How much $$$ do you save by burning wood?

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spike60

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Well, it's zero outside right now, and I was just thinking about how much money I'm saving by burning wood. And the more oil costs, the more I'm saving.

I figure that I'll save somewhere around $2500 this winter.

How 'bout you guys?
 
At close to $4 a gallon for heating oil and the previous homeowner used 4 - 275gallon tankfulls a winter to heat this house I figure that I am saving $4000 this year alone in heating oil costs as I anticipate only using about 1/3 of a tank of oil as backup. It is 17 degrees outside right now here in MD yet still 83 in the house. I used just over a half of a tank last year with an inefficient fireplace insert that wouldn't burn past 3am. I have since gotten another insert that will hold a burn for nine hours so when I get up in the am it is still 75+ in the house.
 
I've never heated with anything but wood so my budget doesn't even have a place for heating costs. I do know that I'd have a major lifestyle change if I had to use fossil fuels to stay warm:(
 
I've never heated with anything but wood so my budget doesn't even have a place for heating costs. I do know that I'd have a major lifestyle change if I had to use fossil fuels to stay warm:(
Yup^^^^ same as Corley, I have nothing to base 'savings' on. I do have about 7000w of base-board heater in this place but I'll be !#%&*'d if it ever gets turned on (and not in 6yrs, so there), bottom line is 2&1/2-4 cord a year, depending on how cold, and I burn 7-9months a year, hm, about 6-7 are 24/7.
Just a wee blather fer da night. :)

:cheers:

serge
 
All paid for in the first winter:

Splitter
Saws
ppe
woodfurnace
good smokepipe
rods/brush for chimney

380 gallons of LP in one winter month, we did that once, when LP was $0.98/gal. Just to keep the house at 65*.

Now, plastic on the windows, and 7cords at the ready, costs are now only consumables to aquire the wood
fuel- saw, truck
chains, files, bar oil,
leather gloves

Other benefits: new skills, meet new people, excercise, therapuetic....

There is no heating budget here either, if I got hurt, we'd have to sell.
 
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At close to $4 a gallon for heating oil and the previous homeowner used 4 - 275gallon tankfulls a winter to heat this house I figure that I am saving $4000 this year alone in heating oil costs as I anticipate only using about 1/3 of a tank of oil as backup.

Wow, $4000! Really makes it worth the effort.

My $2500 might be low, as I was figuring around 700 gallons saved @$3.50, which is what it was back in the fall the last time I got filled up. It might be up around $4 now. I'm probably due for a "visit". I'd guess they'd drop between 100 and 150 gallons. I'll still go through about a tank, Sept. to April for hot water and back up when I'm not home. And on nights like tonight, (now it's -2), I'll let it run a bit to keep the system warm.
 
Wow, $4000! Really makes it worth the effort.

My $2500 might be low, as I was figuring around 700 gallons saved @$3.50, which is what it was back in the fall the last time I got filled up. It might be up around $4 now. I'm probably due for a "visit". I'd guess they'd drop between 100 and 150 gallons. I'll still go through about a tank, Sept. to April for hot water and back up when I'm not home. And on nights like tonight, (now it's -2), I'll let it run a bit to keep the system warm.

I think that the previous homeowner like to keep the house on the warm side with the fossil fuel. I topped the tank off in august at 2.50 a gallon two weeks later it went over 3 a gallon. I told the old lady that if she wants the house warm like it is she is going to have to keep the woodstove burning. She has even figured out how to light it on her own now.
 
I don't even know what the price of oil is but if it is at $4.00 a gallon then I'll save around $5500 by using my OWB. Paid for that baby in 2 heating seasons.:clap:
 
Based on my historical average propane useage. At current prices I am saving about 3850 dollars. Now Its costing my something to cut this wood but I doubt much more than 500 bucks. I am saving 3,000 easy. My OWB & 3 heat exchangers, will be paid for after this yr, its third yr.
 
Let's see, in the last two years I saved, erh spent it on 27 saws at one point in time. the bigger spenders included a 5100, 7900, 084 complete rebuild, 066, then a 660, a 372 here and there, a few less dollar saws, and the lastly aquired right before chistmas a 440. Add in the couple reels of chain, all the numerous bars for all those saws, then the chainsaw mill (that really helps with heating costs, when you are cold, go run it for a couple hours and your warm again LOL), spare parts, extra mufflers for modding, bar covers for all those bars, etc, etc, etc.

