I built my house in 2003. At the time I had a Stihl 025 chainsaw and not much else. 14 years later I've bought two tractors (sold one); a log splitter; 5 chainsaws (sold three); two outdoor wood boilers (replaced the first one in January this year); two wood sheds; and a bunch of small tools. I'd guess if I added up all the pluses and minuses, I'm into the woodburning thing for around $45,000 total over the years. That's 100% of my heat and domestic hot water for a 4300-sf timber framed home, with as many as eight people at a time living there. I'd guess if I sold all my equipment that I've bought over the years, I could get back $20,000 or maybe a bit more. So $25,000 spread over 14 years is $1800 per year, let's call it $2,000 when you add in the incidentals (saw and tractor fuel, files, chains, general maintenance, etc.) All the little things that add up. I used to go through 1100 gallons of oil in my old house which was 1/3 the size of my current space. So, throwing a wild guess at it, if I burned oil or propane in my current house, for heat and hot water, I could be using 3000 gallons a year. Even at current pricing that's $4500 per year. $4500 x 14 years = $63,000. I'd say I'm ahead, even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it.
Can't really say on our cost except to say that we replaced our wood burning stove 10 years ago with another wood burning stove but this one keeps us nice and toasty warm which is what we wanted. It did cost $2000. I have bought another chain saw since but would have anyway. Cost of that was a tad under $200. We've bought a few odds and ends of things too including a new bar and a few chains. With our old stove over the last 10 years we would have burned a minimum of 60 cord of wood. With the new stove we've burned less than 30 cord. With our old stove, we closed off part of the house because we could not heat it all. Even then in January, when in the house we basically spent most of our time right next to the stove. We even moved the kitchen table right in front of the stove. We were never comfortable. We also had to use an electric heater in the bathroom before we showered. With the new stove, we have no problem keeping the house to 80 degrees. Well, there were a couple times when it got down to -20 or colder (I think -24 was the coldest) when getting up in the morning we found the house below 80 (76 if I remember right). However, even though the temperature did not reach zero on those days and was windy, we still kept the house at 80 degrees. Just those 2 things; half the amount of wood and being able to stay warm in the house is difficult to put a dollar figure on. I also not so fondly remember our first year of marriage when we thought it would be nice to not have to put up wood and heat with fuel oil at $.12 per gallon. However, once the temperature got down below 20 degrees we really wished we had wood heat then! Today it is difficult trying to picture us heating with anything except wood. I still enjoy putting up the wood and also the work involved in keeping the stove going. I'm not a young man today (will turn 75 this year) but I do not plan on letting age stop me from keeping nice and warm heating with wood.
I bought my home closed in February 2004 had an inefficient propane heat boiler.. went through 350 gallons propane in 27 days. heat set to 55.. was not living here cleaning and painting.. There was a gas explosion in lower New York propane went to 4.00 a gallon.. ripped off propane burner put on oil burner in furnace to make it to summer! before Woodstove.. heat set to 60 (hot water included) easily burned 650 gallons a year.. house was a foreclosure no window just window AC units in 2 windows at 25 degrees below zeo. Got plastic and taped up PDQ!
My back up heat is gas furnace, it was turned on once in November to ensure it was working properly-I cook with gas and have a 5 burner ventless on the wall in the garage to keep the dogs warm while eating and to keep the saws, mowers and car warm...last month was our coldest month....My gas bill???? $7.60
My return was less than a year not counting what I already had. The house is a 1930s farm house with a little acreage, not well insulated and total electric. We are on Co-Op so the electric isn't that expensive KWH wise. We bought the place 23 years ago. The year we bought the place, I put in a wood burning add on and tied into the existing duct work from the old fuel oil furnace. It did not work very well and I was told the chimney was not up to snuff. I abandoned it. Eight years ago I got a Jan. electric bill of $600 and something had to be done. I contacted a chimney concerned. They had a used stove for $300 and installed it and also installed a liner in the chimney for $1500. My son-in law (Wood Fairy) worked for a tree trimming company at the time and I would get a large dump truck load of split wood for$300. With the dump truck load and what I cut from the property it lasted the whole season. He now works for a land clearing company and I get loads of logs to cut up for free. Haven't been back in my woods for 3 years. My electric bill now runs around $120 +/- $20 year round. I figure I recuperated my initial investment within the first year. Now skid steer, several saws and splitter later, I figure I am still way ahead of the game. I just love making firewood. Now it boils down to "Beating The Man" as one of the posters mentioned.
