Famous Annual "How Much Wood Heat Do I Use" Poll

[rmount]

#2

95% wood with propane furnace back-up. Pacific Energy "Alderlea" in the living room keeps our well insulated, 100+ year old farmhouse cozy. Mid-November to mid-April we burn 24/7. On really cold mornings I use the propane for 15 minutes or so to take the chill off while I feed the fire. Spring and fall it gets used occasionally. Cut all our own wood from our property.

 

[russhd1997]

#1.5 for me. I have an OWB that is the heat source for the heat and hot water in my house and my daughters house too. I scrounge what I can and cut the rest on my 69 acres. I use 20 to 25 cords of wood per year mostly because of junk wood. The OWB runs 24-7, 365 days a year, +1 on leap years. Both houses have forced hot water oil fired boilers but neither has been used in 3 years.

 

[Rudedog]

2.5....... I scrounge and cut my own wood and for friends. We burn 24/7 about three cords with a forced air oil furnace set at 64 degrees in case we end up away from home too long. I have birds and Marine fish so I can't let the temp get too awful low if we decide to drink some beers after the hockey game.

 

[gugge]

We burn 3 cords in Jotul. We are probaly 60 to 70% wood. Have a boiler with the pipes in a crawl space so I like to run it for awhile to keep them from freezing. Scrounge wood and bring pallets from work

 

[howard270]

I am usually about a 2. But tomorrow we are moving into a new house and I will put an insert into the mason fireplace and can hopefully remain a 2 or 1.75. The only time I use the central is when gone for extended periods and don't want to get frozen pipes. Or if the wife's grandparents stay with us and want it warmed up now, I will crank up the central to their desired temperature, shut it off and maintain the heat with the insert.

 

[olyman]

100% wood heat..nat gas backup...only if gone for day or so...after tearing off the old 4" cedar siding,,and putting on 3/4 pink foam,new vinyl siding,,and all new windows,, we may not burn much at all..last year,the air cond would run for 10-12 minutes,,shut off 5,,and hit again. in hot weather. after what we did,,the air, this year, would only hit once a hour!!!!!!!! have 10 cords of dried ash,and hard maple, may only burn about 3 cords!!! and used to burn about 9.5 cords in a winter!!! scrounge all own wood,,and split also,,no hire at all...

 

[sw18x]

Closest to #2, I guess?

Bought our first house in March and it has an outdoor burner that heats house and 4 car garage. There is also a gas boiler too, but the way it was explained to me, as long as we keep the water temp up with the OWB, the gas shouldn't really kick on at all. I plan on burning November - March, April too if we don't run out of wood. My only experience with it so far was the first week we moved in. The previous owners had sold all remaining wood and the fire had been out for a week, so the pipes froze and we had no hot water at all ( no flow whatsoever, shower, sink, nothing) until we fired it back up and thawed things out. I spent the next week conserving a small pile of wood my buddy dropped off - maybe 1/4 cord or less - plus some pallets they left behind. After that, the weather broke, and the wood hunt began. Spent most of the spring building two wood racks, 10X6X5 and 20X12X8. Before this past April, I'd never even picked up a chainsaw and couldn't tell you difference between locust and pine. 5 months later, I've got 30+ facecords layed up, not a penny spent on it except the price of the chainsaw, gas, and a lot of sweat and labor. A lot of it came the hard way in the beginning, but I've hooked up with a tree service and things look good for now. Also found a company with unlimited pallets, makes real nice kindling and that stuff seems to burn real hot.

Never thought something that was so much work could be so much fun - can't wait for the big payoff when we light up here next month for our first season.

 

[AIM]

#1
Haven't used any propane in 2 years. I plan to keep it that way.
I've bought a load or two in the past and likely will again but 99.9% I cut myself.

 

[zogger]

Good insulation

100% wood with a propane furnace for backup. I turn it on a couple times just to make sure it's still functioning.

I go through 3 cord or so a year.
I scrounge my wood, but have bought log length in the past.

You must have some pretty decent insulation and windows, and / or a small home. Three cords is a teeny amount for most folks in Maine.

 

[zogger]

Well, good for you!

Closest to #2, I guess?

