Cord prices falling like dominoes...

[ChoppyChoppy]

We have electric heat but it's not very efficient. For that reason we burn wood for heat and I collect locally and process my own firewood. If I was paying $250-350 / cord that would cost me more than running my electric heat. Sucks that people are having to drop prices I suppose but I'm not apposed to seeing it as that seems really pricy to me for wood.

Actually electric heat is just about 100% efficient. Electricity here is about 0.20/KwHr though, so a cord worth of heat with electric would be about $700.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I'm not in the firewood business either but I do sell firewood as it's a byproduct of my tree service. I burn much of what I bring home and I sell what I have extra. I would never go cut up trees just to turn them into firewood to sell. (not in my market at least)

I sell seasoned, split firewood for $140 a cord picked up at my site. I'll help load. You pick out the wood. This is mostly red and white oak, hickory, gum and whatever other misc hardwoods happened to find there way into the piles. Pine here is burn pile fodder.

Firewood sales have been almost non-existent this season. I've sold about a cord total.
I won't lower my price below $140 to move it because if it doesn't sell, I'll just use it myself.

To show how mild of a "winter" we've been having, It's January and I have yet to light the wood burner in my shop season. I burn "undesirable" wood in that so if it's chilly, I make a fire. Just haven't needed to. Right now, (4pm on Jan 8) it's 50 degrees.

Yeah I could imagine that firewood in Georgia is a bit less of a "need" vs "want" than here in Alaska, although I do have several customers that buy a cord or two of wood just to burn in a firepit outside.

Just the same that here I don't know of anyone that has A/C in their home. Wouldn't get use but maybe a few days a year.

 

[fearofpavement]

Well, usually our winters are much colder than this year. Typically the morning temps this time of year would be about 20 degrees (maybe high teens) but then to about 32 by noon and in the upper 30's by afternoon when it starts to cool again. Usually sunny.
Now this could all change if if the temps get low, people will be calling me. (no one seems to think ahead, lol)
Also, if threatening weather like a forecast ice storm or something occurs, people will want firewood for back up heat.

Temps are mild, heating fuel is cheap, so firewood sales are in the crapper.

 

[muddstopper]

Well, I can see why you're not in the firewood business.

I wouldnt read to much into that. I travel in my work so I dont have time to fool with firewood. In another year and a half, I will retire. I might get into selling wood then just to have something to do. I already own all the equipment I really need. Having the house paid for, and not any other payments, and not really needing the paycheck firewood would provide, I think I can afford to be picky about the people I deal with. I can see where a younger person, young wife, house payments, car payments, doz kids to care for, might have to hussel to make ends meet, been there done that, got the scars and gray hairs to prove it.

 

[redoakneck]

I wouldnt read to much into that. I travel in my work so I dont have time to fool with firewood. In another year and a half, I will retire. I might get into selling wood then just to have something to do. I already own all the equipment I really need. Having the house paid for, and not any other payments, and not really needing the paycheck firewood would provide, I think I can afford to be picky about the people I deal with. I can see where a younger person, young wife, house payments, car payments, doz kids to care for, might have to hussel to make ends meet, been there done that, got the scars and gray hairs to prove it.

Dozen kids???? Sounds like that scar came a little too late!!!!

Just fooling, not trying to be a meanie!!

My buddy has 15 brothers and sisters, no twins, no adoption, same two parents. He is the youngest, I told him he is the reason they finally quit!!

 

[muddstopper]

I count the kids with kids too. Grandbabies almost grown and even have a great grand baby. Kids seem to multiply, old folks just fade away.

 

[fearofpavement]

I don't have any kids with kids. My three are age 21, 22, 23. (Yeah, I know)

My two boys are both in the service so my "crew" is just the wife and me. Limits what we're able to take on regarding tree work...

 

[066blaster]

I used to sell wood just to guarantee a good Christmas for my kids. I've played my cards right over the last 5 or so years and don't need to sell firewood anymore if I don't want to. I still have to provide enough wood to heat mine and my dad's house (8-10 cords). There are a lot of other side businesses that are much easier and more profitable. Why do you think tree services give the wood away. They think firewood guys are nuts. I bought a stump grinder a few years back. Much easier money.

