Got money to burn?

[brooktrout]

Ok, so you're burning hot and fast, feeling good. Some of you have been burning for years, others this is your first season (like me). We all love saying no to the "oil man" (or propane, electric, etc.). But how much are you really saving? I'd like to hear from you guys about your experience switching over to wood and how much you actually save. I will guestimate, at my current rate, that I will go through approx. 5 cords per year. At $170/cord delivered (current method of obtaining wood- may change in the future) that's $850. My oil cost last year was $2160!

 

[jpl1nh]

I've spent nothing but time and gas/oil mix and a new chain for my heat. At $3.20 per gallon for heating oil that will save me $2,250.00 this year. My furnace has run a total of about 45 mins so far this heating season. If I figure the time I didn't have to spend at the gym this past year, maybe another $200-300. If I add the time my son and I spent together cutting splitting, stacking and the time all of us spent in ffont of the stove basking in the warmth and just hanging out watching the fire, absolutley priceless.

 

[cmonSTART]

Well, We've spent $400 on wood this season, with a lot of scrounging too, and filled our oil tank in the beginning for $500 which should last into early spring. So, $900 for the winter, which the way our old house consumes oil, would cost us probably $1,500 at the current prices. Better yet, is that 1,500 dollars would be with us keeping the thermostat at 60 degrees, where the wood stove keeps the house at 68 to 80 degrees when it's going. So, it costs less and is more comfortable!

 

[BrotherBart]

Realistically I haven't saved a dime in the twenty-two years I have heated with wood. Only bought wood once in that time but the time, equipment, supplies and emergency room bill have to have cost me more than probably any other way of heating the house.

It's a lifestyle thing.

 

[glenng]

I installed a wood stove last March. Dec 2006 gas bill was $220, Dec 2007 gas bill was $71. We are just part time burners. Wood heat is warmer and the house is cozier. Some things you can`t put a price on , there is a lot more to wood heat than the fuel bill savings.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

started working for ESW in june of 1993, just out of the army (was supposed to be a "tide me over til i found a real job" type job) another story , anyway , we bought a house in october that year and moved in , the house had a flue but nothing hooked up , and baseboard heat , we, not knowing what was in store, turned on the baseboard , which seemed to work well at the time , kept the house toasty, got our first electric bill , was a read off the meter bill, due to it being a new account 392 bucks and change, and we hadnt even been in the house a full month. i went to work the next day and bought a 24-ac woodstove , talked one of the guys who did installs on tyhe side into coming over checking the chimney and helping me install it (cost was a 6 pack we split) got the unit up and running that evening with some "borrowed" wood from a new neighbor. stove was lit for about an hour, when i flipped the breakers off on the baseboard heat at the box, they have not been flipped back on since , average electric bills since then have been about 65 to 70 bucks. i bought 2 pickup truck loads of wood that winter, along with a " reconditioned" poulan 16" chainsaw from big lots, started cutting wood for the next season, i burned wood as a sole source of wood in that stove for 13 years, added a pellet stove in 2005 (january) as i travel now having moved up in the company over the years,(wife never got the handle on the woodstove so i needed somthing she could handle) actually removed the wood stove in 2006. am likely going to install another woodstove , but havent gotten around to it yet. during the time i burned the woodstove i figure i saved 200 bucks a month minimum over the winter months burning the woodstove just in the electrical bills alone , though i spent a few bucks here and there on wood , rarely did i buy more than 100 bucks worth of wood in a winter still have the chainsaw although my wife got me a craftsman for christmas (about a month before i put in the pellet stove) its barely been used and mostly it was cutting some wood for dad when we went out getting him wood. so yeah , i figure i saved a ton over the years , the unit more than paid for not only itself, but the fuel for the saw , gas to go and cut and load wood , i split by hand so no gas for a splitter. and better than all this , i got to learn wood heating from experience, which is priceless in my job as a technician for a major stove manufacturer

 

[struggle]

That is hard to say as I have never totaled the cost of the splitterand saws and chains over the years. I hope to stay out of the emergency room if I can.

I can say this though. I have not paid a heating bill coming up on 8 years. I am on natural gas and the furnace has run only this year when we left for two night to go out of town. I have no idea how much it would even cost to run the furnace now.

I have never paid for any wood. I have sold some truck loads of wood here and there to buy chains.

I would guess if I kept our house as warm as the stove does it saves us at least $1K a year and maybe more. Every year is different. I think my neighbors are sick of me asking what their heating cost are and they all seem to wander on the question as in I really do not want to admit to the cost.

