How low is your heating cost?

[PB]

We have a small (~1000 sqft) house with a wood stove and an oil boiler for baseboard heat. Our hot water is oil fired so we have to burn 200 gallons of oil/year just for showers, dishwasher, etc. The previous owners used 700 gallons to heat the house (not water) for a year when it was unoccupied (50 degrees) and at current prices (~3.70/gallon) we would be spending almost $2600/year on oil. We installed the wood stove last year for $2600 so that is now paid for in oil savings. This year is just money in the bank. We cut our firewood on timber company land for $10/cord and we usually get about 3-4 cord. Adding in fuel cost to go get it, and any extra's we are looking at $37.67/cord. So to sum it up we are spending a grand total of $150.68 to heat our house this winter. I love sticking it to the man. :splitting::bananaskip:

 

[Wigglesworth]

We have an LP central unit, but the first year we owned the house, we spent over 2K in LP. Thankfully the house had a fireplace, so I installed an insert with a blower, and we haven't bought any LP in several years now. We have a couple ceramic space heaters with digital thermostats we keep in the rooms for really cold (sub 20 degree) nights. Now, on the flip side, I could probably heat my home with LP for 20 years if you take into account the saw tonnage I've acquired...I won't mention a dollar figure. My wife might ban me.

 

[komatsuvarna]

First year we bought our house, We heated with Kerosene! They was a natural gas furnace in the house, but I was to tight to have the gas reinspected and turned on. IIRC, I burnt about 20 gallons of Kerosene a week through 2 heaters. Seems like Kerosene was around 3.50 a gallon then. I'm scared to figure that up all winter lol. We done that for 2 years and then I finally put a small Englander wood stove in and bought a 445 Husky from Lowes. Electric bill was still pretty large that year cause all the wood I cut was still green lol.....so that didn't work out to good(newbies). Then I found AS and figured out I had to have no less than half a dozen saws, and at least 3 bar and chain combos for each one....porting tools.... yada yada yada.

To answer the question though, If I had to guess, I'd say what I save by burning wood wouldn't pay for my saw junk (as the wife calls it :yup:) for a long time. The wood doesn't cost me anything, I have friends and family with enough land with problem trees that I'll never have to worry about wood. Sometimes I'll bring wood home off the jobs because I'll have to get rid of it somewhere anyways, so that works out good. I burn less than 5 cords a year so If I added it up I'd probably be in the hole for a long time, But I like wood heat and the electric bill stays below 100 in the winter so it's alright for now.

 

[Mrs. J]

So basically I'm heating with wood so Jer can play :). Wonderful.

 

[komatsuvarna]

So basically I'm heating with wood so Jer can play :). Wonderful.

Uummmm, yeah! Just don't tell my wifey the ''secret''.:burnout:

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

House is 1500+ sq foot built in the 70's, all electric heat, and hot water.
From 2003-2009 heated with electric and pellets,pellets cost 1000$ per year.
Plus the monthly electric bills was around 300$ a month on top of that.
In 2009 switched to cast iron stove wood stove, and bought a log load for 800$ and that wood lasted
2 winters heating my house and my grandparents. And electric bill stayed right around 300$ per month

In 2011 bought a huge wood stove with a blower and electric bills dropped to 120-140$ per month,
also we had a mild winter. So this winter will be a true test of how much the stove helps.

Also heating the business building with wood, not sure how much I'll go through this year.

 

[Dh 1984]

i say i got about 30.00 every 2 months on heating cost. with buying gas, oil mix ,bar oil, and chains for the saws. the light bill stays around 170.00 during the winter i have no central air and heat. so i had to do something and get away from having to heat with kerosene. So i went and bought a used warm morning stove and installed it.

Now i have a ashely wood stove that takes longer pieces of wood. We have been heating with wood for about 7 years now and loving it. if i run out of wood to cut on my land then i got 4 other places that i cut on that has alot of wood thats dead and still standing.

So when i run out of wood on my land then the price might go up a little on account of gas for the trucks to go get it but i can live with that. I'm planing on building a small trailer to haul wood with sometime in the near future.That will be a big help when i have the truck loaded and the trailer too.

But first i got to get a gas powered wood splitter where it won't take so long to bust it up while unloading the trucks. I might be able to get one this income tax time if i don't have to spend it on my trucks again like last year.

