A little analysis if you guys don't mind a thread hyjack...
Last year I locked in at 2.40/gallon and the oil supplier estimated from 3 previous years that I'd use 1000 gallons.
so easy math. 2400 bucks in oil would have been used for heat and hot water.
The insert cost around 1500, the liner about 450, and the balance of the hearth work to completely rebuild the hearth (tile, cement board, mantle materials etc was about 450.
so for a total of around 3200 bucks for heat and hot water.
So, an expensive year. But last year was certainly the year to do it. It was a mild winter and I didn't burn wood until after thanksgiving. This year, I've burned already, and the furnace has not come on at all except for hot water, and I plan to keep it that way. From last years experience, the stove would keep up the house temps until the outside temp fell below 10 or slightly lower, but that was with almost no basement insulation and failing insulation under my kitchen/diningroom crawl space. All that has been corrected this summer, so I don't think the house has any remaining super weak spots. I've plugged them all.
So, if you purchase the stove, it WILL be an expensive year, BUT...as you said, you get to keep it and then laugh at the oil company when they come to fill the tank in January only to put 50 gallons in. As their filling the tank, the guy will certainly notice the big honkin pile of wood and will wonder no more.
Oh....I almost forgot to mention. If I were using oil to heat the house, the house temp would be no higher than 70. That's what we kept it at all previous years.
Last year, the kitchen temp hovered around 72 and the livingroom was 76 minimum. My wife was VERY happy about that!!
My bonus...I got to hang outside, split wood and drink beer. Ahhhh very nice.
Enjoy that first fire..... It's the sweetest of the year
!!
