Do I need a wood stove/fireplace?

[Richard Pryor]

I'm building a new house. We currently live in a shop that has a wood stove and is great. If the world ends we can relocate here and get warm during winter. We have 20 acres.

But in our new house we are getting a very efficient heat pump.

The cost of wood here is not cheap (around $220/cord). The cost of electricity is cheap ($0.075/Kw).

Would you get a wood stove anyway? Wood burning heat is nice!

 

[Sodbuster]

I'm building a new house. We currently live in a shop that has a wood stove and is great. If the world ends we can relocate here and get warm during winter. We have 20 acres.

But in our new house we are getting a very efficient heat pump.

The cost of wood here is not cheap (around $220/cord). The cost of electricity is cheap ($0.075/Kw).

Would you get a wood stove anyway? Wood burning heat is nice!

A wood stove is nice because it will keep you warm, no matter what happens in the world. In every day life does a wood stove make sense with a high efficiency heat pump and purchasing all your wood, no.

 

[shortys7777]

20 acres. You'd never have to buy wood.

 

[Sodbuster]

20 acres. You'd never have to buy wood.

I assumed that if he mentioned buying wood he was unable or not willing to cut his own.

 

[Knots]

I use wood fairly regularly (maybe 90% Dec-Apr), but not exclusively, for heat right now. That said, I place high value on it as an insurance policy when we get bad storms and it's below freezing. I don't want to (or may not be able to) leave the house then. With the stove, I can keep the pipes from freezing without any electricity and be comfortable and even heat up some food or water.

So, even when I get too old to get wood myself, I'll always have a wood stove and at least a few weeks worth of wood on hand for emergencies.

A metal chimney doesn't take up too much space and is a relatively small penetration through the roof. Just a thought...

 

[jetsam]

I wouldn't have a wood stove if I was buying wood.

20 acres is probably enough to just cut dead stuff for a couple years, and by then maybe you'll know a neighbor with a woodlot, or hook up with a tree service who needs to empty some trucks. It's definitely enough space to process and stack out some wood.

That's more fun than it sounds, because now you need to cut a trail to the woodlot, have a utv/trailer to haul the wood back, etc etc. You can justify many toys in the name of heating the house. It works oh so well if your wife enjoys being toasty warm in the winter.

 

[joshuaboston]

Regardless of how much wood you use... having a fireplace or wood stove ADDS VALUE to your home.

When it is time to sell, you will be happy that you have the wood stove amenity.

About cost of electric....
It sounds very low, did you include the destination charge... our electric is split between cost of the electricity... about 10 cents and the cost to get it to our house around 8 cents.

Electric prices WILL increase (you know it). These greedy companies will always increase there price to you. Theses companies control the electric market. BUT any Joe can cut down a tree split the wood and season it.... basically while the price of wood will go up... it is at least controlled by the market and not controlled by one company in your area.

 

[barnaclebob]

You don't need a wood stove and neither do I. My gas bill is $160 a month for the coldest 3 months of winter, $30 in summer. At best I will break even on the cost of wood and the wood stove is more work. I'll probably never recover the money for the stove and chimney install.

However, in the short time I've had to burn my stove I can tell you the heat is better and your house will be warmer than with central heat, at least in the rooms where the stove heat can get to. The stove looks great and will make my wife and I happy for a long time.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

If your building a home, then the wood stove is a great option. The benefit you have over most others is that you can design a floor plan that gets the most out of the wood stove installation. Lots of people on here looking to move heat or has heat trapped in one room.. any issue can be solved now creating the best possible experience. My home was renovated 3 years ago, we added to our home and made changes to the floor plan. Heat flows through our house effortlessly. If you have 20 acres... you have all the free heat you'll need or want.. i burn as my primary heat source, that dosent include the 2 other heat sources if i choose not to burn.. i put my stove in thinking i was going to be an occasional, or weekend burner. I was wrong, im an every day burner because the heat is so good, my stove runs for 10 hours and im not a slave to my stove or heating needs.

 

[robj80]

My old house I wanted a wood stove but put it off. It was a luxury in that house since I never lost power. My new house in a rural area now seems to lose it often and not like for an hour. Losing power in the middle of winter forced the family to go stay with family and me fighting freezing pipes. While I plan on getting a generator large enough to run the HVAC that is way down the road. An insert in my current masonry fireplace should be able to keep the house warm on it's own. We run a small generator for the fridge, TV, couple of lights and charging phones. I will plug the blower to the insert in that as well.

