If oil (or your fossil fuel of choice) went back to......

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Would you still burn wood if.............


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BoilerMan

Minister of Fire
Apr 16, 2012
1,717
Northern Maine
If oil were less that $1/gallon would you still burn wood? Have a gasser/stove? Burn in the summer? Just curious how many hard core burners there are..... Just for fun of course!

You may vote for more than one choice, and please post responces, another thread had me think of this and the economics of wood-burning.

TS
 
I like burning wood.
 
Natural gas is under $1/gallon... still quite a bit cheaper to heat with wood.
 
After the initial investment to burn wood it would be hard for me to go back to oil but @ $1/gal. it would be tempting for sure. It's still easy for me to say I would burn wood as cutting and prepping for the upcoming heating season has actually turned into another hobby for me. Not sure I'll feel the same way when I'm 70+...time will tell hopefully.
 
Well they didn't name it the "free heat machine" for nothing. I would still burn wood inefficiently.

Erin
 
Combination of both wood and oil/gas, with wood accounting for 85-90% of winter needs and oil/gas as back up and summer DHW.
Always try to use wood, by utilizing my supplies(especially downed trees).
My feeling regarding fossil fuels is, at best a limited future finite source of energy.

Scott
 
I truly enjoy burning and is a good "addiction" for me. I would do most of it the same, 100% wood, oil for summer DHW. I do think, however, I'd actually pipe the Toyo into my heating system and use it as a boiler if I were feeling lazy or just had a really long day. But for now my 1/2 tank of oil from 2010 is being consumed at a rate of around 1.5 quarts/day for DHW...........trust me I figure these things out, it was $2.60 back then.

Heating aside, I would like my annual gasoline budget to be about 25% of what it is now..................

TS
 
I truly enjoy burning and is a good "addiction" for me. I would do most of it the same, 100% wood, oil for summer DHW. I do think, however, I'd actually pipe the Toyo into my heating system and use it as a boiler if I were feeling lazy or just had a really long day. But for now my 1/2 tank of oil from 2010 is being consumed at a rate of around 1.5 quarts/day for DHW...........trust me I figure these things out, it was $2.60 back then.

Heating aside, I would like my annual gasoline budget to be about 25% of what it is now..................

TS


You & me both. Fat chance though & the roads in the patch are not going to be getting shorter anytime soon. Or better built. 4x4 or walk 4me.
 
Wood and only for wood for our home. Stand alone gassification boiler system for heat and year round DHW(not yet...) and an old retired VC Vigilant that will eventually get replaced with a wood cook stove for occasional winter time use/boiler system back up-just in case! We live on 60+ acres of southern hardwood forest so the local fuel source makes sense to me. We also grow a lot of our own food and plan on raising our own meat within the next few years as well as getting a milk cow so clearly we prioritize some things that are not the most cost/time effective.

Noah
 
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We were renting through the winter. This place has natural gas, prices are GREAT right now, and the convenience is nice.
However, I like a good wood fire, and propane can take a hike at the new house, except for the kitchen stove.
 
I would sell everything and run over my chainsaw.......LOL

Funny you say that mine already was cruched once by a big aspen I was cutting in below zero weather, for the OSB mill. Fund raiser for a group to go to Hati. $200 in parts later it's back. I couldn't bear to see it that way again LOL.

TS
 
I would stick with wood only. The system works so nice that I would not go back. Even if oil were a dollar a gallon I would be saving money. All I have to do is cut my own wood. But at those oil prices you could buy processed wood very cheap as well. The exercise of each part of wood processing, storing, moving is good for us. Kids are benefiting by learning how to work and contribute to family's well being. You can't beat wood heat.
 
I grew up burning wood; I enjoy it. With the amount I have invested in my current stove, with more planned for a boiler of some sort, I would stay the same. Besides, the cost of oil would just go back up after we were used to the low price.
 
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