Actual cost of firewood

[Rock Crawler]

For you guys that are heating with wood, my house on the Ridge top, before the addition and second furnace would cost $500-$600 a month to heat with gas. I don't want to know what the **** it would cost now! Thank the Lord that I have gas Wells feeding my 3 furnaces.

 

[LD1]

Gladehound, Im not chastising anyone for heating with wood.

Just trying to get you to realize that the wood you are burning has value.

And that value needs to be deducted from what you "think" you are saving.

All the equipment I have (with the exception of my logsplitter) I would still have even if I didnt burn or sell wood.

Everyone cuts and processes wood differently. Some have a garden tractor, yard cart, and a maul. And yes.....that would cost them alot more money to deliver wood as they have no means.

Others......Take their pickup to the woods. THen they cut, split, load, haul home, and stack it. They already have all the means to deliver if they choose to sell the wood.

And you burn a mere 6-8 cord a year. I could easily sell that much even if I had no means whatsoever of delivering. In your case....this is the value you need to focus on if you have no means of delivery.

You are spending hours a season....bucking, splitting, and storing the wood you plan to burn for the winter. You do this to save $2000 per year.
Now what is the value of that wood.....if you were to do the EXACT SAME THING you are doing now.....but rather than cart it into the house to burn....someone comes and chucks it on their pickup and hands you some cash in exchange......

Whatever THAT value is........deduct that from the $2000 that you "think" you are saving. The remainder is your "actual" savings. Which is far less than the exorbitant numbers that people keep touting about burning wood.

Is there savings in burning......sure. In most cases money can be saved. Is it as much as people keep claiming?....I think not. That is my whole argument. Nothing more.

 

[PILOON]

All this talk of using firewood is OK but more and more some cities are banning wood burning due to the 'smog' effects.
All about health, you know.

For a fact, a city that is in a valley, sort of, (and well lit as it is a ski resort) is something to see.
Driving up to it on many nights you see a virtual cloud layer of wood smoke hanging around.
Being a ski resort most folks like to light a wood fire after the ski day and enjoy a glass or two of wine while listening to the snap crackle pop of their fireplace.

I live nearby and fortunately even if a no fireplace bylaw gets passed I have acquired rights.
More important is that we have very frequent power outages (3 last month) and a standby is a must.

 

[gladehound]

LD-1

I realize wood has value. We are both arguing different things. The whole process of felling, bucking, splitting, stacking and burning wood saves me $2,000 a year. Burning the wood rather than having people pick it up for money probably only saves me $300-$400 a year. The thread title is "Actual cost of firewood". Forgive me for not picking up on the fact that you are only trying to estimate the savings from burning vrs. selling the wood you processed.

 

[gladehound]

All this talk of using firewood is OK but more and more some cities are banning wood burning due to the 'smog' effects.
All about health, you know.

For a fact, a city that is in a valley, sort of, (and well lit as it is a ski resort) is something to see.
Driving up to it on many nights you see a virtual cloud layer of wood smoke hanging around.
Being a ski resort most folks like to light a wood fire after the ski day and enjoy a glass or two of wine while listening to the snap crackle pop of their fireplace.

I live nearby and fortunately even if a no fireplace bylaw gets passed I have acquired rights.
More important is that we have very frequent power outages (3 last month) and a standby is a must.

I see that too. One house with an old dirty wood stove can stink of a whole valley! On the flip side, modern stoves burn very clean. I can't see or smell smoke from my chimney when burning properly seasoned wood. The EPA has never required people to update their stoves. But at one point there was some sort of tax benefit for doing so.

 

[2ndhalf]

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.

I think you are the first person I've heard of who sells firewood but doesn't burn it. But that is fair money to gain from something you enjoy!

I enjoy it too and miss it because I don't burn; wife is a neat freak and everytime I bring up getting a stove she wigs. I help my dad cut so it gives me some enjoyment helping him and out in the woods.

It is insane how many dead ash there are in the woods. Seems a shame to see it go to waste.

 

[ultrarunner]

My wife was always on me "We have enough wood!" Without that work 'wooding' I would have been a 400lb couch potato and probably dead before she was.

Still able to boost 60 lb chunks up in thre truck, Manually split and hour or two a day, Run a chainsaw almost non-stop for 2-3 hours, etc. I'm in better shapre right now than I was when I retired from the AF in 1976 - I flew a desk for 21 years.

I wouldn't stop cutting now if some one were to pay for my oil heat.

Ain't that the truth... look at what you save in gym membership!

 

[ultrarunner]

All this talk of using firewood is OK but more and more some cities are banning wood burning due to the 'smog' effects.
All about health, you know.

For a fact, a city that is in a valley, sort of, (and well lit as it is a ski resort) is something to see.
Driving up to it on many nights you see a virtual cloud layer of wood smoke hanging around.
Being a ski resort most folks like to light a wood fire after the ski day and enjoy a glass or two of wine while listening to the snap crackle pop of their fireplace.

I live nearby and fortunately even if a no fireplace bylaw gets passed I have acquired rights.
More important is that we have very frequent power outages (3 last month) and a standby is a must.

Already reality in parts of the US...

New wood burning fireplaces stoves already prohibited... existing can stay but subject to burn bans on cold winter nights.

The move to force landlords renting property with fireplaces/stoves to remove failed at last attempt... but it was a serious effort and will be back... so if you own a home with a fireplace and rent it, as the owner you must remove or render the chimney inoperable... outright removal or brick it up...

EPA Certified makes no matter... and subject to anonymous reporting to the regional Smoke Police.

If wood heat is sole source the unit must be registered to obtain a permit and renewed... if/when gas service is available... must hook up.

Wood Heat has been declared a significant Health Hazard...

SF Bay Area...

 

[LD1]

I think you are the first person I've heard of who sells firewood but doesn't burn it. But that is fair money to gain from something you enjoy!

I enjoy it too and miss it because I don't burn; wife is a neat freak and everytime I bring up getting a stove she wigs. I help my dad cut so it gives me some enjoyment helping him and out in the woods.

It is insane how many dead ash there are in the woods. Seems a shame to see it go to waste.

Grew up burning wood. So I guess its hard to kick the habit (enjoyment) of cutting it up.

The woods were we deer hunt, is approx 30 acres. Was logged 3 years ago....bout 90-100 trees taken. Plus factor all the dead ash that make it increasingly dangerous to be in the woods. Just like to keep the woods clean and safe. Selling is just an outlet for the bi-product of doing so.

And I do burn.....in my shop. But its usually the junk un-sellable wood.

 

[Piston]

Grew up burning wood. So I guess its hard to kick the habit (enjoyment) of cutting it up.

The woods were we deer hunt, is approx 30 acres. Was logged 3 years ago....bout 90-100 trees taken. Plus factor all the dead ash that make it increasingly dangerous to be in the woods. Just like to keep the woods clean and safe. Selling is just an outlet for the bi-product of doing so.

And I do burn.....in my shop. But its usually the junk un-sellable wood.

LD1, I personally don’t save any money heating with wood, just my 3k dollar splitter alone would take me years to recoup. All my other equipment was bought from “side” jobs I did so that’s a wash.
However, just to play devils advocate here....

You seem to be very concerned about your finances (based on these threads, your mowing threads, and many of your posts) I’m curious if you think you are saving money by deer hunting? By the time you factor in the costs, are you “really” saving money by killing your own deer? Is that the reason you deer hunt?
I think many of us cut firewood, go deer hunting, and play sports for many of the same reasons. Life is not just about counting pennies.