For those folks thinking about switching to firewood to heat their houses during the winter, I offer this bit of advice. If you live in a small cape, are heating exclusively with wood, have a modern, high-efficiency woodstove insert, and live someplace like Maine where the cold weather starts in October and can go until April, get three cords of wood. Two just won't cut it.
We wondered how much wood we would go through. Now we know.
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We have heated almost exclusivly with wood this winter. Not quite as long a season as you have, but we were planning on November through end of March, and hoping for enough left for some morning fires in April to take the chill off. We live in an 1890's two story farm house that is about half insulated and still has all the original windows and a blow through stone foundation. We ordered 10 truck loads of wood, ended up with a bit more than 6.5 cords, and still have about a cord left. It always takes more than you think, and you don't want to run out at the end of the season.
My pile looks just about the same. I didn't start with enough to begin with because my back was acting up, and now I hope I won't pay for it.
I have to opportunity to cut down and remove 8 or so oak trees, but may need to pass because of the back. I could sure use it for next year though....
Today was something like 60 where I was at, and I hope the trend continues!
Hey Alan -
You make a very good point. I should have said "Live in a small, well-insulated cape with new windows". Farmhouses are so cool but a bear when it comes to drafts. 6.5 cords is a lot of wood to stack. I might envy the farmhouse, but I don't envy that yard task. :)
Hey Dwayne-
Today was gorgeous. Too bad we're going back to "seasonably cold". We have a bunch of oak that I'd like to take down and turn into firewood, but it seems like such a huge task, and my back isn't all that bad. At least we live in one of the most heavily forested states in the US. Go Maine firewood, go!
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