Burning Wood Is More Expensive Than Gas!?!?!

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Rich L said:
I've seen times when a business will come in low x out the competition then when in control jack up the prices.I wonder what would happen if a great many wood burns gave up wood burning for the low gas prices at the present.Would they raise the gas prices after they get you in their pocket?I say don't fall for the okey doke and leaves yourself vulnerable.

That's a very wise observation, Rich, and one of the classic scenarios taught in economics--a monopolist underpricing the competition to bankrupt them, then raising prices once the competition is gone. In fact, competition forces all companies to keep their prices low. So wood burners help everyone, by increasing competition, and reducing demand for other energy sources. :coolsmile:
 
There are many variables to this and the answer will very from situation to situation,
There are some very good points but there is no "national" winner is this contest..... although I have cut oil consumption from 1000 gallons to 150 or less... but I also added insulation so the diff Prolly isn't as large ... but my gas bill goes up 25 bucks a month for the gas fireplace, which is on a thermostat heating about 300 sq ft ...
Bottom line.... for me wood is a lot cheaper ... now if oil went below $2 a gallon ..... wood would still win I just wouldn't cringe if I hear the furnace kick on
 
RenovationGeorge said:
Rich L said:
I've seen times when a business will come in low x out the competition then when in control jack up the prices.I wonder what would happen if a great many wood burns gave up wood burning for the low gas prices at the present.Would they raise the gas prices after they get you in their pocket?I say don't fall for the okey doke and leaves yourself vulnerable.

That's a very wise observation, Rich, and one of the classic scenarios taught in economics--a monopolist underpricing the competition to bankrupt them, then raising prices once the competition is gone. In fact, competition forces all companies to keep their prices low. So wood burners help everyone, by increasing competition, and reducing demand for other energy sources. :coolsmile:

Ya Amen to that.There used to be many more mom and pop drug stores,hardware stores,and grocerys before the big chains iced them out.Now comes the energy con.Woodburners may have a powerful influence on keeping the gas prices low.If they go too high on gas prices at this time they'll just push folks towards wood burners.I know their greed lust is just burning them up from not being able to get those high returns that corporations drool for.
 
iceman said:
There are many variables to this and the answer will very from situation to situation,
There are some very good points but there is no "national" winner is this contest..... although I have cut oil consumption from 1000 gallons to 150 or less... but I also added insulation so the diff Prolly isn't as large ... but my gas bill goes up 25 bucks a month for the gas fireplace, which is on a thermostat heating about 300 sq ft ...
Bottom line.... for me wood is a lot cheaper ... now if oil went below $2 a gallon ..... wood would still win I just wouldn't cringe if I hear the furnace kick on


So if all things were equal, you'd buy oil.
 
kenny chaos said:
iceman said:
There are many variables to this and the answer will very from situation to situation,
There are some very good points but there is no "national" winner is this contest..... although I have cut oil consumption from 1000 gallons to 150 or less... but I also added insulation so the diff Prolly isn't as large ... but my gas bill goes up 25 bucks a month for the gas fireplace, which is on a thermostat heating about 300 sq ft ...
Bottom line.... for me wood is a lot cheaper ... now if oil went below $2 a gallon ..... wood would still win I just wouldn't cringe if I hear the furnace kick on


So if all things were equal, you'd buy oil.







Lol I like burning wood , but if all were equal I would jump to solar!
I like my setup have many options but wood is the most satisfying... when I stack pellets they don't look as good as my wood stacks .... I don't know what I would do without a wood stove I have had one in every house I have lived in.........
 
One fact is that with all of the new gas discoveries and recovery techniques NG is gonna be cheap for a good while into the foreseeable future. The only thing that is gonna hold the price up is industrial and electricity generation moving to it because it is cheap.
 
Whenever we get a really good cold snap, everyone of my family and freinds start complaining of there heating bill regardless if its NG, LP, or oil, I just sit back and laugh a little to myself, for me I like not having to worry about the next cold spell or even more having not to worry about the next catastrophe so they can raise prices to whatever the gas or electric company wants, I'll leave that part to me.
 
Shawn G said:
Whenever we get a really good cold snap, everyone of my family and freinds start complaining of there heating bill regardless if its NG, LP, or oil, I just sit back and laugh a little to myself, for me I like not having to worry about the next cold spell or even more having not to worry about the next catastrophe so they can raise prices to whatever the gas or electric company wants, I'll leave that part to me.





And I bet it's your family and friends who are having fun while you're "enjoying" getting next years wood processed.
 
Some of the replies in this thread make me chuckle because it seems like some have missed the point of my post regarding the cost of wood vs. gas. I guess posting in a wood stove community will lean towards a few with a bias regardless of the facts. The fact for me: Heating with wood is more expensive than heating with natural gas... that's simple math. Wood is great, but the math of the economics looks simple.

So, until I decide exactly how I'm going to most economically heat my house I'm just gonna keep using our old and inefficient wood stove.

