<DrumBeat: July 11, 2007The Oil DrumAn Interview with Trilby Lundberg (or, Prof. Goose May Have a New Sworn Enemy)>

126 comments on Old Sunlight vs Ancient Sunlight -An Analysis of Home Heating and Wood

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whit on July 11, 2007 - 4:17pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

State law in Vermont now requires that new outdoor burners meet particulate requirements (which only a few makes do at present), and have a chimney higher than the roof of the house they're serving. They can be smokey; it would be rude to run one in a dense neighborhood, especially without that tall stack.

Is cordwood really going for $260 around Burlington now? Here in SE Vermont it's around $160. With a century-old 1800 sq. ft. house - reasonably weatherized and insulated - I'm going through about 3 cords plus a bit under 600 gallons of oil per year - the oil also being year-round hot water. However down the street, in a house that doesn't look a lot larger, they're managing to burn "1,700 gallons of oil and more than four cords of firewood". And that's in a house owned by a contractor.

What a lot of people around here are adding to their homes is pellet stoves. Those have the advantage of essentially using wood waste. However the pricing of the pellets is more in line with oil than cordwood.

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Nate Hagens on July 11, 2007 - 4:56pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The guy I buy my wood from sells it currently at $170 green and $270 dried. The green you can get in a week - the dried there is a waiting list. He processes 2000 cords a year - Im going to write more about this next week.

I think this price is a little high, as it is the same prices as of 2 winters ago when gas was sky high.

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CrystalRadio on July 11, 2007 - 9:45pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Really speaks to the questions of PO and GW when one doesn't bother to think 4 or 5 months ahead and let the sun and air save a hundred bucks a cord for him (or her). Also says something about how high gas prices are rationalized when it is a matter of comfort or convenience. Lots of room before demand gives way on the gas front I think.

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rainsong on July 12, 2007 - 6:02pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Found this Boston Globe article from 2005 indicating the value of wood vs. fuel oil

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/09/11/cutting...

A cord of drywood had the BTU value of about 200 to 225 gallons of fuel oil. Wood was cheaper heat. Had to work to keep the woodstove fueled.

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fromthepriesthole on July 11, 2007 - 5:04pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I heat my home with a Taylor outdoor wood boiler. It does smoke a lot when it fires up. I burn about 20 to 23 16” face cord a year. I would normally burn around 1000 gal. fuel oil with the house at 68 degrees & 1200 gals at 72 degrees. Split wood is $50.00 a face cord, you pickup. I paid $600.00 for load of logs delivered this spring, yields between 20 to 30 face cord, depends on the guy loading the truck. I have had to tip the driver to get good red oak going to the mill. I also heat my hot water through the OWB. Fuel oil is 2.68 gal. & propane is 2.69 gal, today’s prices. I live in Broome County, upstate NY.

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