Jon1270
Minister of Fire
heating with wood is cheap, sure, however i have a natural gas forced air furnace and a fairly well insulated home. savings per month range from 100-200$ in winter, 80$ on the shoulder season.
I'm in a similar situation and even only one season in, and I can already see that woodburning only makes sense to the extent that I enjoy it and the work that goes with it. I suspected as much before I even got started last fall. There's no way the modest savings over NG could pay for any sense of drudgery or sustained pain. But the nice thing about having an affordable alternative heat source is that woodburning is not a worrisome high-stakes responsibility; I can do just as much of it as I care to, and let the furnace pick up the slack.
My furnace had to pick up quite a bit of slack during my first winter, because the available wood was only sorta-dry, and I overlooked some important bits of insulation when installing the stove. I hope to do better the second year around, but it's not really for the money; it's more like a game.