We bought our insert over 30 years ago and have cut our oil use by 75% or more. Last winter we burned 92 gallons of #2. Without wood we would use around 600 gallons per year.
That is the nice thing about with wood heat,you can keep it as warm as you like with out hurting your pocket book and feel good about it.Nothing like running around in shorts inside when its zero wind chill and snowing.
I have ng hot water boiler and the Buck insert. Also ng cook stove, ng hot water and ng heater in 2 1/2 car garage that I keep at 40 unless I'm working out there. Insert in finished basement on one end, insert will do the heating until we go into the teens then the boiler has to help. It is set up nice though as I have 2 zones with one of the thermostats in the back bedrooms opposite end of the insert. Ng budget amount for Sept to May is 65 but I am usually ahead so Apr & May is smaller. Summer months next to nothing unless I run the pool heater. So around 500.00 a yr. in ng. 1200.00 one year for new liner hooked to old stove, then 3k for the Buck, I think we are finishing our 4th winter. Splitter quite a few years back and have 2 saws (keep thinking of adding a 550). Haven't done any math but I'm always warm and my pyro addiction is well maintained.
NG here + 1 whining roommate = not a ton of savings here. Working with friend "Lefty" we split the sales 50/50 and end up with $1,000+- a year. Started with a new 455 Husky in 07, sold it a few years ago for $275. Purchased the new Huskee 35 ton late 08 or early 09 for $1500 out the door and picked up a used 365SP for $175. Used Quad 3100ST and most of the chimney in 08 for $600. Helped with chimney install so $150 for that and I did the tile work. Since then I picked up the DCS401 saw plus a few others. 2 years ago picked up the IS stove for $2500. Since the big splitter is at Lefty's place I picked up the 25 ton for the house for $850. And now picked up the used EA4300 saw from Home Depot. Of course there is also the hauler. Started by using my work van, hauled a lot of wood, but upgraded to a 1980 F150 for $650. Sold it the next summer for $950 and found the F250 for $2,000. Used Tommy Lift was $450 and now picked up a headache rack for free after 2 rear windows. I may not be ahead on costs, but don't feel the equipment owes me much, plus I've met a bunch of great people (some in person and some on line).
To me it's not about how much I do or don't spend. It's been how we do things for my whole life! Time in the woods is priceless! Been heating with the Woodstove that was in the house for 7 years. Hand me down Stihl 290 free. Gas and oil. POS American made maul 45 dollars. Figured I saved enough to buy a 461 Last year 850. Low milage grizzly was 1600 but was never intended to use for wood! I just used whatever car-truck I had! So I'm not counting the quad. Then I put up a new chimney last fall for around 1000. Most people around me spend around 2k depending on fuel type and the winter. So if I didn't burn wood I'd have spend around 14k heating over 7 years. So it cost me around 3k over 7 years (428 a year) Not counting wood I sell here and there That saved 10k bought a few guns and lots of ammo!
Awesome! When I first installed my stove, fuel oil was in the high $3 per gallon - I'd guess about 800-900 gallons/winter to heat my home (I go through about 275 gallons per year just for hot water....ugh). So, that would be somewhere in the $4000 per year heating cost (very rough estimate). Fuel oil is much less now, so likely saving about 2000-2500 per year - but still great. I haven't had to buy wood yet, and have enough for at least 6-7 years now - so a lot of savings so far and in the future! Cheers!
