How much $$ you save burning firewood / wood pellets

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Our wood is free for the cutting - only gas for the saw and truck.

No heating bill is very nice - especially when the house temp is in the mid 70's. My brother heats with gas and keeps the thermostat on 65 degrees and has a nice bill at the end of the month to show for it.

Bill
 
I'm saving about $4000 to $5000 a year.
 
That is a great write-up, thanks for posting Dave.


I burn about 8 Oak cord equivalent of wood every year. Propane is 30% higher here. So, for me, Propane is 3.2 times as expensive as hardwood. I could get 8 cord of Oak or equivalent delivered for $2K but I have never seen dry hardwood delivered here. So, there is a year or two of carrying cost on top of that. But, that is probably offset by the carrying cost of propane in the tank.

By burning wood, I figure I save (3.2*$2000)-$2000 or $4400 a year.

By scrounging wood, I figure I save $2000 - $100 or $1900 a year and don't mind letting a few hundred bucks worth of wood sit around as long as it takes to be bone dry.
 
My savings are minimal compared to alot of you guys who would otherwise use oil or propane for heat. I have natural gas, but it still ain't cheap.
Any money I can keep out of the hands of the utility company is money in MY pocket.
 
I must be saving close to 4K. Cheers!
 
The uninsulated house we bought 11 years ago used 1500 gallons of propane a month during heating season. Insulated that dropped to 4-600 gallons. We have 20 acres of oak and cherry so wood is no cost. We have went from 2 or 3 fills of the 1000 gallon propane tank to 1 fill of 600 gallons @ $1.89 p/g. Savings of $4000 per year or there abouts. Cost of the Tarm, install, splitter and new saw was about $17500 so payback in 4-5 years. I love not writing a big check to the propane guy a couple times a year.
 
i would have to say that im going in the opposite direction, since aquiring my house(equipped with a regency freestanding) 5 years ago i have purchased a wood splitter(1100.00), 3 chainsaws (chainsaw aquisition disorder)(1000.00), infrared gun and moisture meter (100.00), soon to be progress hybrid (2500.00), new hearth and pipe for PH (500.00 in materials), wood chipper for quick disposal of material during a scrounge(1500.00). i would compare my wood burning addiction with a raging drug habit. with all that said, i wouldn't change a thing.
 
I save a ridiculous amount of money not buying heating oil. Uncalculated thousands.
Two yard sale chain saws, two new fiskars, homemade splitter, homemade boiler.
I have spent some money, but not even close to the amount I save every year.

Being self employed, I scrounge wood when business is slow, so it is essentialy a part time job.
Being ahead on the woop pile cuts down on waste of time scrouges; this year I scored 3 cords of red oak from 1 scrounge,
a ten minute drive from my house. 20 bucks worth of gas total.
 
In theory though, all that equipment should be paid for in savings after a few years.

Sometimes the return on investment for the woodburning lifestyle takes a little while to realize.

I know what you mean though! Sometimes the stove is just a good way for me to justify buying toys, er, tools to my wife.

-SF
 
My wood cost is $100 per cord before processing. I tried doing the math after the wife claimed that we were not saving any money but got mired down in the efficiency calculations. When natural gas prices are low, I think I'm about breaking even but the house is warmer heating with wood so it's not a fair comparison.

My math did not even factor the cost of processing (gas, oil), equipment (splitter, bar & chain), storage (woodshed), and the cost of the stove & chimney. I'm sure the topic will come up again soon with the wife when I put down $1200 for anoother grapple load of wood and when I pull the trigger on a new saw.
 
A friend commented last week, "Oh, you use a wood stove... so your heat is free!"

I had to beg to differ...
 
LLigetfa said:
My wood cost is $100 per cord before processing. I tried doing the math after the wife claimed that we were not saving any money but got mired down in the efficiency calculations. When natural gas prices are low, I think I'm about breaking even but the house is warmer heating with wood so it's not a fair comparison.

My math did not even factor the cost of processing (gas, oil), equipment (splitter, bar & chain), storage (woodshed), and the cost of the stove & chimney. I'm sure the topic will come up again soon with the wife when I put down $1200 for anoother grapple load of wood and when I pull the trigger on a new saw.
Click to expand...

I call the local tree surgeon. He drops off logs for free.
 
