Most efficient way to burn wood

[arrow]

There are plenty of wood burning folks on this forum so I'd thought to ask a question. The wife and I are talking about moving and building a 1 floor house. I was thinking I do not want to stop burning wood but there has to be something more efficient than burning 4 cords of wood for a 1500 sq ft house. Super insulating it is certainly one way. Then there are the "mass" stoves such as the Rocket Stove and Russian stove. There are variants of the European wood stoves that claim over 90% efficiency. There are wood furnaces and boilers that you can place in the cellar but these use just as much wood. I'd be happy if I could burn 2 cords of wood all winter (Oct-April). Right now I'm heating 1800 sq ft from the cellar with a large Quadrafire that replaced my old Timberline. This new stove saves about a cord and a half from the old stove. My question is if you had to do it all over again, what wood fired method would you use?

 

[clemsonfor]

get a new modern EPA stove. Folks really like the blaze kings and are said to burn 24 hours!! I have a highvalley stove that can heat 2000sqft in my home if I push it loading 2 full loads a day plus a tiny catchup roaring load in the eve after work. I love mine and have burned maybe a cord this year, but I live in a mild climate but have a very poorly to NON existant insulated home.

 

[clemsonfor]

Oh and to add to that I would be in a centrally located room, no vaulted ceilings and have an open floor plan. I would have It on a hearth and a free stander.

 

[arrow]

get a new modern EPA stove. Folks really like the blaze kings and are said to burn 24 hours!! I have a highvalley stove that can heat 2000sqft in my home if I push it loading 2 full loads a day plus a tiny catchup roaring load in the eve after work. I love mine and have burned maybe a cord this year, but I live in a mild climate but have a very poorly to NON existant insulated home.

I currently do have an EPA rated stove. It can do 12 hours on one load very easily but this is with 70-90 lbs of wood. I think if I take advantage of solar along with everything else you mention, I think I can reduce my yearly cords to two-three. One thing I am sorry for is not planning my current home with a centrally located flue as opposed to the outside wall it currently is on.

 

[soulasphil]

Two years ago, I was disgusted by my electricity bills and tired of carrying logs to the fireplace. So I replaced everything by an automatic pellet furnace. The pellets are delivered right in the silo and taken to the furnace as needed by a screw. Circulating water carries the heat to every room and creates a very comfortable atmosphere. I had to build an extra room to house the whole thing, but I find it was well worth it.

 

[Buckgnarly]

South facing saltbox with centralized internal chimney here which helps, but our Woodstock Soapstone with catalyst does a superb job with our 1000 or so sqft. Get it up to temp, engage the catalyst, and it will burn hot for about 8hrs with 3 18" splits. We burn about 2 cords a year, keep it between 66-68 on average and regularly see below 0F temps with many days of double digit below 0F.

I think building design and insulation are more important than stove design though. In the Spring (about now untill May) we might burn 3 pieces a day. The South facing windows and roof can net us 6 degreesF of daytime increase on an average (50 or so) Spring Day.

 

[sam5570]

well i heat 2100 square ft and this has been a cold wet winter and i have used 1 and 1/2 cords of wood. this is alot more than i normally use but this is fist time in 30 some years my wife and i have been home during the day's for last 2 months. we use a free standing wood stove magnolia brand name. i think where alot of people use more wood is when they don't cut or buy it sone enough to let it dry out, if your burning wet wood you will burn twice as much and get less heat. we always keep a year ahead on our wood, i already have one side of my wood shed full for next winter.

 

[westcliffe01]

If you have the opportunity to start from scratch, then take it because everything else is a compromise.

1) orientation of the home = south to use available sunlight. Make sure there is nothing to the south to cast a shadow on you. Also make sure that open land to the south is not "open to development" so that maybe you get a supermarket there in the future...
2)Do a slab with built in radiant heat. Gets you the best temperature gradient from floor to ceiling and zones to independently control each major space. Also provides thermal mass for the sun to heat and store the heat, else you end up overheating the home when the sun is out. Consider a concrete wall inside the house for additional thermal mass for when the sun is low as in winter. It also makes for a quiet house.
3) Roof overhang on the south side to block summer sun during the hot part of the day
4) Most of the glazing (70-80%) on the south and low enough to allow slab to be heated. Little glazing to the North or west. Bedrooms or kitchen on east side for morning light
5) Use spray foam for air seal, if you can't afford it for full insulation value. Thin rigid insulation under siding on exterior to eliminate bridges. Then whatever you want to fill the space left.
6)Central wood stove with straight chimney in a central location. Radiant heating powered by hot water heater. You can lower the thermostat in the areas/zones heated effectively by the wood stove and raise them in areas you need warm that are not quite so effectively heated. Radiant will also cover spring and fall very effectively, so your burning season will effectively be shorter. If you install external solar collectors and tie them into the water heater, you will reduce fuel consumption when conditions are favorable, which is most of summer and part of winter. Having the water heater provides full time backup and cover when you need to be away. It also gives you flexibility regarding when to buy the solar collectors, provided you put the plumbing in so nothing has to be torn apart later.

7) Great quality windows and doors. Good storm doors help reduce air leakage

Thats my plan. In intend to use concrete block for exterior and interior walls with external rigid insulation including under the slab. Then foam sealed ceiling with sprayed in fiberglass on top. I'm doing a low pitched heavy duty metal roof with deep corrugations that one can walk on comfortably with about a 4 foot overhang on the south and sloping down to the North. North side will be earth bermed. Shop/garage will be on the west.

 

[clemsonfor]

here in the US pellets are WAY more expensive. I think from reading folks with a similar house and climate as me I would need at least one or more bags of pellets a day. I think those bags are $5+/bag! This is even buying buy the pound I think?? I just don't remember its been awhile and I did the math then. They don't deliver pellets by the dump truck full here in the US. I would think that in Europe they would be just as expensive or more, afterall you all buy most of our production of pellets anyway!! My wood is free minus the fuel to gather it and cut it. I have the saw and had it before the stove so you can say I have to figure that in to my cost because I don't I owned it prior and would own it anyway. I have not bought a splitter, I split maybe 20% by hand, the rest I borrow/tradw out work with a friend for use of his splitter so I don't have a cost there. My wood is gathered under a $10/firewood permit so essentially its free.

 

[westcliffe01]

Just keeping things in perspective, there are many variables when comparing personal situations.

Roanoke, VA has 4288 heating degree days/yr. Providence, RI has 5754. Lansing, MI has 7098. International Falls, MN has 10295 and Barrow AK has 19983. Barrow probably does not have too much wood to burn either.... Also, most of the Alaskan coast as well as the Dakotas have average winter wind speeds over 20mph so tight building envelopes are a big deal, even under those wind loads.

Also, generally heating degree days are calculated based on a temperature inside the heated space of 65F. My uncle in VA, who is not very wealthy, will consider his home as being "warm" if the thermometer reads at least 58F. Nowadays his main heat source is a small wood stove in which he burns about 1 cord a year.

I am heating 1300 sq feet in southern MI where we have close to 7100 heating degree days and I burn a little over 3 cord a year on average, although having said that, my wife is somewhat of a Chicago brat and is about ready to die if the air temperature drops below 80F. The great room where the stove is installed will peak out at close to 100F at the peak of a burn. It sure drives me out the room into the basement... The bedroom is the only room in the house that is permitted to be less than 70F......