Woodstove Savings

In November of 2004, I had the upper half of my chimney replaced. At the same time, a 6" stainless steel chimney liner was put in for the downstairs fireplace, and a wood burning insert was placed in the firebox.

During the winter of 2004-2005, the fireplace usage was somewhat sporadic. I didn't really have enough wood to last the winter, so the fire only ran when it was really cold, or when we wanted to have the downstairs lounge heated. This winter, I've made an effort to keep the wood stove burning full-time. The effect on the gas bill has been quite dramatic.

Whereas gas usage during January had previously spiked, this year I actually used less gas in January than I did in December. I'm sure the unseasonably mild weather helped this some. For the 03/04 gas year, I used 652 therms (435 from July through January); for 04/05, I used 553 therms (355 from July to Jan); and for 05/06 I'm projecting using 350 therms, with 212 actually used from July to January. Based on the summer usage, about 100 therms a year are used just to heat the hot water in the house.
So, last winter I saved 100 therms (80 through Jan), and this winter I've saved a remarkable 233 therms, and I'm predicting a total savings of 302. Last year, gas worked out to about $1.50 per therm (it fluctuates, and there are some fixed costs, but that's the average). This year, its closer to $2.37. That means that last winter, I managed to save a grand total of $150, while this year I've saved over $500, with a projected total of over $700 through the end of the winter. I've cut my gas usage by about half, and the total bill by even more than that, since gas prices have gone up.

To counter the $850 savings, I should comment on my expenses. In a recent post, I pointed out that I tried to be frugal about gathering wood, but I I had few specifics. I can lay those out now.

The largest expense was the wood burning insert itself. With the chimney liner, the total came out to be about $2400 (the top and shoulders of the chimney needed to be replaced anyway, and aren't counted). Last winter, I spent about $50 on incidental supplies (wood carriers, chainsaw lube, etc.). This year, I bought a new chainsaw ($150, massively on sale at Sears), as well as about $40 worth of incidentals. I also spent about $60 in gasoline, or in extra* gasoline, transporting wood from a friend's family farm or from my parents' house. So over two years, I've burned or collected perhaps 6 cords of wood, and spent about $300 gathering it. A cord of wood has a street value of about $200, delivered, in Northern Virginia.

So by the end of the winter, I'll have saved about $850 in natural gas. In doing so, I'll have burned $1200 worth of wood, saving $900 after the gathering expense (it's interesting how close these numbers are, it's as if a "therm" of wood costs about the same as a therm of natural gas). I also won't need a new chainsaw for a while. Where does that leave me? I'm either well on my way towards paying for the wood stove and liner, or I'm already turning a profit. This is because the wood stove does something that can't be quantified financially. It turns the lounge, the largest and best room in the house, into a livable space during the winter.

If I wanted to stretch the savings even further, I could count the chainsaw as a landscaping expense. And it gets better. There is a lot of chainsaw landscaping that needs to be done by next fall. By doing it myself, I will have saved $2000 vs. an estimate from a professional landscaper by taking down some pine trees, juniper, and leaning maples in the yard. I can then burn it for free.

* Extra gas -- Since I'd visit my parents anyway, the cost of transporting wood from their house to mine is only the extra gas burned by my truck (20 mpg) vs. taking one of the cars (25-30 mpg).

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