The Cost of Energy
The cost of energy can be calculated based on the energy content of the fuel. Hardwood and softwood materials are the least expensive energy sources based on energy content and cost. However, there are other factors to consider such as the efficiency with which the energy content is delivered. The costs may fluctuate but the energy content of a material remains constant. Natural gas contains 37.50 Mega Joules per cubic metre of volume, Softwood contains about 30,600 Mega joules per chord, and so on. The values below that are showing in red (the costs) are the numbers that can be changed to study the relationships more closely. Natural gas might not be 42 cents a cubic metre where you are. You may also be surrounded by a lot of trees and therefore, wood is a readily available source of energy. You may be in a city where wood is not readily available.
Note regarding the chart above. The red numbers are values you can assign. If
you type a value in one of the cells with black numbers, the sheet will no
longer calculate a value. If you are reading this and you have already typed a
number in a cell that does not have a red number, refresh the page (or hit F5)
and the sheet will reload.