wow! just figured out how much oil we're saving!

[joustinghill]

My husband, who is a utter geek but also a genius, just did the calculations to figure out how much oil we're not burning by running the stove instead.

First, our setup: we have an Avalon 996E (1.7cf firebox) installed partially inside of an existing fireplace in a large kitchen/dining room on the first floor. There are 3 other rooms on the first floor, one of which is a finished porch and has no other source of heat. There are also 2 bedrooms on the second floor, for a total of about 2400sf. We're burning good dry wood, but we're both novices. The furnace is set to 65 on both floors so it'll kick in if the stove ain't doing the job. The furnace also supplies all the hot water for the house and with a teenager and a toddler we use a LOT of hot water.

Second, the calculation method:

Last winter, we had an oil delivery on 12/16/2007, and then one for 244.8 gallons on 1/19/2008 for 244.8 gallons. During that time, there were 1209.2 heating degree days (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heating_degree_day). He got the heating degree days from here: http://www.degreedays.net/ We used 0.202 gallons of oil per heating degree day last winter.

This winter, we had an oil delivery on 12/9/2008, and then one on 1/20/2009 for 139.0 gallons. During that time there were 1806 heating degree days. This winter we used 0.077 gallons of oil per heating degree day.

Results:
That's about a 62% reduction in the amount of oil used per heating degree day. I'm sure that's nothing compared to what you pros and diehards are getting, but I'm delighted. I figured that between the small size of our stove, the size of the house, and our newbie-ness we'd be lucky to replace 40% of our oil usage with wood so 62% sounds great to me!

 

[struggle]

Thumbs Up on that.

It only gets worse though with figuring this stuff out as now you will have to slip this into conversations with family members and neighbors and so on. Before you know it you will hardly be able to not let any know of this great resource for heating.

 

[RedRanger]

No doubt you will save tonnes of loot and be more comfy with the wood heat--just like we are. But don`t discount the brat with the tar sands? Get used to optomizing your source of heat to max out the savings and give you the most comfort.

Ie--use one or the other--or both together sometimes to make the best of effieciency.

Oh, yes, other factors come into play here as well. Shoulder seasons, max and min temps, desired comfort levels, etc.

I do know that in the winter when it gets cold-- we migrate to the downstairs where the wood-insert is churning out the heat..

But sometimes, specially in the PNW, just burning wood to try and heat the entire house is not as practical as turning on the old boiler for an hour or so. So much depends on the climate that you are forced to live in??

 

[edthedawg]

71% (calculated) reduction in oil consumption here, and i'm a Class 1, Grade-A Newbie too. Costs haven't quite balanced out yet, but we did it primarily for the oil reduction and the independence from electricity in power-out situations.

 

[savageactor7]

Sweet!...a 62% reduction is quite good and it will only get better over time as you get more experience. Many overlook the multiplication effect over a 5 or 10 years period of time...if budgeted correctly it's significant enough to pare down the mortgage.

 

[Stevebass4]

feels great huh. i've done the same from last year and this year i just track usage, price, days from last fill up and this gives me my daily usage in a nice spreadsheet -

anyway the oil man came around the 5th - toped off at 60 gallons so it equaled .9 gallons a day since Nov 11th (down from 1.9). when i dropped off the check he said wow you don't use very much oil anymore. I smiled and said nope but using a LOT of firewood

 

[firefighterjake]

I haven't done any calculations, but I know I'm not using nearly as much oil as last year . . . even though honestly we have never used a lot (580 gallons last year). This year we started out at 3/4 on the oil tank and this past weekend when I checked it was between 1/2 and 3/4 . . . which made me quite happy since while we have been running the woodstove more than I originally thought (i.e. more than just weekends and evenings) we also haven't been a slave to the woodstove and if and when the fire has died if we've been away or have just been plain lazy the oil boiler has kicked on (set to 60 degrees) and I haven't felt guilty . . . or at least guilty enough to wake up during the night to restoke the stove.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Last year we spent $3300 in heating oil. Which was about 1200 gallons.