 

[thomas1]

i say i got about 30.00 every 2 months on heating cost. with buying gas, oil mix ,bar oil, and chains for the saws. the light bill stays around 170.00 during the winter i have no central air and heat. so i had to do something and get away from having to heat with kerosene. So i went and bought a used warm morning stove and installed it.

Now i have a ashely wood stove that takes longer pieces of wood. We have been heating with wood for about 7 years now and loving it. if i run out of wood to cut on my land then i got 4 other places that i cut on that has alot of wood thats dead and still standing.

So when i run out of wood on my land then the price might go up a little on account of gas for the trucks to go get it but i can live with that. I'm planing on building a small trailer to haul wood with sometime in the near future.That will be a big help when i have the truck loaded and the trailer too.

But first i got to get a gas powered wood splitter where it won't take so long to bust it up while unloading the trucks. I might be able to get one this income tax time if i don't have to spend it on my trucks again like last year.

I am unfamiliar with a warm morning stove or an Ashley. Can you post some pics?

 

[Spike60]

Now this is my kind of discussion. :yup:

At $4 a gallon for heating oil, I figure I'm saving a solid $3000 per year on heating costs. Like Lee, my oil burner is also used for hot water and back up heat when I'm not home to fill the wood stove. I'm guessing that at least 80% of the oil is for hot water. Hasn't been used for heat so far this year. (except a couple mornings when it was already running for hot water and I hit the thermostat to take advantage of it) Just got my first visit from the oil truck since last April: 78 gallons.

All my wood is for free. I have a logger/buddy that lets me take tops and drops. Fortunately, he's had log lots the last 2 years that were both within 5 miles of my house. I've really taken advantage of that, and I have at least a 3 year supply built up. In this case, cost of getting the wood is so incidental that I don't even factor it in. You can fill the back of the pick up truck 2 times on a tank of saw gas. Furthest I've ever gone for wood is 25 miles, which would be about 3 gallons of gas round trip. But think of how many gallons of oil are saved with that truck load of wood.

The saw hobby and the firewood hobby are 2 activities that I define as "mutually supporting". (Use that one on the wife.) Even if I was to spend $3000 a year on saws, (and I never would), the saw hobby would still be "dollar neutral". Not many hobbies have a similar co-efficient. For instance, you'd be hard pressed to put enough salmon in the freezer to justify the cost of a boat. :yummy:

 

[jrepairsk70e]

we have lp fired forced air heating [ fairly efficient furnace ,exhaust stack/flue is pvc tubing] in a 2 story house with 2 zones ,upstairs and ground level . moved in mid dec 1st year and just let the furnace run , upgraded the t stats to programable units with daily use monitors . on days when the temps dont go above 20 my furnace would produce warm air 17/18 hrs in a 24 hr day . the next winter we installed a small single door wood stove which accepts 15" wood [small firebox and relatively shorter burn times than most stoves ] I load the stove every 4.5 hrs when its really cold but my lp furnace only runs 2 hrs in the 24 hr day . so I know the savings have to be 15 gals of lp a day when its cold ,and during fall n spring or when the temps are just around freezing the furnace is dormant [thats a good thing !!!! ] :yup::yougo:

 

[PB]

Hey Bob, just tried your argument over a Jonsered 2051, got shot down immediately. :cry2:

I will try again in a few weeks to take advantage of her pregnancy brain. :)

 

[de_dubya]

Reading this makes me feel bad for complaining about my heating bills.... My highest monthly bill was ~$220 for an all-electric house, 1350 sqft, 2 people living in the house. Last year I don't think it topped $150 but that was w/ the thermostat 62~65 and a electric oil-radiator in the bedroom at night.

I have looked into replacing my fireplace insert w/ a woodstove w/blower or putting in a OWB. Both options came in guestimated/ballparked around $10K (admittedly I haven't really researched either just quotes I was given at conventions or in showrooms) Considering I only heat about 5 months, and if it cut my bill in half the ROI is so long that it isn't worth it.

So I remain a recreational burner, who cuts for wood for farm maintenance, fireplace wood, and deercamp wood.

