snowleopard said:
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However, your benevolent climate isn't shared by everyone. I know folks who pay as much a month to heat their houses as you did in a year....
So do I. Some of them live just up the road. Do not overstate the "benevolence" of our climate - we had two cold snaps where it dropped to -15 f. I know that is nothing compared to upper Minnesota, but it ain't Dixie either. The average 2000 sq. ft. house around here must cost a $150 per month for natural gas or $200 for propane over seven months a year. Many are much more. Note that all the figures I use are for heating only, not a total utility bill; around here the actual total utilities run about twice the heating cost itself. I worked very hard to make my house energy efficient but nothing I did is out of reach for anyone planning to spend significant amount of money on a wood burning system.
The point is that going to wood heat is, for most people, a very expensive process. And the payback, for most people is very long. And adding insulation, sealing gaps, improving windows, and stopping heat losses is the first best use of their money. Particularly where air conditioning is a major expense as well.
I am going through this at an 1800 sq. ft. house at 8600 ft. in Colorado. The previous owner went through 250 gallons of propane some months. I found only r-24 in half the attic, insulation missing in some wall cavities, door thresholds that you could actually see the yard through, and on and on. I'm not quite through, but I've spent about $1800 and rather a lot of time. Cans of spray foam, caulk, new door seals, fiberglass batts, cellular shades AND insulated close fitting drapes later the house has gone from more than 9 gallons of propane a day (in the most extreme weather) to just barely under three. This is at least a $300 per month saving over three months per year, and $100 to $150 per month for maybe five more months. I have not even thought of a wood burning stove yet.
So, again, I will assert that the best efficiency in burning wood a heat source is achieved by first making sure the house will stand a reasonable chance of keeping that heat in.