Stove already paid for itself in one year

[kyguylal]

Well it's been exactly a year since we got our Englander Madison (2,400sf model).

I looked at our files and we were at 1,250 gallons of oil at this point with the house staying around 62. Coming out to $3,125 in heating oil plus $900 in pellets at this point last year.

Paid $1,500 total for the new stove, hearth pad materials, new chimney, piping, and install. Throw in a few hundred for wood and a new chainsaw. We filled the 275 gallon tank in October and we've burnt through about 100 gallons.

I definitely wont add up how many hours I've spent processing wood, but it's well worth it to keep a 3,600 sf house at 72 in New Hampshire. Luckilly, had a good stash of wood and we have enough set aside for a few years now.

It's become an obsession. Just went out and traded my subaru for a new truck to haul wood. We're a couple of 20-somethings who traded high heating costs for the constant fear of burning our house down and it's been well worth it!

I'm sure some of you pros have saved tens of thousands over oil, electric, and propane costs over the years.

Wanted to thank you all for the help over the past year.

 

[peakbagger]

Congratulations on making the switch. It will get better in two years assuming you get your wood stash built up for a two to three year cycle (or try one of those solar kilns stacks that folks seems to be having great results from).

Nothing personal but wow 1250 gallons of oil?. The local oil dealer is going to have to find a new way to make boat payments Might want to think about getting an energy audit from your utility. You pay for the initial energy audit then if you decide to do the work they rebate the audit cost and pay for 50% of the upgrades. They also audit the contractors work and do post test to prove that the work was done right. Most of its air sealing. I did it and even with what I thought was a tight home it dropped my wood usage by a third. They sprayed the sills, did some boxes around can lights and air sealed the attic ceilings.

Its great you broke even on the switch but the best firewood is the wood you do not need to burn because you reduced you energy use.

 

[kyguylal]

We actually got one done and the consensus was that our house is a nightmare. We have a flat lot on a large lake with no wind blocks. The entire house is built essentially on a partially exposed granite bedrock. It's about 3,600 sf of heating area. Ceilings are 16' tall and we have three walls made entirely of floor to ceiling windows facing the lake. The insulation is actually pretty good, but the wind still sucks the warmth right out.

We also have a 1,200 sf basement which is blasted directly onto the granite bedrock.

We're working on insulating the basement and we've gotten all drafts sealed up.

I'm actually surprised about how little wood we've burnt. Likely about 6 cords for the whole heating season, which is from October through April for us. Our oil furnace is brand new, but the baseboards are inefficient, being mainly below the windows in the house.

 

[peakbagger]

We actually got one done and the consensus was that our house is a nightmare. We have a flat lot on a large lake with no wind blocks. The entire house is built essentially on a partially exposed granite bedrock. It's about 3,600 sf of heating area. Ceilings are 16' tall and we have three walls made entirely of floor to ceiling windows facing the lake. The insulation is actually pretty good, but the wind still sucks the warmth right out.

We also have a 1,200 sf basement which is blasted directly onto the granite bedrock.

We're working on insulating the basement and we've gotten all drafts sealed up.

I'm actually surprised about how little wood we've burnt. Likely about 6 cords for the whole heating season, which is from October through April for us. Our oil furnace is brand new, but the baseboards are inefficient, being mainly below the windows in the house.

Yup that does sound like a challenge to heat. If you are blasted into granite, make sure you have radon test and possibly mitigation put in place. The floor to ceiling windows are killer. Would be nice to retrofit cellular blinds with side tracks into the window openings as it would make big difference.

 

[kyguylal]

Spot on with that. Luckilly, we were good on radon, but we get it tested regularly. The blinds are next on the list. My wife has been on mentors measure the windows to get the blinds made soon. It'll definitely help.

 

[Ludlow]

Wow. Good for you! Follow good burning and maintenance practices and that fear will dissipate. I know several people that burn 24/7 even when away from home.

 

[Gearhead660]

Well it's been exactly a year since we got our Englander Madison (2,400sf model).

I looked at our files and we were at 1,250 gallons of oil at this point with the house staying around 62. Coming out to $3,125 in heating oil plus $900 in pellets at this point last year.

Paid $1,500 total for the new stove, hearth pad materials, new chimney, piping, and install. Throw in a few hundred for wood and a new chainsaw. We filled the 275 gallon tank in October and we've burnt through about 100 gallons.