Bought our first house in March and it has an outdoor burner that heats house and 4 car garage. There is also a gas boiler too, but the way it was explained to me, as long as we keep the water temp up with the OWB, the gas shouldn't really kick on at all. I plan on burning November - March, April too if we don't run out of wood. My only experience with it so far was the first week we moved in. The previous owners had sold all remaining wood and the fire had been out for a week, so the pipes froze and we had no hot water at all ( no flow whatsoever, shower, sink, nothing) until we fired it back up and thawed things out. I spent the next week conserving a small pile of wood my buddy dropped off - maybe 1/4 cord or less - plus some pallets they left behind. After that, the weather broke, and the wood hunt began. Spent most of the spring building two wood racks, 10X6X5 and 20X12X8. Before this past April, I'd never even picked up a chainsaw and couldn't tell you difference between locust and pine. 5 months later, I've got 30+ facecords layed up, not a penny spent on it except the price of the chainsaw, gas, and a lot of sweat and labor. A lot of it came the hard way in the beginning, but I've hooked up with a tree service and things look good for now. Also found a company with unlimited pallets, makes real nice kindling and that stuff seems to burn real hot.

Never thought something that was so much work could be so much fun - can't wait for the big payoff when we light up here next month for our first season.

Outstanding work for a first year newbie! And you found out the secret...not only beneficial and economic, but great sport!

How many saws do you have now, and how many *do you want* now? MUAHAHAHAHA....oops, then you'll need a tractor and a loader and a dumptruck and......and with a tractor and a dump truck, you can make a huge good garden, save on the food bill as well!

 

[bluestem]

#2 for me,

The propane furnace has kicked in a few times the past week or so in the night, but it's set down at 63, it hasn't been filled in 2 years now and still reads 50%(with a gas cook stove). I'm not ready to fire up the 6048 just yet. It's supposed to be up in the high 60's and low 70's next week. I will probably fire it up this weekend while it's cool to make sure everything is working properly. I do cut all my own wood, either from home, work or at a friends.

 

[DSS]

#1 all the way. About 5-6 cords. All scrounged from a tree service. They give me all the big crooked knobby stuff they get.

I have an oil furnace, but it hasn't been used for quite a while. I gotta get an OWB so I can heat the garage and DHW too, and get rid of the oil tank.

 

[zogger]

+1 retrofit

100% wood heat..nat gas backup...only if gone for day or so...after tearing off the old 4" cedar siding,,and putting on 3/4 pink foam,new vinyl siding,,and all new windows,, we may not burn much at all..last year,the air cond would run for 10-12 minutes,,shut off 5,,and hit again. in hot weather. after what we did,,the air, this year, would only hit once a hour!!!!!!!! have 10 cords of dried ash,and hard maple, may only burn about 3 cords!!! and used to burn about 9.5 cords in a winter!!! scrounge all own wood,,and split also,,no hire at all...

Sounds like a plan, man, retrofit to save energy long term. Just make sure you termite spray around the outside, with that new foam and vinyl siding. Besides that, I bet you will see a dramatic drop in energy use in the winter! What kind of new windows did you put in? And if you saved the old ones, think "cold frame greenhouse thing".

 

[ks_osage_orange]

Guess I'm #2, although I have never bought, or sold wood. I do have back-up heat if needed, why wouldn't you. If you didn't you couldn't go anywhere in the winter. I burned about 7 cords last winter, and look to burn a little less this winter depending on how hard it is. Burned wood my entire life, grew up in a wood burning house. Built a new home in the summer of 2010, and put in an OWB. I probably do burn a little more with the OWB, but I also don't work as hard harvesting and preparing firewood, and my house temp stays exactly where I set the thermostat so my wife and I love it. Indian summer in KS now, nearly perfect weather...campfires only.

 

[mattw24]

Technically I am a 2. I have a propane central furnace which is used only in early fall and spring when the outside temps don't allow much draft in the flue. More than likely this is the weekend which I swith over to wood and once I start I refuse to go back until April. I will burn 6-7 cords in the house which is 4000 sq ft, and burn 2 cords in the shop.

