TIL our 'off-grid' wood stove actually made our heating bill go UP for 3 months straight

Switched from oil to a wood stove last November thinking we'd save big... but after burning through $400 in seasoned oak and still running the oil backup on those single-digit nights, I'm wondering if the romantic idea of a wood stove is better than the reality. Anyone else find their supposed 'savings' actually cost more in time and money than they expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_hill463d ago

Yeah, been there. The thing nobody tells you is that wood stoves only save money if you have free or dirt cheap wood and you're already living in your house all day to tend it. That $400 for seasoned oak sounds about right and honestly that's not even that much wood for a whole winter. You're basically paying to run two heating systems at once instead of one. Plus you gotta factor in the time spent splitting, stacking, hauling, cleaning ash, and sweeping the chimney. If your house isn't super tight and you're running the oil backup anyway, the math just doesn't work. I'd ditch the stove or switch to mostly using it when you're home and awake to cut the oil use way down.

harper_owens3d ago

Oh man, the other thing is wood stoves can actually wreck your insurance rates if you don't have it professionally installed and inspected every year. Some companies straight up won't cover you or jack up the premium crazy high.