I definitely wont add up how many hours I've spent processing wood, but it's well worth it to keep a 3,600 sf house at 72 in New Hampshire. Luckilly, had a good stash of wood and we have enough set aside for a few years now.

It's become an obsession. Just went out and traded my subaru for a new truck to haul wood. We're a couple of 20-somethings who traded high heating costs for the constant fear of burning our house down and it's been well worth it!

I'm sure some of you pros have saved tens of thousands over oil, electric, and propane costs over the years.

Wanted to thank you all for the help over the past year.

I don't put a price on time spent processing wood. I think of it as a hobby that pays you back with heat. And think how much you are saving by not paying for a gym membership!

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I don't put a price on time spent processing wood. I think of it as a hobby that pays you back with heat. And think how much you are saving by not paying for a gym membership!

Agreed. If I paid myself a living wage for cutting wood (and splitting, and hauling, and stacking, and building a wood shed, and chainsaw maintenance, and chimney cleaning, and...) I'd bet it would be crazy money to heat our house. You can't put a value on a nice day in the woods with a saw and a splitting axe, though.

Congrats on your success, kyguylal!

 

[Diabel]

Paid $1,500 total for the new stove, hearth pad materials, new chimney, piping, and ....

Paid $1,500 total for the new stove, hearth pad materials, new chimney, piping, and ....[/QUOTE]

all sounds amazing but this ^^^^^ does not make sense to me 1500 for everything?

 

[Ludlow]

I have $2K in mine complete.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Iv done the same but with a coal boiler. Replaced 1200 to 1400 gallons of oil the first yr and paid for the entire boiler the very first year. Last i counted in almost 20 yrs of use, i was over $20000 ahead. With wood im also thousands ahead in my workshop and almost every old house i rehab. Little to no wood processing cost as all the fuel comes out of the old houses. Another savings comes from what i used to spend to dispose of all that old wood.

 

[Diabel]

I have $2K in mine complete.

That is still really good. I believe my total piping was just under 2k

 

[Highbeam]

The OP's stove is a sub 1000$ englander. I own a different model sub 1000$ englander and it's been great. My shop stove install was also very cheap. Total project under 1500$ is very likely and possible.

 

[Chas0218]

Well it's been exactly a year since we got our Englander Madison (2,400sf model).

I looked at our files and we were at 1,250 gallons of oil at this point with the house staying around 62. Coming out to $3,125 in heating oil plus $900 in pellets at this point last year.

Paid $1,500 total for the new stove, hearth pad materials, new chimney, piping, and install. Throw in a few hundred for wood and a new chainsaw. We filled the 275 gallon tank in October and we've burnt through about 100 gallons.

I definitely wont add up how many hours I've spent processing wood, but it's well worth it to keep a 3,600 sf house at 72 in New Hampshire. Luckilly, had a good stash of wood and we have enough set aside for a few years now.

It's become an obsession. Just went out and traded my subaru for a new truck to haul wood. We're a couple of 20-somethings who traded high heating costs for the constant fear of burning our house down and it's been well worth it!

I'm sure some of you pros have saved tens of thousands over oil, electric, and propane costs over the years.

Wanted to thank you all for the help over the past year.

I have the same stove and spent (notice past tense) about the same in Fuel oil. In 1 season I paid for a wood splitter, new saw, all the consumables for them and still came out ahead. It is crazy how much fuel I was going through. Basically 250 gallons every 4 weeks and when I'm heating from Nov 1st to April 31st you're talking 1,625 gallons of fuel oil meaning about $5000 in oil per a year (this is average so more in the colder winters and less in the warmer winters). So yeah I came out way ahead after buying the obvious. I could justify the new tractor I bought if I accounted for all the years of firewood I will be burning. In 4.5 heating seasons the tractor will be paid off. Pretty hard to think of it as more money in your pocket when you buy the tools needed to process the firewood, in the end they will pay for themselves.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

The OP's stove is a sub 1000$ englander. I own a different model sub 1000$ englander and it's been great. My shop stove install was also very cheap. Total project under 1500$ is very likely and possible.

Both of my NC-30s were $700 plus a few lengths of single wall pipe($30) into an existing masonry chimney for the install. 2 stoves installed for $1500.