 

[RedRanger]

Hey Brooky Boy:


There is only so much you can do. We have a 4level multi split. Nice insert on the first floor, fans on the second level to keep that heat moving. But the bad thing--Propane Insert on the Main Level.--that heat does nowhere compare to wood heat. but try to convice the "better half" to install another "wood insert or stove on the 3rd level".. Maybe as well knock myself out!!

But I just say to myself, "well you are the one still working dear, I am retired"--So just keep on feeling cold, and spending all your time in front of the PE insert on the first level. And keep paying for that fossil fuel. Sometimes marriage sucks, but ya gotta live with it. Think that common sense and cheaper heat will only apply when that "so called better half retires".. :coolgrin:

And then, and only then, will the so called "better half", do a re-think. and forget about all that crap ...like smoke, dust, and, low humidity. etc.etc,...... To me, wood heat is just common sense, it is constant, always giving off heat, not recycling and making you feel warm and then cold. Just a nice even heat. God , I have a bit of a wait here, ain`t gonna happen for another 6 years.

Dam`n-it sucks to retire and then all of a sudden the other one makes the higher income. Hey, boys, there goes your control.. So keep on workng, when she retires---or not!!

 

[drhiii]

1800 sq ft Victorian home built in 1908. Relatively insulated, with some drafty spots. Folks around me with similar homes spend anywhere from $300-$450 /mo. I was closer to $275-$300 before I started burning 4 years ago. Likely would spend approx $2500-$3000 a year if heating with gas. We just got the gas bill for this last month. $30. Forced air furnace was on once in two months for 20 mins, to circulate air during a cleaning.

I spent perhaps $100 on gas for truck to go cut twice last and this year. Topped off at 8 cords. Harvest a lot of this stuff from tree services locally. Mebbe another $50 for food, drink when driving to favorite cutting spots. It was -10 a few mins ago. Toasty inside with a perfect burn going... secondary burn humming right along while dampered all the way down. Perfect mix of oak, with a little elm and starter pine. Will toss some pinon inside in the morning to quick start but sustain a few hours. Am unquestionably saving $$$, but as someone else mentioned here... it is the lifestyle more than anything.

 

[crazy_dan]

OK lets start from the beginning I have spent $600 on chainsaws $1,000 on a splitter, $25 on a maul, $25 on a goos splitting wedge, bought the stove 2nd hand for $100, $1500 on pickup to haul wood (not just used for wood but I'll give the full price), $600 on class A chimney, roof kit, and double wall adjustable stove pipe, and stove adapter, I use about $50 worth of gas a year in the saws and splitter combined, about $50 gas in the pickup, $150 a year maintenance (chains, oil change in pickup & splitter, and saw up keep).

so thats $3850 one time expense over the last 9 years comes to say $430 a year average +$250 recurring every year = $680 a year total (does not include labor as I do not bill myself and it is some much needed alone time).
Here is the kicker I cut and supply wood for my house, the wifes dad's house and her grandpa's house so can I divide that by 3? If that is allowed then it costs me to heat my house say about $230.

My house has no other heat source just the wood stove so I have no idea what it would cost other wise.
So we will go conservative and say $250 a month for 3 months and $200 for 2 months comes to $1150 If I am even in the ball park then it is a savings of about $900 a year.

 

[woodconvert]

Realistically I haven't saved a dime in the twenty-two years I have heated with wood. Only bought wood once in that time but the time, equipment, supplies and emergency room bill have to have cost me more than probably any other way of heating the house.

It's a lifestyle thing.

Interesting. That's a variable on the individual that may or may not factor in. For me, when i'm at home i'm off the clock...my time is worth nothing and I wouldn't count it into the equation. If i'm not cutting/splitting/stacking then i'm grading the driveway, mowing the lawn, picking up brush, etc.. I file it all under "chores" and put no cost to it.

I used to buy truckloads of oak logs. I think the cost was $1200 for 54 face cords. That and the wood I cut for a farmer friend of mine would last just over three years. I don't know what equipment costs would be as they'd be amortized over the years...that said, if I had a new stove, new equipment (saw, splitter) and bought a truckload of logs again and the price of propane is approx $3.29/gal i'd say conservatively that my costs would be recouped mid way through the second year.