 

[sw18x]

Outstanding work for a first year newbie! And you found out the secret...not only beneficial and economic, but great sport!

How many saws do you have now, and how many *do you want* now? MUAHAHAHAHA....oops, then you'll need a tractor and a loader and a dumptruck and......and with a tractor and a dump truck, you can make a huge good garden, save on the food bill as well!

Thanks. It's amazing what sweat and perseverence can accomplish. As for the tractor and loader LOL already got it...took a month to convince the wife, but that first (and so far, only) load of wood that the tree service actually dropped off at my house had some monster 300 pound trunk pieces, there was no way we were moving it without something to help. Eventually I made my case for a nice Kubota BX to plow the driveway, cut our acre of yard, and save our backs when playing with the wood. This little tractor really impresses. We were lucky the old owners loaned us their splitter for the year so that bucket came in real handy with the bigger pieces. The tree guy I works with has an L series with a nice grapple on the front. I know a lot of guys are high on the Deere's but you can't beat the 'bota diesel and even if the name is Jap at least they're made in the good ol USA.

 

[zogger]

Oh cool!

Thanks. It's amazing what sweat and perseverence can accomplish. As for the tractor and loader LOL already got it...took a month to convince the wife, but that first (and so far, only) load of wood that the tree service actually dropped off at my house had some monster 300 pound trunk pieces, there was no way we were moving it without something to help. Eventually I made my case for a nice Kubota BX to plow the driveway, cut our acre of yard, and save our backs when playing with the wood. This little tractor really impresses. We were lucky the old owners loaned us their splitter for the year so that bucket came in real handy with the bigger pieces. The tree guy I works with has an L series with a nice grapple on the front. I know a lot of guys are high on the Deere's but you can't beat the 'bota diesel and even if the name is Jap at least they're made in the good ol USA.

That little tractor is sure working hard! On those newer kubotas, change the filters often, they filter real fine and will plug up sooner than you might think, then not start. This is what I have found running several different newer ones around here. They are expensive and will ding ya in the shorts hard on parts, but take care of them and they will work well. Clean the air screens a lot too if they get dirty, the screens that protect the radiator, etc.

I did six medium monstah rounds like you have in that bucket today (along with other stuff)

First three I managed to flop and roll them into the tractor tote....I really shouldn't have tried that but did it, got them home and in the stack. I *almost* just couldn't do it. I was tired then... the last three..I busted up down where I cut them. Much easier to handle...but I was still more than whipped when I got done. Freeking geezerhood keeps sneeking up on me, I keep pushing back as best as I can...I am of the jack lalanne school, the older you get, the *more* you need to exercise.

I don't like dealing with those huge ones, but you can get two or three wheelbarrows of splits out of one of them, too. A wheelbarrow of nice oak splits does me a whole day in midwinter, any of the coldest days here.

Dandy looking new spread you got there, hope it works out for you!

And by all means, even if you got that hydraulic splitter, pick up a Fiskars supersplitter axe. Closest thing to "man blends with machine" ever designed, IMO. Scroll down in this forum and check out some of the threads on the Fiskars. Best tool I have bought for three decades or better. I have bought more expensive tools, but for money spent, ease of use and the results in "work accomplished", it is the most efficient thing out there since the invention of the bicycle I think.

 

[unclemoustache]

I have the thermostat set to come on about 5 AM, shut off about 8. I make a fire when I get up and that keeps us going the rest of the day and evening. I do tree work on the side, so much of my wood is what people paid me to take.

 

[Encore]

No.1 for us

We have propane, but it's only ever been filled once since we bought the house. That being the fall we bought it lol. I filled it and then shut the tank off, but wanted to have it if we ever needed to leave town in the winter.

our house is only 1600 sqft (not including the basement) and we have it very well insulated so if the fire goes out during the day, usually the house will not go below 68 or so. But if it does, it does. We just throw on an extra sweatshirt and wait until the house climbs back up to 74 and we are good to go.

4.5-6 cords a year depending. Also process all our own.

 

[xrayman]

#2 here
We have a OWB w/propane back up. The furnace is new old one too a dump 2 weeks before we got the boiler installed and it has only ran propane those two weeks other than that it has a 100lb tank for a back up.