How much did you save?

[illini81]

Saving money is not the primary reason my wife and I bought a stove, but it certainly was a factor. We installed the stove for our first winter in our new (to us) house, so I don't have utility bill data without the stove for our family. However, I did request it from the seller. They spent $2700 more than us in the 12 months prior to us moving in.

Our stove and installation cost $3k, and I've spent about $1k on wood and wood splitting related tools. Should come out ahead by mid next winter. That is, until I buy a wood splitter...

How much did you save this winter?

 

[toddnic]

It took me 2 1/2 years to recoup my costs. I currently save between $1500 and $1750 per winter. And, the house is much warmer!

 

[Rearscreen]

How much did you save this winter?

You speak as if it's over...

 

[illini81]

And, the house is much warmer!

Yeah, that's a big one for us. In our last place we kept it as cold as we could stand it (around 60 during day and high 50's during the night). My parents kept our place pretty cold growing up, too. I've never lived in a house this warm.

 

[illini81]

You speak as if it's over...

Not over yet, but we've been in our house 11 months and I have a pretty good idea what our electric bill will be for March, so I just reached the point where I can calculate a year's worth of utilities. I've been itching to do this calculation

 

[rowerwet]

Stove was installed in '83, oil cost $600/ month to heat this place, payoff was many moons ago.

 

[jotul8e2]

Our heat pump costs - well, I'll just round up to $1,000 per season. My wood is "free".

I paid for the stove years ago. The flue a year or so ago. The splitter will be covered this year.

That just leaves the chain saw, chains, bars, repairs, files and sharpening jig, gas and oil, bar oil, maul, a couple of axes, cant, gloves, chaps, trailer, and tractor and more repairs and maintenance for the "free" wood. These items should be amortized in another 15 or 20 years. Fortunately the value of the time I spend on working firewood is approximately zero. Do we factor in the cost of 70 acres of timber somewhere?

Of course I really could use a couple of wood sheds. And a pickup truck would be handy.

 

[jetsam]

Saving money is not the primary reason my wife and I bought a stove, but it certainly was a factor. We installed the stove for our first winter in our new (to us) house, so I don't have utility bill data without the stove for our family. However, I did request it from the seller. They spent $2700 more than us in the 12 months prior to us moving in.

Our stove and installation cost $3k, and I've spent about $1k on wood and wood splitting related tools. Should come out ahead by mid next winter. That is, until I buy a wood splitter...

How much did you save this winter?

I want a detailed response from @Ashful ... don't forget the front end loader!

(I think he might have both the highest utility bill savings and highest toy budget of anyone here...)

 

[coutufr]

I am saving 1000$ a year of electricity, wood stove was 6000$ including the chimney and installation and wood cost only my work. My poulan cost me 200$ and the splitting maul, the chaps ect cost me another 200$. I already had a trailer and a truck. The house is much warmer now but the basement is colder since I don’t use central heating anymore so I need to use the baseboards which cost me 1 to 2$ a day on average when I use it

 

[toddnic]

Yeah, that's a big one for us. In our last place we kept it as cold as we could stand it (around 60 during day and high 50's during the night). My parents kept our place pretty cold growing up, too. I've never lived in a house this warm.

Yes, we kept it 62 F at night and 68 F when we were home either in the morning and in the evening. So much nicer when the living areas of the house stay around 72 F or warmer.

 

[ckr74]

Our heat pump costs - well, I'll just round up to $1,000 per season. My wood is "free".

I paid for the stove years ago. The flue a year or so ago. The splitter will be covered this year.

That just leaves the chain saw, chains, bars, repairs, files and sharpening jig, gas and oil, bar oil, maul, a couple of axes, cant, gloves, chaps, trailer, and tractor and more repairs and maintenance for the "free" wood. These items should be amortized in another 15 or 20 years. Fortunately the value of the time I spend on working firewood is approximately zero. Do we factor in the cost of 70 acres of timber somewhere?

Of course I really could use a couple of wood sheds. And a pickup truck would be handy.

Funny, "wood is free". I guess it would be free if someone dropped it off on my door step.

 

[brazilbl]

If my rough calculations are correct, I will be able to recoup the costs of our hearth heater plus installation (given 1 cord/year) within 2 years. I was forecasting on 3 years, but the heating performance of this wood stove is wonderful.

Early on in the wood stove era for us (this past December), I had the half the house at 84 degrees, with both doors open and roaming the house barefoot and sweats/t shirt. The doors open was a response to my wife making a comment about the heat. I left the doors open and held the temp at 84 for a long time.

Knowing that I was not using our central heat at all for months, makes it all worthwhile.

 

[heavy hammer]

It cost me $135 to heat my house last winter with fuel oil. THe insert and pipe cost me about $4k last year, the basement stove was money I already had I sold a 380 gallon aquarium and that paid for the Kuma. Wood is free but my time and effort cost something. I purchased a tractor not just for firewood but still and expense. 660 stihl bars chains etc. I'm sure if everything was factored I don't know if I save any money but the heat is ten times better. I enjoy processing firewood, operating my new tractor, and being outside. In my opinion it's definitely worth it but you have to enjoy that lifestyle, which just about all of us do. Regardless nothing is better than wood heat on those cold winter nights.