See, three reasons for cutting, equals three saws :)


dw

 

[Spike60]

Was away all day yesterday for Thanksgiving. Got home @ 11:15 and figured it was too late to start a fire, so I turned on the heat. Just for the upstairs. Just for the one night. Bugged me everytime I heard the furnace come on. Couldn't imagine that being my only heat. We are all lucky that we have the wood heat option; even more so for those of us here, since it's part of a hobby that we enjoy. A little something else to be thanful for, huh? :happywink:

 

[motomedik]

We live in a small house, 20 by 20 two story cube, 800 square feet. Heated only with a small stove we bought a few years back, new, for $1000. Not the best stove in the world, but it's efficient, and it works. Also heat the garage with a large old airtight stove and the wife has a little Vermont Casting she heats her "art shed" with.
Wood I can find for free, not counting the cost of hauling it home (gas in the saws and truck.) Every so often I even find some one who wants wood cut and pays me. I cut wood on my days off, get a free workout, and some go to the gym and pay for that! And I also enjoy the opportunity to play with my mechanical toys. Saws, rope, pulleys, winches, atvs, and recently a small tractor.
All in the name of Savings on The Heat Bill. My wife knows I am going to play with my toys. But I work at a motorcycle shop. I see guys spend a lot of loot every week on their hobby, (racing), and they pick on me because I seldom ride and never enter any more races. They are all scrambling to get caught up on their wood cutting NOW.
Am I Saving money? Not really when I figure the spending on the "tools" as I do. But I would not have anything to show for the savings if I just mailed a fat check to NYSEG every month. I could sell my saws and gear I guess... But I probably won't.

 

[Spike60]

We live in a small house, 20 by 20 two story cube, 800 square feet. Heated only with a small stove we bought a few years back, new, for $1000. Not the best stove in the world, but it's efficient, and it works. Also heat the garage with a large old airtight stove and the wife has a little Vermont Casting she heats her "art shed" with.
Wood I can find for free, not counting the cost of hauling it home (gas in the saws and truck.) Every so often I even find some one who wants wood cut and pays me. I cut wood on my days off, get a free workout, and some go to the gym and pay for that! And I also enjoy the opportunity to play with my mechanical toys. Saws, rope, pulleys, winches, atvs, and recently a small tractor.
All in the name of Savings on The Heat Bill. My wife knows I am going to play with my toys. But I work at a motorcycle shop. I see guys spend a lot of loot every week on their hobby, (racing), and they pick on me because I seldom ride and never enter any more races. They are all scrambling to get caught up on their wood cutting NOW.
Am I Saving money? Not really when I figure the spending on the "tools" as I do. But I would not have anything to show for the savings if I just mailed a fat check to NYSEG every month. I could sell my saws and gear I guess... But I probably won't.

I've been to your place a few times, and I figure you're saving more than you think. A, like me, most of your saws are built from wrecks, so you really aren't dumping lots of money into the CAD thing. B, if there was no wood, the studio and the garage/shop likely wouldn't have any heat at all. And most of that side work you do in the winter wouldn't be happening since you wouldn't want to go out and work in a cold shop. Plus it's a nice shop set up and a good hang out for you, especially during the colder months when outside activities are limited.

 

[mweba]

We moved to a farm 1.5 years ago with lp heat only. Two story built around the turn of the century while being added to over the years. Burn $400-750 in gas per month depending on wind. Electric is approx 150 per month for utilities and space heaters. A burner is in the plans when time allows.

 

[PB]

The results are in for the past heating season. The grand total............$128. That includes gas to get the wood, gas for the saws, an extra chain, etc. :)

Next year will be a little bit higher. We need to buy new rope and a few more chains. Still will be under $200. I ruined a brand new chain last weekend on a hidden rock. Nothing I hate more than throwing money down the drain for a stupid mistake.

 

[mweba]

1800 and I'm under 20% again.

 

[PB]

1800 and I'm under 20% again.

I don't know if I should like that or not. :) If we had heating bills like that our yearly expenses would look a lot different.



Does anyone have experience with wood/oil combination furnaces? We will never do it in this house but I like the concept. I was looking at a Benjamin the other day and liked what I saw.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

With electric and wood heat in the house avg. 200$ a month electric bill per month
that includes hot water, dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer.

The old shop averaged 300$ a month for propane, and 400$ a month in electric.
In the new shop we averaged 200$ month in electric, and heat was all wood and some space
heaters in the morning until the stove got going.

Even though we spent 1200$ for a new stove, and piping at the shop we're still money ahead over
the utilities at the old store.