I have never run my furnace through a heating season so I don't actually know how much propane I would use in a season. I do know that last February when it was cold as hell and my wife was off on a business trip (thus not home to stoke the fire) I used about 2/3 of my annual 250-300gal min. order in one week. I shudder to think what it would cost to heat for a season.

 

[kellog]

The house was using 1300-1400 gal of oil per year (previous owner) for heat and hot water. Now using 600 gals (probably 200 for heat and 400 for hot water / keeping the boiler warm.). So 700-800 gals of oil saved at 3.50/gal is about $2500.

I spend $500/yr on a logging truck load of wood (7-7.5 cord after cutting and splitting) and burn about 6.5-7 cord.

Spent just less that $3000 on stainless chimney & install, chain saw, homemade cord wood saw, trailer for lawn tractor, wood racks, chimney brush and other capital sundries (already had a stove from previous house and there was a stove set-up in the house already). Very little spent on consumables like gas, files, chain, etc. each year let’s say $100.

So at $3.50 /gal oil and 10% depreciation/maintenance on the capital and $100 on consumables ($2500-500-300-100) the real savings is $1500 to $1600 not including labor of cutting/stacking/moving/loading stoves, etc.

Having a 75 degree house all winter and not having the women complain about heat – absolutely PRICELESS. Not to mention that I really like the heat too, it is environmentally better, and we are not bankrupting the country by sending all our money to the foreign oil barons.

 

[Corey]

Well, my best estimate at some sort of balance sheet:

Stove - 400
Stainless liner - 350
Chain saw - 250
Splitter - 400
------------------------
Start up costs - $1400


Approximate gas saved:

October - $50
November - $75
December, Jan, Feb - $150 ea
March - $75
April - $50
-------------------------
$700 /yr gas savings

I burn ~3 cords a year, figure truck gas, chainsaw gas, oil, etc probably costs about $20 to get the cord and process. So after 6 years, I'm well into the positive savings territory. Plus, there is just the ambiance of having the fire. If I had to buy wood or pellets, that would eat up much of the savings.

 

[swestall]

I've heated with wood almost all my life. The only exception is a brief period when I was in the Air Force and just after in my first home. Since then, I went back to my roots of wood heat.
I used to cut 5-7 cords a year with my son. Since he grew up and I am more successful I spend the time on my business and make more with the time than it costs me to buy the wood. (still at 130 a cord for me through a friend)
I have gone through a few stoves: but mostly by choice. (you know having to get the latest thing)
I don't think that I will be changing out stoves again as this new Hearthstone Mansfield is amazing.
My wood consumption is already down by 1/3-1/2: and the house is just as warm as before. (68-74)
Now for the numbers: we would easily use 1500 gal of oil a year. (heat/hot water) so at current rates here that is $4800: instead we will use 375 gal (hot water/little heat) $1200. And, the wood will cost us $520: so we will save $3080 this year. We have been doing that for 20+ years now.
I am also with BB on the fact that this is a lifestyle thing: I would heat with wood even if it were break even. I just couldn't tell my wife.
She was giving me a hard time about the mess and perhaps we should change over to pellets when we went to the Mansfield last month. So, I sat her down and we did the numbers. She had a tremendous look of recognition on her face when we were done.
Now, she gets the fire going before I come downstairs each day. And, with the new Mansfield, she is finding it a dream to do that. No more problems there.
So there you have it, $3000 savings, the house is definately hotter than we could keep it with Oil and it makes us happy. What else is there?

 

[Vic99]

Stove, liner, associated materials, and installation (including a couple of snafus): 5,000

Hearth/Fireplace modification: 1,200

Chainsaw, maul, materials for wood racks, tarps, etc.: 250

Permit: 35

Total Start up Cost: ~6,500

Annual Natural Gas Cost at current rates (excluding hot water): ~1,750

Estimated Break Even Point: 3.75 years.



Realistic annual cost of using natural gas on those extra cold days: 100

Actual wood cost: FREE in dollars (but a lot of effort)

Power to run chainsaw, vehicle for hauling wood, etc: ~100/year

Time Spent Processing/Burning Wood: Hefty Part Time Job


Estimated annual cost to heat house (90% wood, 10% gas): 200/year

 

[babalu87]

Stove $1800
Chimney and thru-wall kit $750
Hearthpad (I built it) appx. $100
Get my wood on my own property and already owned the saw.
Burn about 200 gallons of oil for hot water/year
Used to burn 600 gallons/year for heat

I could buy another stove for a smoker with the money saved this year but:
Not having to live in a 67 degree house and wearing shorts all Winter.................PRICELESS

 

[swestall]

Not having to live in a 67 degree house and wearing shorts all Winter.................PRICELESS[/quote]

Amen……….

