The Economics of Burning Wood

[Max W]

Thanks. It's a rough guess. There are no inputs for house size or unit efficiency. Still, it shows we are at the bottom tiers of heating costs. And it isn't far off for the worst case scenario here which would be the propane furnace I took out before installing the heat pump.

Yes, it doesn’t account for a lot of things but is helpful in that general way. I did inputs for wood and electric costs, 275 / cord, up $55 from my last purchase, and .32 cents which includes kwh rate and a separate delivery charge. Electric costs are high in our area and have been going up and up. I was surprised to see according their calculations and my wood and electric cost numbers if a (our?) mini split was our only heat source we would be paying more than twice what we would with the wood stove. By using the heat pump more at warmer temps when it is more efficient, that wood to heat pump cost ratio wouldn’t hold. I have been using the heat pump a lot more this year with the mild temps.

EM uses 350/ cord and calculates a seasons cost at $1717. Looks like they are basing their list and graph figures on a houses that would require 5 cord or the equivalent btu’s for the season.

 

[Hwkmn05]

This Efficiency Maine comparison graph uses it’s reported figures but on site you can put in your own. They figure wood at $350 / cord. Of course no additional costs are listed for any heat source but it‘s a starting point for a general commparison.

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If I was a young man Id be considering Geothermal, however still cost prohibitive in colder climates. The pay back is subjective but I would guess 10 plus years depending on type and heating needs. For me now firewood is easy and affordable with the only labor of stacking and delivering to my porch a few times per winter with a tractor. My German oil boiler is much more efficient than this graph tho not for house water. And when I purchased Heat pumps I had no idea how efficient they were, but proving better than a pellet. In temps above 15 F my 3 HPs running 24/7 cost less than $150 per month. Oil bill is 3 times that now. Best combo for myself is firewood in main house and HPs in secondary for 2200 sq ft total.

 

[Ashful]

But… wood is free!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Im way ahead.. my stove and complete install was 5k.. all my wood is free.. my splitter cost me 1k and my saws I bought on pro days so im in for 1k in saws.. in 10 years ill be 28 to 30k of savings not purchasing oil.. my time is free and I got some gas and diesel here and there

The time with my kid hanging out with me in the woods is priceless.. Hes 14 now driving around the woods in the machine.. and now using his saw.. we will walk back to the truck and take a break after 3 hours or so.. Ill bust out the hot coco.. he packes the meat and cheese platter.. will just sit there for 30 minutes and just hang out.. Im a rich man.. no doubt..

 

[Rusty18]

The first time your power is out for a week in freezing weather you need to factor in the cost (avoided) of replacing all your busted pipes…

 

[Ashful]

The first time your power is out for a week in freezing weather you need to factor in the cost (avoided) of replacing all your busted pipes…

Maybe. A wood stove one floor removed and 80 feet laterally from my boiler room might not be the biggest factor in whether or not my pipes freeze.

Also, it doesn't take much of a portable generator to back-feed an oil-fired, propane, or gas furnace. Figure typical draw well under 1000 watts.

 

[Rusty18]

Maybe. A wood stove one floor removed and 80 feet laterally from my boiler room might not be the biggest factor in whether or not my pipes freeze.

Also, it doesn't take much of a portable generator to back-feed an oil-fired, propane, or gas furnace. Figure typical draw well under 1000 watts.

So what I’m hearing is you need two wood stoves?

I know what you’re saying, it’s just nice to have backups for the backups.

 

[Ashful]

So what I’m hearing is you need two wood stoves?

I know what you’re saying, it’s just nice to have backups for the backups.

Hah... hadn't meant that, but I do have two!

Actually thinking of putting in a whole-house generator soon, too. The stoves keep the place warm enough overnight, but we have to back-feed a generator to power our well pump and lighting, and it's a very inconvenient manual setup. It's not something I want my wife and kids to have to deal with, if someday I'm not here.

 

[Rusty18]

Hah... hadn't meant that, but I do have two!

Actually thinking of putting in a whole-house generator soon, too. The stoves keep the place warm enough overnight, but we have to back-feed a generator to power our well pump and lighting, and it's a very inconvenient manual setup. It's not something I want my wife and kids to have to deal with, if someday I'm not here.

Warning link is completely off topic from wood burning but since you mentioned the wife and kids doing stuff…just leave written instructions. Watch the video and you’ll understand. Any sop/instructions written at work now references this video.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Hah... hadn't meant that, but I do have two!

Actually thinking of putting in a whole-house generator soon, too. The stoves keep the place warm enough overnight, but we have to back-feed a generator to power our well pump and lighting, and it's a very inconvenient manual setup. It's not something I want my wife and kids to have to deal with, if someday I'm not here.

If your thinking of really doing this.. PM me