Actual cost of firewood

[ultrarunner]

On the road home in Olympia there is always a pickup parked to the side with a load of wood with a sign $200 free local delivery followed by a phone number.

It is silent as to cord, volume, qty. etc... but sometimes that pickup moves several times a day...

 

[hosspuller]

Another thought on the relative cost of heating with firewood is TAXES...

Money paid for fuel or electricity is after tax. Money earned from selling wood is taxed (or should be)

Figuring a round number of 25% for Federal, FICA, Medicare, & SALT means every dollar you spend is worth $1.25 of firewood.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Md does not tax firewood.

Dont know why people are getting hung up on taxes

 

[4570Man]

Who actually pays tax on firewood sold? While I don’t think it’s fair to lump a lot of tractor or vehicle cost into firewood cost, but if I was paying taxes on the bottom dollar I definitely would. I also pay help. That doesn’t leave much money to tax.

 

[aczlan]

Who actually pays tax on firewood sold? While I don’t think it’s fair to lump a lot of tractor or vehicle cost into firewood cost, but if I was paying taxes on the bottom dollar I definitely would. I also pay help. That doesn’t leave much money to tax.

If you are selling firewood as a business, I would hope that you are deducting your business expenses from your taxable income.

Aaron Z

 

[CobyRupert]

I'm guessing if didn't burn wood, almost exclusively, I'd burn 500 gallons of fuel a year (I have no real idea). Over 22 years at an average price of $2.50 (another guess), that's a savings of $27,500.

Seeing how I handle firewood about 9 times from tree to stove, I'll estimate I've saved a $30/month gym membership for 22 years too ($7920). Plus cutting and burning firewood smells better too :laughing:

 

[turnkey4099]

Couldn't give cut and split oak away two years ago... no one burns anymore with the burn bans.

Even put up a notice on the Hospital bulletin board... no takers.

When I was in High School... wood was a steady commodity... a lot of people put inserts in and President Carter led the way during the oil embargo... saying wood is America's Renewable Natural Resource... my how times change.

The home I grew up in has two fireplaces... and they make a beautiful fire and will make the room nice... but consume an enormous amount of wood compared to the small pedestal stove at my brothers place... maybe 4 to 5 to 1....

Yep, open fireplace - best waster of wood ever invented.

 

[turnkey4099]

I have penciled it out, It cost me $2,500.00 a year for propane and I save $1,700.00 back every year by cutting/burning wood for heat, not including my labor...

The difference between those two, buys me some propane (cooking and hot water and small amount of heat) and pays for all of my wood cutting expenses, including equipment cost.

EXCEPT for my tractors and the reason I don't include them is, I already had tractors BEFORE I started burning wood full time AND my tractors have made for me, MORE than what they cost me, BEFORE I started using them for firewood.

As for the mess, I have an unfinished basement and all the firewood goes down there, (by the stove) using gravity to get down there, so it dosn't put ANY mess in our living area...

As for even heat, my wood stove heats our living space, and how we run the stove determines how even the heat is. When I'm running it, it varies about 1/2 degree between high and low during the day. At night, we let it burn down a little as we like a cooler house at night.

One BIG deal for us, is we LOVE the dry heat the stove puts out!

SR

BTW, I have used my splitter for others, and made some money that way too...

And then there is the savings over having to have a gym membership to get the same exercise you get for free when heating with wood. Or in my case, no gym membership = turning into a fat corpse years ago (83 now)

 

[Piston]

Firewood vs all others round 2 :laughing:

I cut firewood. Have sold a little over 20 full cords this year. (about 60 face, rick, rack etc if thats how you wish to measure).

This bitter cold snap that has lasted a few weeks now......sold out of wood. Oh well.

I cut because of two reasons.....1. cleaning up the woods. ~20 acres that was logged out a few years ago, and cutting down all the dangerous standing dead ash (due to the EAB). 2. beacuse I enjoy it.

The money and selling it is just an outlet to get rid of the wood.

I have geothermal. Selling wood for $160/cord.......that $160 buys MORE heat than burning that cord would. So I would loose money if I burned it and let my geothermal sit idle.

So I sell it, and keep the bugs, mess, and hassle of keeping a fire going out of my house.

You sell a full cord for $160???

“Seasoned” wood here goes for $300. In 2 years I’m gonna start selling firewood, because I don’t think anyone around sells actually truly seasoned firewood. Even the seasoned stuff is wet.
I can’t believe how cheap you sell it for. I know it’s all regional, but amazing how much of a difference.

 

[4570Man]

You sell a full cord for $160???

“Seasoned” wood here goes for $300. In 2 years I’m gonna start selling firewood, because I don’t think anyone around sells actually truly seasoned firewood. Even the seasoned stuff is wet.
I can’t believe how cheap you sell it for. I know it’s all regional, but amazing how much of a difference.

That’s what I get for a cord of green wood. I can’t get any seasoned wood because I’m selling green wood for the same price and the demand exceeds the supply. There’s too many people selling 2 month old seasoned wood I gave up selling actually seasoned wood.