My shot at calc. payoff time for wood stove...

[Waulie]

The ONLY good thing about being on propane in a cold climate, is that it makes it really easy to justify a new wood stove. My ROI was just over a year and we are much, much warmer.

 

[KaptJaq]

Something I posted in March 2011:

In the past I burned 700+ gallons of oil a year. Last January I put in a EPA non-cat wood stove and burned scrounged wood the rest of the season, mainly standing dead red oak. I used about 300 gallons of oil for the 2009-2010 season. This year (2010-2011) is the first full season with the stove and so far I have bought under 100 gallons of oil, most used for DHW.

I also have a coal stove downstairs that I use when the highs for the day are going to be at or below freezing. This season I burned just less than a ton of coal.

The wood stove and new liner cost about $3,500. The government gave me back $1,050 as a tax credit. My cost $2,450. The wood was "free".
The coal stove was here when I bought the house, it took about $300 to put it back in usable condition. The ton of coal was about $280.

Wood Stove cost_____ $2,450.
Coal stove repair______ 300.
Coal________________ 280.
------------------------------------
Outlay_____________ $3,030

The oil I did not burn (300 gals. for 2009-2010 & 600 gals this season(2010-2011)) probably would have cost about $2,900. If I get really ambitious I'll look at the oil bills to see exactly what they billed me for my 25 to 35 gallon deliveries so far this season for a better estimate.

Since next year's wood is already split and stacked in the yard it looks like I'll break even by the end of the season.

The only difference since then is that oil on Long Island has gone up from $3.25/gal. and is now hovering around $4/gallon. I haven't bought coal since, it hasn't been cold enough to run two stoves very often. My investment has already paid for itself and is now a profitable venture. The only real expense has been my time and a new saw ($400) to keep up with the scrounging.

KaptJaq

 

[TradEddie]

Factor each winter power outage into that payback time, and it shortens even more. Also around here, tree service companies may charge $250 to remove felled trees, so my wood is better than free. Wood will likely only ever be a secondary heat source for me, but I didn't even hesitate at the cost of a new insert when my old slammer was failing. The convenience of central air is nice, but the reliability of wood is better yet.

TE

 

[Bster13]

How do you get coal deliveries down in LI? I thought it was tough enough to find a vendor in CT to give me anthracite from PA...

Something I posted in March 2011:



The only difference since then is that oil on Long Island has gone up from $3.25/gal. and is now hovering around $4/gallon. I haven't bought coal since, it hasn't been cold enough to run two stoves very often. My investment has already paid for itself and is now a profitable venture. The only real expense has been my time and a new saw ($400) to keep up with the scrounging.

KaptJaq

 

[KaptJaq]

How do you get coal deliveries down in LI? I thought it was tough enough to find a vendor in CT to give me anthracite from PA...

When I first started burning coal, 1989, there were about a dozen dealers on Long Island. Now there are two that deliver bulk to my area. Some hardware stores/lumber yards will order 40 lb sacks but that is too expensive.

One year a bunch of us went in on a truck load but it was a bit of a hassle. We needed a forklift to unload the pallets and a place to store it until the "owners" picked it up. 22 one ton pallets are a lot to store. Somebody also had to be banker, collect from everybody and pay the driver on delivery. Another was "yard master", making sure everybody got what they paid for. This with a bunch of guys you only knew through the internet. Yes, there was a bounced check and yes, somebody said they were shorted. The coal was much cheaper than the local guys but it was too much work.

KaptJaq

 

[Doug MacIVER]

Back in"05 boght a jotul f100 for $799. stainlees steel liner and install another $1300/txs. The oil consumption went from 1350 gals. down to 650. chaching paid for in a year, wood was free that year.