It’s a different story when you have different housing than before. But in time, it makes up for having inefficient heating systems or home insulating methods. With some homes, drafts are common and with stoves, you’re gonna get the best heat out of it more quickly. Other options will work, they just take more time to get going when you let the heat in the house go out. The choice is made by assessing what would happen if you do let it go out? Places where it freezes up most of the winter and doesn’t get up past freezing at all is necessary to keep warm since your water pipes need that. Other places where the temps are temperate and fires are good to burn ok in the morning but better at night to keep the house ‘dry’ since moisture and cold is dually an issue here. Once the house warms, it’s less thought of. The house I’m currently in mainly heats with oil but it is off since the Lopi insert was installed. It can take about 2 hours for the house to fully get heated once the blowers kick on and circulation makes a big difference. But since it freezes so much less here, I’m less inclined to make a fire until the cold is more palpable. Weekend fires are more likely but they would be better if the weather were much colder outside.
I'm in the "Cultured Hill Folk" section, with some elevation and very little of the "cultured" vibe in my little town. With the right stove, your wood burning life will be much easier. We switched from owb (15 cord/yr) to an Ideal Steel recently - this is our second season with the IS. Haven't fired the oil boiler since we moved in, and won't unless it's for testing. After a very short learning curve, we can run with two loads per day until it gets below 10* with wind, or below 0 without wind. When it's cold and windy, our 1850 railroad builder's house shows its age and we run a small load around supper time to supplement between morning and night loads. 1500' with stove on exterior wall on main level. We went through maybe 6-7 cord last year, including probably three cord of pine. Wood was marginal, as we were just coming off the owb train and struggled to be one year ahead. Walls have fiberglass batts, but Windows are due for replacement and sills need sealing. We usually keep it 67-72 downstairs - a little cooler in the bedrooms upstairs but that's how we like it. No problem hitting 80 of so desired, but that's rare. 70 is enough to keep Mrs Papi in a t-shirt.