I could go on for days at how happy I saved so much in heating costs, cutting firewood! lol. :censored: :buttkick:
 
I installed an insert in my fireplace in fall 2006 and my natural gas bill went from $300 a month in the winter to $35 a month. Now I only use the gas for hot water or for heat if we are away. I figure after buying a load of logs to process into firewood and all the incidentals (gas for saws + splitter, bar oil, chains) I still save at least $1300 a year on heat. the best part is we now keep the house at about 70 degrees instead of 64-65 and i don't have to constantly hear "I'm cold" from the wife.
 
I had no idea how much we were saving until I talked to our old neighbor. We moved recently and these figures are for the old house. The houses were almost identical, same size (1300sf) just the floor plans flipped. My neighbors used the central heat/forced air burning propane. They were spending $500-$600 per month on propane and around $150 per month for electricity. We weren't even getting monthly propane deliveries, our monthly propane bill was averaging $50 per month. Electricity was also around $50 per month.

How much we saved per year really depends on how cold and how long the winter lasts. Sometimes its 7.5 months, sometimes only three really cold months. Our wood use varies accordingly, I have used a maximum of 8 cords and minimum of 2.5 cords. Wood cutting has become a family hobby, I take my wife and kids and dog and we make a day of it.

By the way- my neighbor, he now has his son cutting firewood for him. They always had a wood stove but never used it. :clap:

Dok
 
Last year we went through 4 275 gal tanks of heating oil.At current $3.50/gal thats about $3850. We put in a SMALL Frontiersman woodstove and double wall dura-last stainless chimney this year.I'd say we're under 50 gallons of fuel oil so far.The stove doesn't burn through the night so unless we get up and refill it the furnace comes on.It's -4 degrees right now so I stayed up late to keep it going longer.I plan to get a bigger stove for next year so it'll burn through the night.Since I'm in the tree business I get the wood for free I just have to cut and split it.I think we can do the winter on one 275 gal tank of oil so that will save us about $2900. this winter.
 
10,000 the first year, now I don't know what the savings
would be. The 10,000 is estimate for a new heat and air unit
wiring and duct to install and operating cost for the first year.
I bought my old wood furnace for two hundred dollars and did
not even have a use for it for 8 years. Two years ago I installed
it and will never look back, nothing like central wood heat owb
mess outside heats all nite I love it.
 
We save $300-400 a month in electric bills in fall/winter months. $2,000 a year I guess? The OWB was $7,000 installed. 4 year payoff w/chainsaw gas, etc. 3 years into it now. And we stay far warmer than 68/65 setting before. Now its 70/68. Money plus comfort. And we burn free wood here... all we need.

Psssssst! It grows on trees.
 
I'm saving around $8500 a year with my central boiler. I'm heating 2 houses and my garage, which are all in the 2100sq ft range. This is my third year on the central 5648 and I'd have to say it's well over paid for itself! I look back when I bought it and finished the install......I had around 11k in the whole deal. Wow! I thought to myself, It's gonna take six years for this thing to pay it's own way....Not!:clap: I burn 14-16 full cord from Oct-June I still have people tell me that's a crazy amount of wood?!?!?! All I can do is laugh at em:hmm3grin2orange:
 
Let's see, in the last two years I saved, erh spent it on 27 saws at one point in time. the bigger spenders included a 5100, 7900, 084 complete rebuild, 066, then a 660, a 372 here and there, a few less dollar saws, and the lastly aquired right before chistmas a 440. Add in the couple reels of chain, all the numerous bars for all those saws, then the chainsaw mill (that really helps with heating costs, when you are cold, go run it for a couple hours and your warm again LOL), spare parts, extra mufflers for modding, bar covers for all those bars, etc, etc, etc.

I could go on for days at how happy I saved so much in heating costs, cutting firewood! lol. :censored: :buttkick:

Hold on a minute Steve, you're not going about this the right way.

Proper accounting procedure is that only one saw, say one of your 372's, is designated the official firewood saw. The value of that saw is then added to the heating cost column.

All other saws are considered hobby/recreational items and have no bearing what so ever on the heating equation. No more than would a new dining room set, 75 pairs of shoes, etc.
 
:clap: It use to cost me about $2000 a season to keep the house at 65,my last propane fill was in Nov of 2006.Now the house is a nice 74 degrees,I get my wood free minus the gas in the truck,saw and splitter.

This is my 3rd season with the OWB and it just about paid for itself at the end of last season,I figure by the end of this season it will have paid for the splitter as well. :givebeer:
 
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