aokpops: We also have a ground source heat pump.
And consequently have had very few wood stove fires to date inside.
We get enery reports saying our consumption is high compared to the 'average' consumer, but our home is 100% electric.
$250./month, or $8.00/day from mid Nov. to mid Dec. Our other monthly bills are phone/internet and garbage/recycling.
We have been burning, nights mostly, to heat an out building since early Nov. Once the concrete is warm it's not hard to keep up. Up till now we're still burning seasoned pallets of junk wood from last years processing, about two cord total. Since Christmas it's full time burning ,and enough junk wood for another week. Then to the wood shed for the good stuff, and for sure, steady burns inside as well now that winter has settled in southwest Michigan. If it was just about money, we would not be burning firewood. If I sold every cord of good wood we will burn this winter it would easily be a wash and then some for Jan./Feb/and half of March.
We do it because we enjoy it!
We have had a heat pump for 25 years. The past five years natural gas has become available and is a cost efficient option. We were going to do a whole house back up generator last spring, run on natural gas. A couple things changed that, and we never did the install and did not run the service line from the road.
If our electric goes out we have a small generator to cover the pump for the well and refrigeration, and seasoned wood for heat.