 

[granpajohn]

[quote author="kellog" date="1200592874"] homemade cord wood saw

Have you published a description of this saw? Might be interesting to see.

 

[abj1969]

being my first year burning i had to buy the wood.. started gathering wood for next year already so next year i will be good to go without buying any wood..



last year it cost me $1200 in oil. so add what 20% to that for what it would cost this year.. and i was keeping the house at like 65*.



this year riught before the cold season i got a delivery that topped the tank off. since then i have only used the heater a hand full of times. infact they came and dilvered a load of oil because i forgot to get off the automatic delivery and it only cost $22....lol.


looks like i will about $600 into wood this year. so i should save atleast $600 and probably closer to $1000 this year and the best part is my house is warmer then ever..

if i can get that type of saving from year to year the stove will be paid off in no time...

 

[paulie]

if your just into it to save money, you have already lost

 

[brooktrout]

if your just into it to save money, you have already lost

WW- You hit it on the head there- I like having control over my heating costs, as well as being able to come in and warm up in front of the stove. Not to mention the ambiance, exercise, and new friends!

 

[Girl]

I get so much out of being the one who keeps my family warm.
The woman who rented the house before me said she had electric bills form $500 to $1500 a month!
There would be NO WAY I could do that on my salary.
I LOVE this house & I LOVE having a wood stove.
It started as necessity, now I just enjoy it!

 

[eernest4]

lets see, 1.6 gal/hr oil x 2 hr heat up=3.2 galx$3.25=$6.50 for a 2 hr run with 4 hr residual
heat, so $6.50 every 6 hrs.then 24 hr/ 6 hr=4 x6.50 =26.oo per day in temps below 30 deg.

26.oo x 30 days=$780.oo/month x 3 mo.=$2,340.oo for cold weather heat

17.oo x 30 day=510.oo x 3 mo=1530.oo for heat on days above 30 deg.


2340.oo
1530.oo
----------------
3,870.oo per a warm winter
or 5,000.oo for a cold winter

wood is free, chain saws,$670.oo for 4 gas & 4 electric ,$75.oo for trailer,129.oo for hitch,
50.oo for install hitch,475.oo for elect wood splitter, 1060.oo for huskee 22 ton,200.oo for 8x 8 wood shed,350.oo for 35 ft wood shed,350.oo wood stove, 100.oo chimney parts,1800.oo
pellet stove, 250.oo ton pellets

Thats 5159.oo start up costs ,back in 2005/06 heating season.

So i spent as much the first year to heat with wood & pellets as it would have cost me to heat that year with the money burner, but it was mostly all start up costs.

06/07 heating season I spent 1200.oo for fuel oil all winter long & still had oil left for the
07/08 season in the tank & 07/08 so far I spent 900.oo for fuel oil & i figure I have 150 gal in the tank, so I might be spending another 400.oo on fuel oil this season. so say 1300.oo this year.

compair 1300.oo to 4000.oo or 5000.oo and we see a savings of 2700.oo per yr to a savings of
3700.oo per yr, depending on temp this yr & next yr ,on rising oil prices, so the savings could hit 6000.oo yr for a 2700 sq ft non insulated house.

keep in mind that the 1300.oo is for fuel oil on days when I don't run the wood or pellet stoves
or just feel like heating up the entire house because i am tired of cold spots , here & there, in the house.

The wood heat don't get the second floor much over 60 in warm weather or 50 in cold weather,
but the first floor is 73 to 78, all the time.

I enjoy a little oil heat ,in order to warm up the neather regions of the house & dont mind paying a little 4 it.

Yea $1,300.oo is a little compaired to 5k without wood.

So far, 2 yrs, I have not paid 1 penny 4 wood & only 250.oo for pellets & still have 30 bags left.

 

[chad3]

Sold some stuff 2 years ago to finance the chimey. New stove was 1500. Already had a few saws (sure picked up another, but not JUST for the stove). Cut own wood.
First year (without stove): 4 oil fill ups (about 2400 now)
Next 2 years: 1 fill up per year

 

[WarmGuy]

I haven’t saved a dime in the twenty-two years I have heated with wood. Only bought wood once in that time

Yes, but you bought 230 cords on that occasion.