How much wood can I expect to burn this winter?

[Streblerm]

Wow! you guys burn a lot of wood.
I have a similar sized house and heat it to around 75f, i live in Ontario Canada with a few months of very cold weather and still use on a bad winter 3 cord maybe 4 using a high efficiency wood stove.

When i first got my home it was 7 or 8 cord per season, but a quick check in the attic and a company that blows in insulation and wood totals became less than 1/2.

A couple 100$ in attic insulation VS over 1000$ in wood cost difference seems like a no brainer to me.
I think everyone should have a peek into the bat cave if they are heating with anything, 80% of people have never looked into the attic of the house they own.

Yeah, I know I should insulate my house more. I have only 6" of fiberglass in the attic. Before I insulate the attic I want to replace ceiling fans, vent fans, whole house fan... It may not be right, but it is easier just to throw some more wood in the fire. I know it isn't free, but I don't directly pay for it.

In the group of guys that I cut with my wood consumption is low so it doesn't seem too bad. When you look at a stack that is 8 cords I do start to wonder how long I'll want to keep up all the work.

It's funny how the company you keep can affect your view of "normal". Hanging around in the chainsaw forum can make you think that having 20 chainsaws is normal. Hanging around with people who burn 12-18 cords of wood per year makes burning 8 seem conservative.

 

[JRepairsK70e]

having 20 chainsaws is not normal !!.....its special .....i only have 18 but i know i will be special soon

 

[roger m]

every body around here calls a face cord a 4ft tall,16in wide, 8ft long stack a rank,i always thought a cord was 4x4x8,i cut my wood in 22-24'' length

 

[haveawoody]

Streblerm,

I get my wood free but I'm lazy also LOL
I think as you hit 40 insulation becomes something to look into, at 50 it's an important fact of life and 60+ it's the main part of life
Soon it will be an important fact for me.

I hear you on the work of preparing 8 cords of wood, 4 is always a nicer number to prepare
I'm a little over 12" of insulation in my attic and it's quite the difference in temperature for more insulation, both for summer and winter.
A little silicon touchup here and there on windows sure makes a difference also.

Maybe this year you will just be a silicon master, next year insulation man

 

[haveawoody]

roger m,

I think if people stopped buying those sorts of measures of wood then people would stop selling them.
It's actually ilegal for people to sell anything other than some % of a cord.
It's not a great way to buy wood since you are at the sellers mercy when buying some odd measure.

I sell 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 cord amounts of wood.
A face cord is when you slip stacking wood, rank is what you step in afterwards when you stand back up

You are correct a cord is 4x4x8 or 128 cubic ft.

 

[Sdh1218]

Yeah, I know I should insulate my house more. I have only 6" of fiberglass in the attic. Before I insulate the attic I want to replace ceiling fans, vent fans, whole house fan... It may not be right, but it is easier just to throw some more wood in the fire. I know it isn't free, but I don't directly pay for it.

In the group of guys that I cut with my wood consumption is low so it doesn't seem too bad. When you look at a stack that is 8 cords I do start to wonder how long I'll want to keep up all the work.

It's funny how the company you keep can affect your view of "normal". Hanging around in the chainsaw forum can make you think that having 20 chainsaws is normal. Hanging around with people who burn 12-18 cords of wood per year makes burning 8 seem conservative.

I have home built In 1920 when we moved in it had no insulation in the attic (huge heating bill) spent $700 to blow in R49 and my heating bill is 1/2 what it was and the second floor is no longer freezing when the main floor is hot. Best money I ever spent

 

[haveawoody]

Sdh1218,

I agree that attic insulation is like adding money to your bank account.
And just think how many less times you had to find, cut, haul, split,and stack wood since you insulated
And all the money saved in doing that 50% less.
Or 50% less of whatever you heat with.

A similar savings for me on a early 50s home around 1/2 or maybe just a bit more, so 1/2 the wood.

 

[Sdh1218]

I'm in the northeast of the US when we moved in we had oil heat (very old furnace and high oil prices). Switched to a high effic natural gas furnace cut the bill way down. Then the state had a program to help with energy effic and thay paid to have the ext walls insulated, didn't do as much as the attic insulation but every thing helps. In the process of moving to central Michigan and will heat with a outside wood stove so starting g to collect info one heating with wood. This site has been a great resource. Every one keep warm

Sean