Hey Gyr,
If we can somehow surmount the property tax shock, we're considering a move back up to your neck of the woods (lived just over the mountains in MRV for a bit a few years back). As we were just light supplemental burners of wet wood in an inefficient fireplace I have no idea what it takes to make it through winter and your more considerable shoulders up there. How much do you burn a year in that Hearthstone?
I burn about 4 cords, more or less, of mostly high-BTU hardwoods, depending on the winter, but I have an old and fairly small house and I'm not seriously trying to heat the whole thing. I'm happy with an entirely unheated 2nd floor, and I even have the stairs blocked off with heavy movers' blankets. I'm also not loaded with insulation except for the attic rafters, although there's some, and I have pretty decent storm windows.
My house is also pretty brilliantly situated halfway up the SE side of a low ridge a few miles from the lake, so the worst winter winds are broken up and I get every available second of winter sun, and the worst nighttime cold rolls right on past me down into the valley. Friend of mine down the road about a mile is in the bottom of the valley and gets overnight temps as much as 15 degrees lower than mine.
I literally do not know a soul here with an EPA stove who uses it for primary heat, so I can't really even give you a guesstimate, but unless you end up in a well-situated small house with better insulation than mine, I think you'll need something more than 4-5 cords, and a larger stove, to be comfortable.
Yeah, property taxes are I'm sure higher here than where you are, but as a 10-year refugee from the metro burbs where the taxes are much higher and the $$ goes down some rabbit hole and services like snowplowing suck big-time, I have no problem with them. And don't forget that property taxes are capped at some fairly small percentage of income and the state picks up any amount over that. If I recall right, at least half, maybe more, of Vermonters don't pay their own property taxes in full themselves.
I would just underline that if you find yourself house-hunting, consider the way the place is situated very carefully because in our very long winters, it makes a big difference in how cold you are, how much heating you'll need and your general state of mind. I've been amused to note that there are almost no old houses here on the north sides or the tops of hills, only ones built since the middle of last century.
But... just consider the savings on a/c!
(just couldn't help myself -- I had to ask!)