 

[muddstopper]

I think a person needs to set goals early and then decide a path to get there. Nothing wrong with a good days work cutting wood. I know my dad had a very good job. He put half his paycheck in a retirement account. To make up for the money, he cut and sold pulpwood. He would pick my brother and I up after school every day and we would head to the woods with a 1ton flatbed truck. We would cut and load about a cord of 5ft wood, which he would take to the wood yard in the morning on his way to his real job. We cut all day on Sat to make sure we had something to haul during the week. Even after we kids had grown and got married and had our own jobs, we still helped dad cut wood when we werent working trying to raise our own kids. Even after my dad passed away, I still did all kinds of side jobs just for extra funds. I started my own side businees and would work out of town durning the week and then come home and work all weekend doing jobs. These are the things one does to get ahead in life. If you sit around waiting for fortune to land in your lap, you will endup broke and bitter. I have nothing against a person selling firewood on the side, to me it shows a forward thinking person that isnt afraid to get their hands dirty instead of waiting in line for a handout.

 

[playback]

Actually electric heat is just about 100% efficient. Electricity here is about 0.20/KwHr though, so a cord worth of heat with electric would be about $700.

Gotcha. Mine is .083 center per kWh and I metered our usage for a week and it came to be about $60-$70 per week to run out electric heat, that being that much more than running the ac in the summer. Our bill is normally around $170 and it was $220 with the last week heating with electric (and measured it off the panel)

That's about $250-$300/mo more than we would use in the summer, so collecting it myself is the only way I can make it more cost effective for myself.


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[ChoppyChoppy]

Ouch! My power bill at the house is about $60-70 in the winter. Highest I can remember was about $80 when I had a few vehicles plugged in more of that month. Usually use around 300 kwhr.

 

[playback]

Ouch! My power bill at the house is about $60-70 in the winter. Highest I can remember was about $80 when I had a few vehicles plugged in more of that month. Usually use around 300 kwhr.

Wow that's pretty low! How big is your place?

What I meant by efficient was that they are regular electric furnace (upstairs and downstairs units) and aren't heat pumps or anything that is more energy saving/efficient.

Our place is a two story 2600 sq ft brick home, no basement. We live in TN so the winters are more mild than most northerners. My brother lives in MD and his bill is about $750 in the winter with his electric furnace keeping his 3200 sq ft place at 75* [emoji50]




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[square1]

If your cost to process a cord of wood is $105/cord and you can only sell it for $100/cord, you can make more money sitting on the couch. Just sayin'...

You have to use the GM business model from the 80s & 90s. Make up for the small per unit loss by doing higher volume

 

[moondoggie]

still selling bins of firewood here for $60. a bin. (1/4 cord).oak and ash. sold 3 today. some people still hate foreign oil.

Said something similar to a man Thursday when he asked how I was busy

 

[lone wolf]

Ouch! My power bill at the house is about $60-70 in the winter. Highest I can remember was about $80 when I had a few vehicles plugged in more of that month. Usually use around 300 kwhr.

Put the vehicles on a timer that starts say 3 hrs before you start them to save money?

 

[muddstopper]

my power bill dropped from $300 month to around $100. I heat about 2000sqft. I rigged up a heat exchanger for hot water which accounts for about $25 month savings.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Wow that's pretty low! How big is your place?

What I meant by efficient was that they are regular electric furnace (upstairs and downstairs units) and aren't heat pumps or anything that is more energy saving/efficient.

Our place is a two story 2600 sq ft brick home, no basement. We live in TN so the winters are more mild than most northerners. My brother lives in MD and his bill is about $750 in the winter with his electric furnace keeping his 3200 sq ft place at 75* [emoji50]

About 1400sq ft. Average sized 3 bed 2 bath ranch with 2 car garage.
I do have gas for the cook stove, water heater and dryer, that I'm sure helps. Gas bill is from $20-50 a month, depending on time of year (garage is heated with gas)


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[muddstopper]

Valley, I probably have $60 in that heat exchanger I built for my hot water heater. Add one of those to your wood stove and it would pay for itself in a couple of months

 

[muddstopper]

Wonder if cord prices are now rising due to the cold and snow.

 

[jrider]

I've gotten a few calls during this cold from people thinking my prices were too high back in the fall. Oops I'm all sold out I say with a smile. Guess their cheaper wood won't burn.