Mid Winter Update

[Zack R]

Its been a mild winter compared to last and I'm pleased to say that my fear of running out of wood will go unfounded. I started with five cords of wood (all pine) and have at least two left to finish out the winter. The recently mild temps have shaved my wood usage in a big way.

This is my first year with the wood stove and I've been very impressed with not only the ambiance and comfort it provides but the electricity savings as well. Never before would I lounge around wearing a t shirt in 75F temperatures when it was 20F outside.

I received an email from my Honeywell thermostat this morning showing the furnace run times and its a stark difference compared to last January. I almost never run the furnace these days, and when I do its because we are out of town. On the coldest months last year the electric bill was around $300. Now I'm barely breaking the $100 mark and thats with my wife and little one home during the day using more lights, etc..

 

[brazilbl]

My experience is extremely similar to yours. After the winter I vowed that I would put in a wood stove in. Purchased and had it installed at the end of October 2017. From the first time I fired up the wood stove that night till now, I have not needed to use the Central heat at all. Looking at energy bills from last year, I've calculated that the energy savings will repay the initial wood stove purchase/installation in approximately 2 years!

I remember vividly during the first week of wood stove burning, encamped in front of the fire, temperature around 80 and I'm wandering around in t-shirt basking in the warmth all the while having my front and back door wide open (as it was too warm for my wife, so she opened the doors.)

Knowing that I can heat my home for my family without being terrorized by the utility bill is a blessing that I thank God frequently for this. Having Hearth.com as a resource has been so instrumental in helping me during my learning process.

Four months in and no regrets!

 

[coutufr]

For the last two months I used around 300$ worth of electricity. I need to heat the basement with electric strips and 1 room upstairs. It has been very cold with an average temperature of -10C

 

[KodiakII]

Op, what thermostat do you have? I am interested in upgrading to a "smart" one.

 

[coutufr]

I have the Nest 3rd generation. They replaced it 2 times under warranty. When it doesn’t break I find it very good but it may not be the best on the market right now

 

[KodiakII]

Thanks, I was considering one of them.

 

[peakbagger]

I guess you folks out west got the warm winter as out east it sure wasn't. My normal wood shed is just about empty and I have burned up a big chunk of my surplus solar power generation that I use to run my mini split heat pump.

Still since its your first year burning it was probably a good winter to get your system dialed in. Just make sure you realize it may have been a mild winter so you may want to bump up your wood supply for an inevitable "normal winter".

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Congratulations on cutting your energy usage. I enjoyed seeing your record of the run time on your furnace.

You mentioned that it was a mild winter, and Peakbagger had a good point about putting in more of a wood supply for a harder one. Having two cords left over this year is an excellent start.

I just wanted to suggest that you compare your heating degree day totals to your furnace usage to give you the most accurate idea of what you’re really saving. I just did a quick history on weather underground for Bend Municipal Airport, and it gave 1300+ HDD for Jan 2017 versus 800+ for Jan 2018.

Our family just did a major relocation from Virginia to Texas at the end of the summer, and every month we’ve been here someone has told me that we’re not having normal weather. It was cooler in September, warmer in October and November, snowed in December (that’s major!), lower sustained temperatures in January ... Sure enough, when I’ve checked the weather history, they’ve been right.

Today’s we’ve got what the Texans call a “norther” blowing. It’s gray and not supposed to go above 40 degrees. I definitely miss my woodstove.