 

[yooper08]

I only save a couple hundred bucks a year since I have a NG boiler and I can't heat the entire house with my setup (nor was that a goal). This winter is more expensive than last as it's been colder.

 

[Woody5506]

This is also my first full winter in our new to us house w/ stove we got installed middle of last winter. I won't see actual recouped money for several years, however I can actually use the lower half of my split level now with the supplemented wood heat. I've spent a small fortune on my splitter, axes, mauls, saws, etc.

I didn't quite get the stove to save tons of money although that is definitely an added bonus in time, but I got it to supplement my gas furnace and keep more than half the house at a nice temp. If it wasn't the wood stove, it would've had to have been something else.

 

[blades]

By the time I finish current install it will be Almost April, so no savings really this year Stove, hearth and flue about $2200. LPG for heat and HW this season at $1300 and counting. Looking ahead likely 2 seasons worth to break even. 2 other installs planned - another stove and a pellet unit which I all ready have from previous places so just flue costs there and that will be around $2000 also between the 2. Between the 3 and a new HW heater less cost of pellets ( won't be but maybe a ton there) might break even in 3. All processing equipment paid off long ago so not in equation. Firewood log length free- my time and fuel nominal for CSS. ( eleven cord ( 128cf) ready now.)

 

[yooper08]

This is also my first full winter in our new to us house w/ stove we got installed middle of last winter. I won't see actual recouped money for several years, however I can actually use the lower half of my split level now with the supplemented wood heat. I've spent a small fortune on my splitter, axes, mauls, saws, etc.

I didn't quite get the stove to save tons of money although that is definitely an added bonus in time, but I got it to supplement my gas furnace and keep more than half the house at a nice temp. If it wasn't the wood stove, it would've had to have been something else.

Same here, at least for setup. If it wasn't spending on the insert, it was spending the money to figure out if the basement zone needed to be fixed or redone as it just can't keep up. One register does fine but the one on the outside wall can't do anything.

 

[edyit]

i might not "save" a ton of $$ but we get a load of logs dropped off for roughly $600, this heats the house in the upper 70's and gets through the entire winter with a little left over for next winter. it's a lot warmer in the house and lasts a lot longer than $600 worth of fuel oil...

 

[AlbergSteve]

Haven't done the hard math yet but my rough guess is my setup will will be paid back in 3 seasons... you can see the day that I installed the stove here.

Hydro rates are so low in BC that it wouldn't pay to burn wood if I had to pay for it, I've seen prices as high as $350 a cord!

 

[RobbieB]

I save nothing, I pay to burn.

Paid for the stove, the liner and the insulation. Buy wood at the grocery store, $7 for 17 liters.

But that's OK as I only burned up 4 bundles of splits and a dozen sawdust logs this season, so less than fifty bucks -

 

[begreen]

Haven't done the hard math yet but my rough guess is my setup will will be paid back in 3 seasons... you can see the day that I installed the stove here.
View attachment 224212
Hydro rates are so low in BC that it wouldn't pay to burn wood if I had to pay for it, I've seen prices as high as $350 a cord!

You live in perfect inverter heat pump territory.

 

[AlbergSteve]

You live in perfect inverter heat pump territory.

Yep, I know. We took an almost new one out when we did the reno last year but couldn't decide where to reinstall it when we finished. It's now going to heat the basement when we finish it.

 

[Dobish]

i thought it was a good idea to turn off the heat the other day, since it was really nice out. I totally forgot about that and woke up to the house being 54º. When i realized it and turned the furnace back on, I could just see dollars being thrown away as I was watching the temp rise. On average, when we are running the wood stove 24/7, we will cut our gas bill by more than 1/2. When it is 68 during the day and 30 at night, I tend to be a little more relaxed about running the furnace just to help circulate air and bring things up to temp.

here's a link to an old thread I started a while back: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/the-cost-savings-of-wood-burning.159306/

 

[venator260]

I honestly don't think I can answer. My estimate is that the difference in my electric bill is upwards of 400 dollars in the coldest months of the year, but that's a really rough guess based upon needing to use the baseboards two years ago from mid-March on due to a chimney malfunction.

I know the history of this house, as it was my grandparents place. No occupant of this house has relied on one heating system since the mid 1960's when my grandfather sold the coal furnace and installed electric baseboards. He purchased a coal stove to supplement soon after, and started burning wood in the late 80's.

I currently heat about 95% with wood. Our laundry room is pretty remote from the fireplace, so a small baseboard is used through the day to keep the dog warm while she's in there. I also have an electric baseboard under said laundry room, which is a separate part of the basement that houses the jet pump for the well as well as the pressure tank. During the coldest of days, this room can get cold enough to freeze pipes.

Other than that, the FP25 can provide most of the heat for the house, and it heats well enough that I have to let it go out for awhile any time the outside temp gets over 40 to avoid opening windows.

 

[Longknife]

I've never turned on our air source heat pump (probably why it's still going after 30 years) for heat, or the electric furnace backup. With electricity prices being what they are however, considering I've not used the furnace in 6 years, I'd say I've saved a fair bit despite the fuel, saws, and what have you. I do like saving money, but I love burning wood, and as I say to everyone, what else would I be doing with all these dead ash and elm trees?

Now if I used the time I take cutting, splitting and handling wood, and did some kind of side work, the savings would likely be marginal, if any, but I'd rather do what I'm doing.