I buy my wood. All hardwood. On average It costs me $400 in wood yearly to heat my house. I have 25 acres and 20 of those are wooded. I only cut what is dead standing or storm falls I love my trees and figure $400 is basically what most pay monthly to heat their home. And if things ever get really gnarly I will have enough firewood on my land for my great grand kids to burn. Here there are 3 choices for heat. Propane, electric or wood. In the last 5 years of burning I am about $5000 into a woodstove and wood. I burn for 5 months a year. If I would have just used that $5000 to buy propane or use electricity that would mean I could spend $200 a month to heat, which would suck. To live here a saw and tools are a necessity so what ever wood those net me is just a bonus. Plus our house has no duct work at all so... I will be burning wood until I croak.
Financially does burning wood even make sense now or future?
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Woodsplitter67
Minister of Fire
I really feel this way about it.. for some people it makes sense and for others not so much.
For myself and many others that have responded. If your pretty much heating your home yes definitely.. and not with the inflated costs the OP originally said.. we all know we can get a gas splitter and a decent saw for a combined price of under 2k.
For someone who has to purchase and split with limited time and cant process enough and can only burn part time.. the cost benefit may just be a wash. But the independence and piece of mind maybe worth it if something goes wrong.
Theres a ton of work associated with what we do .. storage for the wood.. processing.. acquiring the wood whether you're on the scrounge or you have to purchase, moving the wood around
I think some think its easier then what it is.. till they actually start doing it and then reality sets in.. in a big way.. then they question it.
For myself and many others that have responded. If your pretty much heating your home yes definitely.. and not with the inflated costs the OP originally said.. we all know we can get a gas splitter and a decent saw for a combined price of under 2k.
For someone who has to purchase and split with limited time and cant process enough and can only burn part time.. the cost benefit may just be a wash. But the independence and piece of mind maybe worth it if something goes wrong.
Theres a ton of work associated with what we do .. storage for the wood.. processing.. acquiring the wood whether you're on the scrounge or you have to purchase, moving the wood around
I think some think its easier then what it is.. till they actually start doing it and then reality sets in.. in a big way.. then they question it.
ctreitzell
Feeling the Heat
so true!
For me, I love chainsaw work
All the carpentry I've done, and painting and floor finishing...I really enjoy not having to measure, mark and cut as accurately as possible as is required for building work. I still do measure and mark in a much less perfectionist manner with firewood...I have started using handsaws quite a lot...gasoline and elec are expensive and both yield emissions...trying to do my part on the eco side
storage and drying is tough...moving wood around is tough (especially moving more than once)...and stacking is an art...I have the space, just need to build the storage
these things, though, I do enjoy
actually running the stove is another matter...learning how to use my modern stove has been a constant chore...Ive got it down right now, but I do need a larger firebox
handling fiberglass in any situation I do not care for...and replacing fire rope is handling fiberglass
For me it’s a combination of safety (off grid capability), nostalgia growing up with stoves in our house, tradition like our ancestors did and I enjoy the exercise.
Sure I save money on my heating bill but since I already heat with NG which so far is not that expensive compared to oil the savings are not as great as if I used oil. Last year I saved 46-48% off my NG bill. We still use NG for our stove, hot water, dryer and 3rd zone finished basement where my kids hang out. My January bill just came and it was only $104. My stove is more of a supplement for our heating needs since we also have mini splits which are very efficient to use especially in the shoulder season.
I also don’t use alot of wood, I would say just over a cord a year. Cord cost me $325 delivered and I keep 4-5 cords in rotation. My little PE vista 1.6 heats our 1,900 sq ft cape well and it is well insulated with newer windows and slider done a few years back.
Even though I don’t process my wood with chainsaws and gas splitters I do enjoy respliting by hand and stacking. It is good exercise and a great way to relieve stress.
Sure I save money on my heating bill but since I already heat with NG which so far is not that expensive compared to oil the savings are not as great as if I used oil. Last year I saved 46-48% off my NG bill. We still use NG for our stove, hot water, dryer and 3rd zone finished basement where my kids hang out. My January bill just came and it was only $104. My stove is more of a supplement for our heating needs since we also have mini splits which are very efficient to use especially in the shoulder season.
