In thinking about all the utility bills (Electric from running my A/C non-stop 24/7 this summer), I am thinking more and more on how to reduce my utility costs. When we built our home, we installed a rather large "Country Flame" brand wood stove. It is a big cast iron stove with a fan in the rear of it, so it is fan forced heat, which does flow throughout nearly the whole house. It could effectively heat the house on it's own. We used it for a few years, but sinus conditions we have have stopped us. The woodsmoke when you open the doors to stoke it seem to bother both wife and self, so we stopped using it. It is even set up on the top, that if you needed to you could heat water and even cook on it. I have a supply of wood from a while back just as emergency needs. I would need to buy about a cord of wood if I used the stove mostly to heat the house.
I would be interested in hearing your costs you incur if you heat with wood?
The last check I had here on firewood was $55.00 a split rick. This was two years ago.
Early Retirement Extreme Forums » DIY Skills Questions
Who Heats with Wood?
(20 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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Before we moved into the RV, we heated with wood. We're pick up rounds (see craigslist) for free in spring/summer when people were cutting down trees for their "landscaping". They'd dry for 6 months and I'd split them. I have some very early blog posts on that.
Posted 2 years ago # -
In Oregon, the land of many trees, the cost of wood heat partly depends on whether one burns hardwood or softwood. While we have a lot of softwood here and it's about 30% cheaper than hardwood, it doesn't produce as much heat per volume and it is dirtier to burn.
Yes, the smoke is a serious health concern, too. We only burn wood for winter holidays or emergency. We keep a stack of seasoned hardwood that will last us through a week of no electricity.
I wish ours was a real woodstove instead of a fireplace insert, as then we'd have a surface for cooking. Instead, if we want to cook, we have to use the upstairs fireplace and arrange the fire to cook over the grate.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Wouldn't installing some large ceiling fans be better for you? Probably cut back on the outside/inside temp differentials.
I know when I am in Vegas or Mexico that I leave the AC off - but I love the heat. I am happy that the bay is finally having a real summer for a few days. Jacob will be cooking where he lives. 100+!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
@George Original
Actually we could prepare a full meal on our stove, and heat water for washing up as well. The stove we have must be carefully loaded with the right amount of wood, or your soon opening up windows to escape the heat!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
@Q
We have a 52 inch ceiling fan in almost every room. We have tried both reversals on the fan (up and down draft) and it does move a lot of heated air, but the reversals don't seem to matter too much. The fans do help a lot.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I grew up with wood heat and love it. We would collect wood from road sides or deadfalls from our own property. I never noticed any allergy problems related to the stove, but we live in florida, land of pollen so I might not be as sensitive. We usually kept a large cast iron kettle simmering on the stove to add a little moisture and used it to heat bath water when the water heater went out. The area where the stove is was the warmest, and sometimes hot, but a box fan hanging from the rafters usually blows the heat into the next room well enough.
So outside of the time used the only costs were for gas to transport the wood and for the saw to shorten to the correct length before splitting. Everything else was done with child (or dad's) labor ;)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I used to and miss it... If I continue to live in the Rockies, wood will be a key part of that strategy. Hopefully the Forest Service continues issuing firewood permits... There are more trees than ever, many of them sick, dying and dead, so I don't know why they would stop permits.
I've stayed toasty warm many winters on some inferior wood, like Ponderosa and Cottonwood... Hardwoods would probably blow my mind.
There is a lot to consider, but I think most of it comes down to proximity and capacity. If you have to drive over 30 miles one way to fill a short box, then wood probably doesn't make sense.
Seconding keeping water on the stove to increase humidity. My stoves never had a problem with putting smoke back in the house. Cook on it? Hell yes! Wood stoves heats up soup well, and makes a delicious toasted sandwich.
Man, I miss cutting wood and can't wait to do it again.
Posted 2 years ago # -
At home, my parents use a wood burning stuff. Not only does it help them use less gas during the winter, but its also a nice tool for boiling water, drying wet clothes, and getting rid of cardboard and paper. They live in the country with easy access to a lot of wood, so they rarely if ever have to buy fuel.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I WOOD love to heat with wood, but collecting and storage is an issue if you don't have wooded property. I also think those outdoor boiler furnaces look interesting that I see outside many country homes.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Actually my wife has the wood stove so "decorated up" it would take an act of congress to get it usable. She collects ducks and has them all lined up across the top of the stove.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@HSpencer - so she has all her ducks in a row, eh?
Posted 2 years ago # -
@George Original
Well not "all" of them. I am not counting the duck bookends, and duck plaques, and duck drink glasses, and duck window hangers in stained glass, and duck flower holders, and duck---well you get the idea.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@HSpencer: LOL, is someone in your house a duck hunter? ;)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@JohnnyH
I would be a rich man if I had a nickle for every flea market she has had me stop at to look for either "cute" or "antique" ducks.
"A wise man shows interest in his wife's desires".
Posted 2 years ago # -
Like I said, old warriors die hard. ;-)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@HSpencer - re the cooling costs - Do you have an attic fan? If not, would it be an option in your house?
re the ducks - LOL:-)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@FrugallyLiving
I have installed an attic fan in the house years ago. It works pretty well, and if it were not that I live in cattle and hay country, (those honey wagons put quite an aroma when they spray), and the desperately high humidity in the region I could use it.
Wife is extremely sensitive to the continuing hay cutting, and my sinuses are not that great either.
On a rainy evening we have used the fan and been quite cool.Posted 2 years ago # -
Today there is a lot of knowledge about building great wood stoves for both cooking and heating and without letting smoke out. There is a lot of field research about this. You can begin by looking at http://www.bioenergylists.org. There you will also find a lot of links to other useful sites on the topic.
Posted 2 years ago # -
They make woodstoves that are live in small outdoor sheds, then the heat gets piped into the house. No smoke and a bit safer.
I looked at biomass, it's likely more money than natural gas.
I think geothermal is the best in the long run, but the upfront cost is high.
Posted 2 years ago #
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