The verdict is in, I saved ...

I figure I save around $1000.00 - $1200.00 each year burning wood. Plus wear and tear on my heating unit.

Last year was mild, and I burned 1500 gallons for 11 months.

Do that math. UGH.

So far this year.. Hour meter says the oil boiler has run less than 25 hours. .85 nozzle. So less than 25 gallons!

LOVE my Vigas.

Each year we've had the stove (5 years now), we burned around 200 gallons of Fuel Oil.....even taking into consideration the cost of the stove, new chainsaw, and splitter, I'm confident we're ahead. We bought the stove one month after buying the house, so have nothing to gauge any usage on, but 200 gallons ayear.....1,700 sq. ft. home.......Fuel Oil for hot water.....gotta figure we would have burned over a 1,000 gallons a year if it were'nt for the stove

I've probably saved around $1500.00 a year for the past 6 years by heating exclusively with wood, for a grand total of $9000.00. Total investment of both stoves and class A pipe and accessories around $7000.00, so I'm over the hump completely. That's not counting the jingle I made doing tree removal work (which is what I use to heat with), so I ain't going back to NG ever, if its up to me. Our woodstoves are part of the family.......we love em.

I am heating a little over 2,500 sq ft and so far I have went through close to 600 gallons since October and at the moment I am below 1/8th of a tank. I'm about to have another 200 gallons dropped next week to get me through until late summer/fall. At the moment I do not have a stove installed but I am going to be doing it as soon as my damn tax return lands! LOL. Deciding between Avalon Olympic insert or the PE Summit. CAN"T WAIT Hoping to run it 24/7 next winter and see if I can keep oil usage to a minimum. I have about 4 cords of one year seasoned oak and maple cut split and stacked. Should burn decent by next year.

I've never done the math...simply because when I was using NG, I would keep the thermo at 65 at night and 68 during the day. Now, heating with wood, When I'm home to load the stove, the house stays between 72-77 If I was using NG and maintaining those temps, I would pass out everytime I had to pay the NG man. If I could guess, my NG bills would have been $250-$300 a month or more! This was year 3 burning for me, so I figure I'm now in the profit after paying for the stove and install. All the "toys" involved, were needed for my businees anyway so they dont count

2011 (pre-stove)= $2,550 for electric heat
2012 AND 2013 COMBINED= $2,430

Yeah, I think it was a great investment.

fv

Doing the BTU conversion thing comparing our wood use to natty gas, I came up with a savings of about 1200-1500/year for the past 7 winters.
Stove was here already, but I did change out all the oversized pipe.
Splitter came with the house too.
Now that I'm cutting more of my own firewood, the savings is greater.
I deserve a new stove damnit.

With oil heat, 1000 to 1200 gallons.
With wood heat 4/ 5 cords + 150 gallons of oil.
With oil 72.
With wood 75 and up.
Processing wood keeps you young.

1100 gallons x $3.65/gal= $4015 plus I'm sure I've saved another $600/yr or better in electricity by heating the hot tub off the boiler instead of elec.
This is my fifth year so over $22,500 saved!! Burned a little over 100 gallons in that time. Paid for the boiler, the storage, the install, the splitter and the both saws.
Of course there is my time, but the wife says I don't do anything productive anyway.

I save several thousand dollars each.....then there is the 600 man hours I spend C,S&S, restacking piles, marking dead trees, dumping ashes, sweeping the chimney, filling the woodshed, filling the woodbox, filling the woodrack, repairing the chainsaw, ordering parts for the chainsaw, going to get gas, cleaning the glass on the stove, hooking the chain on the log, stopping and rehooking the chain that came off the log I am skidding, looking for the ax I left in the woods,.....................

Greg H said:

Of course there is my time, but the wife says I don't do anything productive anyway.

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Quit loading the stove and see what she has to say.

Jack Straw said:

then there is the 600 man hours I spend

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You're doin' it wrong, Jack.
Here's something for all to consider.....what would those man-hours be used for if not doing all things related to burning wood?
Golf, skiing, sledding, watching the boobtube, etc., etc., etc......
At least you're doing something that should be saving money instead of spending it.
I know there's a benefit to doing some of those other things,.... just sayin'.

PapaDave said:

You're doin' it wrong, Jack.
Here's something for all to consider.....what would those man-hours be used for if not doing all things related to burning wood?
Golf, skiing, sledding, watching the boobtube, etc., etc., etc......
At least you're doing something that should be saving money instead of spending it.
I know there's a benefit to doing some of those other things,.... just sayin'.

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Oh. I was joking around. I am the slowest wood processor on the planet. I do love it though!

I knew you were. I could hear it in your typing.
600 hours is uh...slow. I thought I was slow.

Went from about 1,000 gallons of oil/year to less than 200. Use oil for DHW, the boiler has not been on for heat yet this year. Also saved by cancelling my gym membership. I get my exercise scrounging and splitting. My stoves paid for themselves the first year...

KaptJaq

Annual cost of truck/saw fuel and maintenance $350, annual cost of chain sharpening/replacement $45, cost of saw $$FREE(my friend's), daily satisfaction of no oil bills...ever PRICELESS.

If it feels good now wait until everything has paid for itself and you aren't struggling with underseasoned wood and sitting on a huge surplus.

The other morning dogs were all barking up a storm and I came into the den to see a propane truck in the driveway...WTH??? he was lost looking for the neighbors place a couple drives up
He saw the quad trailer loaded up parked near the propane tank and said man I don't blame you.

Hum. I know we've saved a lot of dollars but let's say $1500 per year. Now multiply that by 10 and it is an eye opener. Now multiply that $1500 per year by 50. We're over 50 but just figure on 50 years. How much have we saved?

Ya, it's a nice chunk of change for sure.

Once you get used to those wood heat temps, 65-68 is freezing

fabsroman said:

What are you talking about, the thermostat hit 69 degrees before dinner and I was complaining to my wife about how cold it was while I was blowing in my hands and rubbing them together. Last winter, the thermostat was set at 68 degrees so we would use almost no oil and would only be relying on the space heaters.

Anything below 70 degrees is now downright cold.

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Ha Ha you are exactly right.