I have a heat pump and a electric forced air furnace.
If that was all we had the t-stat would be set to 65..wife's orders.
Instead we just use the stove..usually 72-78 in the house and go through about 800.00 dollars worth of wood(10-12fc) with the cat stove.
Electric would be north of 3 grand.

Yes..nothing wrong with saying face cord and most split their wood horizontally in ny...lol.
 
Chettt said:
I don't think anyone knows how much it costs to heat a home with oil, gas or electricity and set the thermostat at 75 for the month.
Click to expand...
I sure don't..but I have a feeling it would be close to 4k for the heating season for me..I don't want to know..lol.
 
I won't pay for wood that I have to process myself. When I knock on doors, sometimes the homeowner tries to recoup the cost of the tree removal. I say thanks but no thanks.

If I buy wood, it has to be cut, split, delivered and stacked. I'll help stack, of course, since I want it stacked to calculate volume before I pay. I'm willing to pay up yo about $130/cord.more than that and I'll go scrounge.

My stove paid for itself before the end of the first season back when propane was around $4 /gal. My other equipment hasn't been all that expensive, and my dad built my splitter as a birthday present.

-SF
 
I would say that I don't save much either. I barter for wood with a tree service who would otherwise pay me cash. The difference is...I would never keep my office at 75+ if I was paying for gas, so we're not exactly comparing apples to apples. The radiant heat is also nice because it blasts you in the face with a wall of heat as soon as you walk in the front door, which customers definately notice and appreciate.
 
SlyFerret said:
I won't pay for wood that I have to process myself.
Click to expand...
For me, it's worth $100 to have it dropped in my yard and not have to go scrounge it plus I don't need a truck/trailer.

SlyFerret said:
If I buy wood, it has to be cut, split, delivered and stacked.
Click to expand...
Ja, fine... if you can get it and at a reasonable price. Here, $100 will get you a level pickup bed of recently bucked and split firewood and it's cash-and-carry so I'd need a truck and still would have to load, unload, stack it, and then wait a couple of years for it to dry. Then it still wouldn't be cut to the length I want.
 
I tried to justify it ($) last year but the stove, chimney liner (saved by DYI install), replacement of retired chain saw, wood splitter and on and on and on would technically run the payoff out there a few years because we have natural gas so we don't worry about it. Our original plan was weekend evening burns only for relaxation but after the first light-up, she wanted it running all the time 24/7. Now I have a fun hobby so I cut/split/stack and haul the fuel to the stove for recreation believe it or not. The physical activity is better for me than the desk job grind. I thoroughly love camping and with this endeavor, I have a campfire going all the time!
 
me being in excavating business, I get as much free wood as i need and own the equipment needed to cut and transport and have big splitter for skidsteer so it is win win all the way around. My gas bill last month was 52 dollars and that includes water heater and cooking. My neighbors with same house in development run between 250 and 400 a month.
 
We have budget billing. After last winter, we have had a $0 gas bill so far this year to catch up on the credit we built up.
Feb we start paying $112/month on budget billing again. *old bill was $265/month ($153/month savings, $1800 year)
I heat the garage & shop & the house hot water & cooking with gas.
I average $35 ±/ cord of wood not including my time. ± 5-1/2 cords per year. ± $200.
So working for myself getting fire wood pays me back, I enjoy it & the house is warmer.
Net saving $1600 per year. :) (Price of NG keeps going up, maybe even more savings.)
So far; stove & toys (tools) paid for with some left over . Add $1600 every year forward.
Not many fun hobbies do that. ;)
 
Heating with Wood: Priceless!!

Great exercise, relaxing, and at times adreniline heart ponding.....chit that was close!!

At 65* Old budget billing $397. Mo. Using 2- 4 ton heat pumps.

At 72* 1- heat pump off the other set at 55* burning wood off our own lot new budget billing amount $142. mo..$3060 yr savings!!


Burn Safe:
Frank
 
Anyone notice where it says stacked "firewood should have good air flow so it season properly" and they have a picture of a stack of wood on the ground with weeds growing through the wood :lol:
 
This should be in the boiler room but $33,000 over the last three years on avg, we tore down the old gas radiant heaters after acquiring a crown royal owb.... 22,000 sq ft metal building with 24 ft ceilings- we burn pallets but not typical pallets but 4'x8'ft pallets that our metal comes in on typically oak
 
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