I also don’t use alot of wood, I would say just over a cord a year. Cord cost me $325 delivered and I keep 4-5 cords in rotation. My little PE vista 1.6 heats our 1,900 sq ft cape well and it is well insulated with newer windows and slider done a few years back.
Even though I don’t process my wood with chainsaws and gas splitters I do enjoy respliting by hand and stacking. It is good exercise and a great way to relieve stress.
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Caw
Minister of Fire
Amen to that. Nothing like splitting some wood after a stressful day or when pissed off. You feel so much better afterwards.
Wood burning is cheap. Biden and your grandchildren paid for my splitter, wood is free and more available than ever. Our 2nd house is 100% wood, cost nothing but gas and time. And we don’t pay for a gym, wood harvesting is our summer exercise.
At home a heat pump is hard to beat. Central PA, electric hot water, propane stove, heat pump, last months bill for electric , $175. We do heat our den with a direct vent propane stove 3 hours a day. Our electric rate is .089 currently, we have electric choice and NG is cheaper than ever, leading to cheap electric. Or will be until the globalist cabal bans it.
At home a heat pump is hard to beat. Central PA, electric hot water, propane stove, heat pump, last months bill for electric , $175. We do heat our den with a direct vent propane stove 3 hours a day. Our electric rate is .089 currently, we have electric choice and NG is cheaper than ever, leading to cheap electric. Or will be until the globalist cabal bans it.
My primary reason for buying a wood stove was in case the electrical grid or access to fuel oil went away or was so greatly out of reach. So I can relate.
Yes correct. Close friend of ours is on the senior management team at a large financial institution and this person told us our grid and pipelines are vulnerable. We saw the Colonial pipeline hack a few years ago. They said their next house will have full off grid capability.
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When we put all of our eggs into automation and tech that bad actors can touch from thousands of miles away, we are just asking for trouble. We are more vulnerable than ever now.
Agree. Have one home 100% off grid. Small solar, wood heat, 250 gal propane tank for cooking and refrigeration, and my gas range has a built in coal stove with 2 burners. Could stay comfortably for over a year.
Main home is dependent on electric, but could heat and cook with propane for 2 months. Looking to put in back up wood.
We have been living in fantasy land since 1950 in this country. Shortages and power outages are coming, even without any dramatic events. The destruction of our infrastructure and power grid and a huge increase in population and power draw almost guarantee it. Still can’t believe we’re shutting down nukes instead of building more. Add likely terrorist events or global war we’re going dark. Our kids will live in interesting times
paredown
Burning Hunk
I think all the points that I might have made have been made--certainly we have spent no where near as much as the OP outlines in the first post.
For us, in a drafty house that has a difficult-to-upgrade thermal envelope (LOTS of single pane glass/alu frames in large sizes/heights, no original insulation in crawl, lots of leakage) wood burning is the only way we can stay comfortable in the winter with our current high prices for gas and electricity.
it does take time to hustle free wood, but the addition of a gas splitter and a couple of quicky sheds made out of recycled pallets has made my wood operation more efficient, and less time consuming. It's definitely not for everyone though!
For us, in a drafty house that has a difficult-to-upgrade thermal envelope (LOTS of single pane glass/alu frames in large sizes/heights, no original insulation in crawl, lots of leakage) wood burning is the only way we can stay comfortable in the winter with our current high prices for gas and electricity.
it does take time to hustle free wood, but the addition of a gas splitter and a couple of quicky sheds made out of recycled pallets has made my wood operation more efficient, and less time consuming. It's definitely not for everyone though!
ctreitzell
Feeling the Heat
my goodness you guys have it good for electric rates!
we were spending somewhere near €7000 per year
yes, no typo, 7000...and that is only household appliances, lights, elec heaters and hot water
we have no heat pump or furnace or anything like that
wood burning stove has cut that in half!
previously we didn't understand our cheap rates hours and we had a bad elec hot water heater
now we know our cheap hours and leverage that too
but nowhere near the savings with wood heat
we were spending somewhere near €7000 per year
yes, no typo, 7000...and that is only household appliances, lights, elec heaters and hot water
we have no heat pump or furnace or anything like that
wood burning stove has cut that in half!
previously we didn't understand our cheap rates hours and we had a bad elec hot water heater
now we know our cheap hours and leverage that too
but nowhere near the savings with wood heat
Caw
Minister of Fire
It annoys me to no end that I'm only 500 miles from you but pay 300% more for electricity. Our current rate is $0.28 per kWh. It's disgusting.
