jasert39 said:
Thanks for the replies, to answers a few questions by the first response - I would love to burn 24/7 and keep the house about 68 (i keep it 65 with the electric baseboards now), house is a well insulated ranch (approx. 1500 sq. feet that the insert could heat) with the fireplace located in the center of the house on an inside wall. - I'd love some options and suggestions as to what models I should check out. Locally I have seen the Clydesdale, Harman but certianly other models are available. The salesman kind of swayed me towards in Clydesdale if I had to choose today, I like the cast iron and soapstone line box but please tell me if I am wrong, haha.
I was just trying to get a ballpark to start with just to factor future costs, we have gone out looking but certainly haven't made up our minds at this point. This season I will still get my heating discount from the electric company so this project is more of a provision for next winter in reality.
Your setup is actually not so much different from mine: raised ranch, PE Super insert in almost centrally located fireplace upstairs (1200 sqft), moderate insulation (still working on it); living room usually ~72 F, bedrooms in the back ~67-68. The PE Super is a medium size insert similar to the Clydesdale. It heats the upstairs well although we use electric baseboards in the bedrooms to keep temp above 66 late at night. If your house is well insulated a medium size insert (~2.5 cu. ft firebox) may be enough if you do not mind to occasionally supplement with some electric heat. However, you will probably be at the upper limit what you can heat comfortably with it. If you are thinking to fully convert to wood heat I would look at something larger (3 to 3.5 cu ft firebox). You can always build smaller fires in a large stove but not vice versa. Regarding your wood usage I would guess:
medium insert, occasional electric heat: ~3 cords
large insert, sole heat source: ~4, maybe 5 cords
In any case: Get your wood now, split and stack it and it will be good for next winter. And take your time picking a stove; you can learn a lot here and there may be some nice discounts in the spring.
P.S. It is addictive.