 

[Chas0218]

Paid $1,500 total for the new stove, hearth pad materials, new chimney, piping, and ....

all sounds amazing but this ^^^^^ does not make sense to me 1500 for everything?
[/QUOTE]
I bought brand new used piping and through wall kit for $300 plus 3 more 3' pieces at $89.99 that puts me at $570 for piping and paid $600 for the stove brand new at %25 end of season sale and my dad's 10% military. So total my stove install was $1170 doing it myself. I had to make a tile pad but ran it from our sliding glass door over to the stove to sit on and store wood on so I'm not counting that. It isn't the most beautiful stove and will likely send it to the new wood shop in a couple years and get a nicer one for the house but we will see.

 

[Ludlow]

That is still really good. I believe my total piping was just under 2k

I have 12' of SPVNT class A
Universal rain cap
Cathedral support
Steep flashing cone/storm collar
Stovepipe adapter
about 4' of Durablack with two adj'b 45's
Stove
Imperial type 2 stove board pad

 

[SpaceBus]

Are you saying that you've already urned six cords for this heating season? I think we have used 2 cords since October and that's including using the wood cookstove since the first week of November.

 

[peakbagger]

I wasn't going to point that out that in theory we are only half way through heating season

The old rule of thumb is a cord is 100 gallons of heating oil. He burned 1200 gallons last year so he may burn 12 cords this year Of course my guess is he has oil fired hot water so there is probably a gallon a day just to keep the water hot unless he has cold start boiler. That much square footage and floor to ceiling glass is lot of potential heat loss.

 

[kyguylal]

Yeah I got the stove dirt cheap, diy hearth, bargain bin duraplus chimney, and some guy off craigslist to install. Very cheap. I think I was like $500 on the stove after discounts and such in the end. The chimney kit was $200, $100 on some tiles, some cheap stove pipe, and then install.

6 cords should get me through the season. Perhaps a bit more or less.

I built a wood shed and have various stacks throughout the property. I'm working on processing my second grapple load right now. Neighbors had an acre of their oak forest cleared and dropped me a bunch.

I love my afternoons cutting and splitting wood. Next up is getting a national forest cordwood permit.

 

[Nigel459]

all sounds amazing but this ^^^^^ does not make sense to me 1500 for everything?

That is still really good. I believe my total piping was just under 2k

Don't forget they are talking in USD... my experience is similar to yours. I recently had a 16' ICC chimney system installed on an outbuilding for around $1500 CAD.

 

[begreen]

Heating a 3600 sq ft house in NH with high ceilings and significant glazing with at 2.5 cu ft stove is impressive. Well done.

We too would be facing $4k heating bills if I didn't change systems in 2006. We had propane forced air and propane prices were skyrocketing locally. Now we have a heat pump and a big wood stove. Average winter heating bill is under $1K with purchased wood. Much less if process scavenged wood, but those days are numbered I think.

Good that you mentioned all the toys and necessities for wood cutting and storage. This can add a lot to the bottom line, but it will save you buying a gym membership as long as your back is happy.

 

[kyguylal]

Heating a 3600 sq ft house in NH with high ceilings and significant glazing with at 2.5 cu ft stove is impressive. Well done.

We too would be facing $4k heating bills if I didn't change systems in 2006. We had propane forced air and propane prices were skyrocketing locally. Now we have a heat pump and a big wood stove. Average winter heating bill is under $1K with purchased wood. Much less if process scavenged wood, but those days are numbered I think.

Good that you mentioned all the toys and necessities for wood cutting and storage. This can add a lot to the bottom line, but it will save you buying a gym membership as long as your back is happy.

A bit less impressive, but it's the larger one with what I believe to be a 3.2 Cf firebox. I really load the thing full too. Built a wood shed and then realized that I should have made it three times the size.

Two chainsaws, few axes and mauls, wedges, safety gear, sooteater, and the like all add up, but they're mainly all one time purchases. Gave me a reason to buy a truck though!

In reality, I keep the stove running 24/7 because the two dogs love it.

 

[begreen]

The Madison 50 SSW01 is the smaller one. The sometimes called "Monroe" 50 SSW02 is the larger of the two. Regardless, heating that volume space in a cold climate with one stove is impressive.

 

[jetsam]

If you asked me if you could heat that house with that stove, I'd say no, because you'd have to burn it so hot that you'd be feeding it every 4 hours in the cold months.

Congratulations on making it this far, but man! That's a lot of loading. Consider a second stove and/or adding a wood boiler/furnace to the existing oil boiler/furnace. The boiler or furnace (depending whether you have hydronic or forced air installed already) is more expensive, but it can use the existing infrastructure to distribute heat throughout the house.