We are trying to become more self sufficient. We left the comfy Arizona valley and moved to the Ozark woods. Its definitely harder, but life is better here than in the city. I can't imagine what its like there now. Our freezer is full of pasture raised chickens , grass fed lamb and if we are lucky and it warms up some we may even get an egg or two after we move and clean the hen house they decided live and roost in during the cold snap.
Mass and other New England States are effectively paying a carbon tax to force transition to renewables with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)and other instate climate legislation. Most of those programs are funded by a surcharge on power rates. Mass also pays a premium for power as power plants even renewable ones are not welcome in the state so a premium is built in to import power from Canada and Northern Maine. The observation is pretty accurate in Mass that a homeowner is better off paying to put solar on their roof or pay for their neighbor to do so (via high electric rates)
If the EPA Clean Power Plan had not been shut down by the new adminstration, New England would have had minimal impact while non RGGI states like PA would need to pay a lot of money to get in compliance. The "dirtiest" power states (mostly coal dependent) who would pay the most to get up to Clean Power standards tended to vote republican in the 2016 race.
If the EPA Clean Power Plan had not been shut down by the new adminstration, New England would have had minimal impact while non RGGI states like PA would need to pay a lot of money to get in compliance. The "dirtiest" power states (mostly coal dependent) who would pay the most to get up to Clean Power standards tended to vote republican in the 2016 race.
BobcatBranch
Member
It's a labor of love... I love my family, and it is tremendously satisfying to provide "free" heat.
Up here in the N. Georgia mountains, power is easily disrupted. With tons of hardwoods here, a fresh year-round spring, and a greenhouse (coming soon!), we're ready for whatever. Being surrounded by like-minded folks helps a lot, too.
Up here in the N. Georgia mountains, power is easily disrupted. With tons of hardwoods here, a fresh year-round spring, and a greenhouse (coming soon!), we're ready for whatever. Being surrounded by like-minded folks helps a lot, too.
BobcatBranch
Member
Good plan... Use the money now, and when paper money is worth just enough for outhouse duties, start burning your trees. 👍🏻
Caw
Minister of Fire
One of the best decisions I ever made was getting the solar up in 2021. I would have done it sooner if I could have but we didn't move in until spring of 2020 and needed a little time to let the financial dust settle while we renovated things. My friends who got in earlier got much better SMRT credits etc but I'm not complaining. It saves me a fortune. Works very well with my heat pump and wood stove.
This is exactly it for me....at least 90% anyway. My father raised me to be independent, and his father before him .... who also witnessed the great depression. Piece of mind, like @Caw mentioned, a stress reliever or just time to get away from the daily grind and process wood.
It's not a hobby for me, as to tree work is part of my profession. Obvious side benefit, free wood. Actually, paid to take it away wood, Rather it be my own work or contract climbing. I am planning to buy log truck loads this season though. I want a supplement income of sales.
This here hits home too. Same boat. As others have posted, nothing beats wood heat, no matter what the appliance. It can sooth an aching
body. Anything my wife calls "heat" is a conventional furnace on fossil and, would not keep us warm during the cold snaps. Our wood furnace isn't really either, but that's because it's using the shared compromised duct work. The oil furnace would hit the pocket at an estimated $8000/yr. Yes I love the free wood. Even when I age beyond manageable physical mobility, because of my connections, I will always have free, or at least inexpensive firewood.
Same here in NY. The city could see even higher numbers. IDK and couldn't care less of the city. Since I am remaining in state, I love the hills. Hate the economy likewise.
I love the Berkshires and being close to the ocean since I enjoy hunting and fishing. Told my kids they are going to need good jobs to live here.
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