with it. If it's along a road
for example, that's probably out. And the buddy is probably
not going to dig it right up to the gas main. Which means
the gas utility may have to bring out the eqpt anyhow to do
the last 10 ft. Then, what do they CLOSE it with? I doubt
the utility is going to be OK with someone else backfilling.
If they have to do part of it, may not be that much cost
diff for the utility to do the whole thing.




Would not be worth it. *30 years ago I was burning 800 gallons of oil
a year. *With a more efficient boiler, it is now about 450. *I'd have
to convert the boiler to gas too. *Even if I save 50% on that, $800 a
year is going to take a long time to pay it back. *Maybe if I was 20
years younger.