(pic taken 15 mins ago)

2_fireplace-stove-burning.jpg
 
kenny chaos said:
What a hoot. Nothing is free and being a space heater, MOST people cannot heat their house.

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny, you are spending too much time on your butt online. Step away from the computer. Here's the pitch.

Get 10 crisp, new $100. dollar bills from your local bank. Get into your black beemer, and drive due east. The bills are for us when you see with your own eyes a ~1800ft² home designed around
two wood stoves. There are two (count 'em, "2" ) bathrooms w flush Toto toilets , shower and sink. One open plan kitchen with microwave, large sink, LP gas stove, dishwasher.
In a utility room the waterpump ass'y, LP Rinnai tankless water heater, clothes washer and LP dryer. ALL "space" heated by two wood stoves. There is (inconvenient truth) a small LP space heater in 1/2 the house for winter days away that will bring the temp of the 1/2 with plumbing (the other has no water pipes) up to barely 50 F @ 20 F outside temperature.

Most who choose to use wood, can and do heat their homes 24/7. It's a gestault Kenny.

For another 10 crisp, new $100. bills I will personally hold your hand and escort you to three (count 'em "3" ) architect designed larger homes (market value +/- 1 million ) with a Tarm, and Masonry Stoves for heating.
 
SufficientSelf.com said:
(pic taken 15 mins ago)

can't get that out of a forced air furnace... if you have to pay for wood, it is a commodity that is priced against your next best alternative. commodities markets are pretty efficient, even firewood. However, I and many others recycle wood that someone would otherwise have to pay to dispose of. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where this is possible and position yourself to take advantage of it, wood heat can be nearly free. My long term average is $15 out of pocket and 4 hours per cord. And, that 4 hours per cord is not subject to income tax. Granted, if I had access to natural gas and had not gotten into a pissing match with the propane man, I probably would still be a couple face cord per year for ambiance burner.
 
I have a gas fireplace that can heat my family room nice, but I rarely use it because I mainly heat the house with natural gas set at 66 degrees. I have a wood burning stove that heats my living room and upstairs bedrooms really nice. After reading this thread I was wondering if I used my gas fireplace in the living room more and turned down my nat gas thermostat down to say 63 degrees would I be saving significant dollars ? The main floor of my house is about 1800 sq ft. I ask this because I read in a post that when nat gas burns in a central furnace the cost is much more expensive vs a pilot burner in a gas fireplace.
 
fjord said:
kenny chaos said:
What a hoot. Nothing is free and being a space heater, MOST people cannot heat their house.

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny, you are spending too much time on your butt online. Step away from the computer. Here's the pitch.

Get 10 crisp, new $100. dollar bills from your local bank. Get into your black beemer, and drive due east. The bills are for us when you see with your own eyes a ~1800ft² home designed around
two wood stoves. There are two (count 'em, "2" ) bathrooms w flush Toto toilets , shower and sink. One open plan kitchen with microwave, large sink, LP gas stove, dishwasher.
In a utility room the waterpump ass'y, LP Rinnai tankless water heater, clothes washer and LP dryer. ALL "space" heated by two wood stoves. There is (inconvenient truth) a small LP space heater in 1/2 the house for winter days away that will bring the temp of the 1/2 with plumbing (the other has no water pipes) up to barely 50 F @ 20 F outside temperature.

Most who choose to use wood, can and do heat their homes 24/7. It's a gestault Kenny.

For another 10 crisp, new $100. bills I will personally hold your hand and escort you to three (count 'em "3" ) architect designed larger homes (market value +/- 1 million ) with a Tarm, and Masonry Stoves for heating.


You're a liar. You're on a different planet! You're talking about houses "designed around two wood stoves."
Tarms and masonary stoves are hardly common woodstoves.
No kidding there's always exceptions but YOU are not one of them.
Most who choose to use wood DO want to believe they heat their homes 24/7 and in fact, they can't.
Judge me for spending too much time on my butt?
Your ignorance is hilarious.
Thanks for learning me the truth.
 
<never mind--Moderator please delete>
 
kenny chaos said:
Shawn G said:
Whenever we get a really good cold snap, everyone of my family and freinds start complaining of there heating bill regardless if its NG, LP, or oil, I just sit back and laugh a little to myself, for me I like not having to worry about the next cold spell or even more having not to worry about the next catastrophe so they can raise prices to whatever the gas or electric company wants, I'll leave that part to me.





And I bet it's your family and friends who are having fun while you're "enjoying" getting next years wood processed.

Actually I do enjoy harvesting my wood, some might think thats crazy but that is my fun, I would rather split wood with my Fiskars than go to the movies or shopping, "fun" as you describe it is in the eye of the beholder, and as an added bonus heats my house as well all winter long without the propane guy coming down my driveway
 
SelfSufficient - You make very good points and you are thinking it through before you pull the trigger. Understood. I heat my house with both natural gas and wood. I like having both. The natural gas is certainly convenient, cost effective, and easy to use. Based on my math, my wood stove is still a bit cheaper to operate, but not by too much as I buy most of my wood. Also, I cannot predict future NG and wood prices, so I have a bit of a hedge between the two.