I should add that wood right now is abundant and free in my area. We had a tornado so everyone has wood and is trying to give it away. This is really a bonus for me. Not to my porch steps a tree took out during the tornado LOL. Propane gets expensive in the winter. Even with the HVAC working I'd like to get a few btu's from free wood.

 

[begreen]

We have a good heat pump and a wood stove and in recent years have started buying wood. Your wood price and electrical price is less than ours. The reason for the wood stove is for backup heat during power outages which can be frequent here and sometimes very long. Second reason is that our heat pump is not the latest and greatest. Though it was excellent when installed (2006) new inverter units are much more efficient. Our heat pump starts getting anemic when the temperature falls below freezing. Cut out temp is set to 25º. The third reason is that we are getting older and it's hard to replace the bone warming heat of a wood stove. The fourth reason is that we love the look of a good fire. That said, our realtor friend said that in general a wood stove does not add to the value of the home. Many buyers see it as a liability and a hassle. It may help saleability though in a rural area like ours. A nice, well made fireplace on the other hand can add value.

For new construction you might consider installing a high-efficiency ZC fireplace which can heat the place in a power outage and have the romantic charm of a fireplace. If it has gravity vents then it will heat the area reasonably well. Caveat being cathedral ceilings which are heat traps and need mechanical means to help move hot air that will pocket near the peak.

 

[Rickb]

Regardless of how much wood you use... having a fireplace or wood stove ADDS VALUE to your home.

When it is time to sell, you will be happy that you have the wood stove amenity.

About cost of electric....
It sounds very low, did you include the destination charge... our electric is split between cost of the electricity... about 10 cents and the cost to get it to our house around 8 cents.

Electric prices WILL increase (you know it). These greedy companies will always increase there price to you. Theses companies control the electric market. BUT any Joe can cut down a tree split the wood and season it.... basically while the price of wood will go up... it is at least controlled by the market and not controlled by one company in your area.

I thought we had a thread on this a while back and the consensus was a wood stove installed actually lowers the value of your home for resale.

 

[jetsam]

Regardless of how much wood you use... having a fireplace or wood stove ADDS VALUE to your home.

When it is time to sell, you will be happy that you have the wood stove amenity.

About cost of electric....
It sounds very low, did you include the destination charge... our electric is split between cost of the electricity... about 10 cents and the cost to get it to our house around 8 cents.

Electric prices WILL increase (you know it). These greedy companies will always increase there price to you. Theses companies control the electric market. BUT any Joe can cut down a tree split the wood and season it.... basically while the price of wood will go up... it is at least controlled by the market and not controlled by one company in your area.

Actually, I plan to pull out the wood stove before I sell. It is locally extremely well known that "If You Have A Wood Stove Your House Will Burn Down". Open fireplaces are apparently very safe. (Don't ask me, I don't get it either.)

Bottom line is that to the locals, a wood stove is extremely dangerous and would cost thousands of dollars to remove since they would need to (in the local vernacular) Have A Guy Do It. I've had a couple realtors tell me that the insert should go before showing.

 

[weatherguy]

I thought we had a thread on this a while back and the consensus was a wood stove installed actually lowers the value of your home for resale.

Not sure it lowers it but it doesnt add value. I guess it depends on the area but I'm an appraiser in New England and that's my experience in my market.

 

[Pertzbro]

You're electricity is sooooooooooo cheap!

I'd put a woodstove in solely for the purpose of ambiance. Nothing can beat wood heat. Nothing can beat watching flames dance around.

My electricity price:

Propane around here however is the lowest in the nation.

 

[weatherguy]

You're electricity is sooooooooooo cheap!

I'd put a woodstove in solely for the purpose of ambiance. Nothing can beat wood heat. Nothing can beat watching flames dance around.

My electricity price:

View attachment 231261

Propane around here however is the lowest in the nation.

That's what ours is here per kWh, wonder why its half price there?

 

[Pertzbro]

That's what ours is here per kWh, wonder why its half price there?

Oregon = nuclear + Hydro?

Iowa = coal and windmills?

Actually my power company doesn't have any production, they buy it on the market and then mark it up for transmission and upkeep costs...

I'm on rural power from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchstone_Energy