How much are you saving by burning wood?

About the same here.

Subtract the fuel & other cost to process wood per year
I'm around $1200 to $1500.

 

I figured it up one time and I was right around $2300 per year in savings. I have easily paid for my splitter, stove, hearth, saws, and chimney. I didn't count the tractor because I would own it even if I didn't heat with wood. I have easily paid for all mu wood burning toys and still saved thousands at this point.

 

+1
savings on a gym membership too LOL

 

I am not sure what my savings are, but to me the real value is to have the living areas eight or so degrees higher in temp than I would have the thermostat set at if running nat gas alone.

 

Yeah but I forgot to add all the chiropractor appointments in for my screwed up back...

 

I'm with you there Cert. I was joking with the Chiropractor early Fall when I had to have some visits from hoisting the new stove around to hook it up. I told him we needed to get me straightened up so I could cut wood and come back.

 

That's the spirit! LOL

 

I'd guess I save about 1000 but it's much warmer in here. I've said it before if you like to do it the money is not always the issue.

 

Gonna go through at least 5 cords this year. Equivalent to 700 gallons +/-. Round it to 2500 cash value of no. 2 heating oil. Over the last 4 years I have spent 4500 or so. Net savings over 5k. Factor in I have over 5 years css waiting for burning; priceless..........

 

Try keeping you and your family warm ( keep from freezing to dearth) when you have no power for days on end. That is what you are saving burning wood. Have your kids work right along with you when you process and stack your wood. There you are saving much more than money.

 

Friends say their gas bills are about $300/mo in the winter, I'm at about $100. So a thousand a year or so that I don't spend. Wood is delivered free so I don't need a wood hauling vehicle. Just my time and file to process it. Stove, saws and splitter, peavey, pickaroon, pulp hooks, wheelbarrow and whatever other tools probably come in under $5000 over the past 20 years. Tarps cost a bit, I really didn't think about it till I bought 2 more the other day. They run me about $5-15/cord depending on how high I stack and if I get 3-5 years from one. (Partially shaded with scrounged plywood beneath helps them last a lot longer)

So about $750/year with tools and a stove still holding value.

 

Ray, for the first time since the winter we moved in, we've actually used one of the 2 nat. gas heaters. I plan to check the meter, then calculate my cost for the month of using the gas for a few overnights.
Then, I'll be able to figure approximately how much it would cost to run nothing but the nat. gas.
I don't think I'll like the numbers, but I did it based on btu's a couple years ago, and came up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200-1500/year savings. It should be more now, since I use much more "free" wood.
If you add all costs in, don't forget to add the costs associated with driving to and from work, extra lattes, extra meals, work clothes, and anything else you need at your day job (or night, I did that for over 15 years). And here's another biggie to compare.....taxes. If you scrounge, it's minor, if you pay for any kind of fuel, it gets a bit more expensive and complicated.
Lots of us seem more than willing to add in saws and equipment, etc., but seem to forget all the time and the above on the other side of the equation.
Just my .02

 

When I first started using the wood stove I calculated that my electric bill went down $150 to $200 per month. This house is all electric except for the wood stove, so the only heat, besides wood, is electric. The electric bill is averaged through the year, so that means the $200 savings is year-round, and I save about $2,400. The wood is free, and the labor is something I enjoy. If I didn't enjoy cutting wood I bet I could earn more than $2,400 delivering pizzas in the time I spend cutting firewood.

 

One thing I consider is that if I heated with oil it would cost about $1500. I would have to make about $2000 and pay the taxes to get $1500.

 

More a rhetorical question than anything (answer amongst yourself), but how long would it take to make that money, and then compare that to how long it takes to acquire a years wood.
I'll start.
When I was still working, it would have taken me about 2 weeks net, to make enough to cover that. Meaning, to cover the cost of the natty gas to heat this place.
I can c/s/s a years wood in less time, and not have to pay taxes on my time.
Everyone's situation is different, so YMWV.

 

I just put my wood stove in ...so savings this year is $0
I spent $2600 on the wood stove, flue liner, enough wood for 3 years with racks and rubber roofing to cover it all.
Last year we spent $2400 on heating oil. (Thermostat set at 68*)
In the next two years I should save $4600.

 

Saving $3,000-$4,000 per winter.

 

You're only $200 in the hole this winter.