I like having a nice warm stove running in the living room. It's a nice way to heat the home and I enjoy the whole process. It's great to have a wood stove as your heat source in the middle of an ice storm in New England where the power can go out for days. It's also nice around the holiday season. I can't fully explain it, but nothing heats your home quite like a wood stove. It provides a soft, reassuring, comforting warmth. The members on this board surely know what I mean. Maybe it is just because we crank our stoves up enough to get the room into the 70's!

Wood stoves can also be messy with ash, wood chips, dirt, water, and bugs going everywhere. Everyone has their own method to deal with these issues. Wood stoves aren't for everyone. If you are careful, you can operate them relatively clean, but this is not an antiseptic heat source, if you get my point. It involves a bit of work from splitting, stacking, drying, and hauling your wood. C'est la vie. You either love it or you weren't cut out for wood burning...
 
Shawn G said:
kenny chaos said:
Shawn G said:
Whenever we get a really good cold snap, everyone of my family and freinds start complaining of there heating bill regardless if its NG, LP, or oil, I just sit back and laugh a little to myself, for me I like not having to worry about the next cold spell or even more having not to worry about the next catastrophe so they can raise prices to whatever the gas or electric company wants, I'll leave that part to me.





And I bet it's your family and friends who are having fun while you're "enjoying" getting next years wood processed.

Actually I do enjoy harvesting my wood, some might think thats crazy but that is my fun, I would rather split wood with my Fiskars than go to the movies or shopping, "fun" as you describe it is in the eye of the beholder, and as an added bonus heats my house as well all winter long without the propane guy coming down my driveway


It's certainly more fun than shopping or going to the movies but i'd rather be riding my bike, fishing, shooting hoops, or laying on the couch with a bag of chips. ;-)
 
Shawn G said:
kenny chaos said:
Shawn G said:
Whenever we get a really good cold snap, everyone of my family and freinds start complaining of there heating bill regardless if its NG, LP, or oil, I just sit back and laugh a little to myself, for me I like not having to worry about the next cold spell or even more having not to worry about the next catastrophe so they can raise prices to whatever the gas or electric company wants, I'll leave that part to me.





And I bet it's your family and friends who are having fun while you're "enjoying" getting next years wood processed.

Actually I do enjoy harvesting my wood, some might think thats crazy but that is my fun, I would rather split wood with my Fiskars than go to the movies or shopping, "fun" as you describe it is in the eye of the beholder, and as an added bonus heats my house as well all winter long without the propane guy coming down my driveway


It's certainly more fun than shopping or going to the movies but i'd rather be riding my bike, fishing, shooting hoops, or laying on the couch with a bag of chips. ;-)
Ya see, once you depend on it, you're no longer processing in your freetime.
 
kenny chaos said:
Shawn G said:
kenny chaos said:
Shawn G said:
Whenever we get a really good cold snap, everyone of my family and freinds start complaining of there heating bill regardless if its NG, LP, or oil, I just sit back and laugh a little to myself, for me I like not having to worry about the next cold spell or even more having not to worry about the next catastrophe so they can raise prices to whatever the gas or electric company wants, I'll leave that part to me.





And I bet it's your family and friends who are having fun while you're "enjoying" getting next years wood processed.

Actually I do enjoy harvesting my wood, some might think thats crazy but that is my fun, I would rather split wood with my Fiskars than go to the movies or shopping, "fun" as you describe it is in the eye of the beholder, and as an added bonus heats my house as well all winter long without the propane guy coming down my driveway


It's certainly more fun than shopping or going to the movies but i'd rather be riding my bike, fishing, shooting hoops, or laying on the couch with a bag of chips. ;-)

While I would not agree with you, my children on the other hand would, hopeing to change that some day,......... some day, most likely when they get there first heating bill in there name. :lol:
 
kenny chaos said:
fjord said:
kenny chaos said:
What a hoot. Nothing is free and being a space heater, MOST people cannot heat their house.

You're a liar. You're on a different planet! You're talking about houses "designed around two wood stoves."
Tarms and masonary stoves are hardly common woodstoves.
No kidding there's always exceptions but YOU are not one of them.
Most who choose to use wood DO want to believe they heat their homes 24/7 and in fact, they can't.
Judge me for spending too much time on my butt?
Your ignorance is hilarious.
Thanks for learning me the truth .

Ante uped Kenny to $5000. All in Crisp, new, $100. bills. Ready ?
Tarm and Masonry Stoves are not "wood stoves"; about the only correct fact here Kenneth. They are wood heaters, they do heat homes, and......
this place is heated 24/7, 99 44/100 % with two ,2, wood stoves. Has been since designed in 2000.
I'm sorry Kenneth, my manager says she will not accept $5000. It will have to be $10 K this time because of your attitude. Now get in that black beemer, and move.
PM for GPS coordinates, after the $$$$$$.

I am on another planet. :lol:
 
Take it to PMs to argue guys. This one is closed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.