This year we have gone through 250 gallons so far. Totaling just over $600. Based on our usage per month last year and what we are using this year I think we will end up burning about 600 gallons with a price estimate of $1400...unless oil spikes all of a sudden. Which means we cut our oil consumption in half.

Unfortunately we really didn't save any money this year, and in fact spent far more than ever if you factor in installation and the stove, plus wood. And on top of that our old furnace finally died and we are replacing it with a high efficiency direct vent boiler which is another 5 grand.

And then there is the 3 grand for the stove insert and installation come spring.

But after all that, I will start to feel the savings........yippy.

 

[joustinghill]

Unfortunately we really didn't save any money this year, and in fact spent far more than ever if you factor in installation and the stove, plus wood. And on top of that our old furnace finally died and we are replacing it with a high efficiency direct vent boiler which is another 5 grand.

That's why we calculated it as gallons of oil saved, not dollars. If oil had stayed at $4.85 per gallon, we'd be just breaking even this year with the cost of the install and the second-hand stove. Since oil is $2.36, we're definitely not breaking even yet, but should by the middle of next winter.

 

[Summertime]

I have only burned 1/8 tank of oil so far this year (330 gallon tank) On top of that I switched to a tankless LP water heater where I used to have an electric tank energy glut, saves me over $60 each month in my electric bill.

 

[iceman]

ahhhh i burned over 100 gallons so far but i have set my therm between 66-68 (programable) so apparently it has been running more than i thought .. but my basement is over 1000 sq ft and oil is my only source down there until i get another stove.. i think i have burned as much oil already as i did the entire season last year... oh well i was colder last year as i turned the other zones off ... this year some wood is really seasoned and some is not... next year though should be much better !!

 

[lexybird]

I bought my Englander addon furnace in late October ,never used a drop of oil yet since,i have figured i have saved roughly 1,300$ so far this heating season in fuel oil , funny thing is the stove with a 10% off at home dpot cost me 1,250 so in just a few months it already paid for itself ,granted theres wood cost to be figured but that wasnt much and it could have been free if i wasnt so lazy lol

 

[Rich_CT]

I've been tracking my oil deliveries since 2007.

In calendar year 2007, I had 1,325 gallons of oil delivered.

Quad 3100i insert installed at the end of Feb 2008.

In calendar year 2008, I had 727 gallons of oil delivered. Reduced my consumption by almost 600 gallons... not too shabby.

Rich

 

[BroadCove]

Thanks for the tip in using degree days to calculate the change in oil consumption. I just checked mine, and my oil consumption this year is down 25%. That might not sound like much, but I have one fireplace insert (Hearthstone Clydesdale) for a 3-story, 4400 sq. ft. house (not including the basement). And, more importantly, the downstairs is a much more comfortable place this year, with the temps around 68-70 (rather than the 60 I set the thermostats at). All in all, I'm quite happy. The only glitch is that I didn't cut enough wood last year and will likely run out of my seasoned stock by mid February. I won't be making that mistake again!

 

[jpl1nh]

Just for fun, ask your husband to calculate the CO2 savings of using current carbon dioxide vs the stored coarbon dioxide of fossil fules. It is another great benefit of burning wood for your heat.

 

[MontanaBob]

Congrats.... I wish we installed out wood burner years ago.

We are experiencing about the same 62% reduction in our Propane usage. Forest Service permits are $5 per chord and we are 1/2 mile from wood source so cost of wood is mostly sweat equity. We estimate close to $1,000 savings this year. Problem is, the extra cash has me eyeing a new chainsaw...... Now for the cool part, State of Montana is giving us a $1,000 tax credit carried up to 4 years for cost of EPA certified stove including installation. Stove and pipe plus install ends up free.

 

[Rich M]

We reduced our fuel oil by 90% but the oil is only used for occasional forced air heat and we burn 5+ cord of hardwood every year. The wild price spikes in fuel oil last year (and the year before) quickly paid off all our equipment.