🏠 How much would I save by heating with wood instead of propane?

Switching to a wood stove can dramatically cut your utility bills while offering grid independence. As AmericanOutdoors explains, he once burned through 500 gallons of propane in just 90 days. That shock prompted him to switch to wood and not turn his furnace on again for seven years.

Use this calculator to compare your heating fuel costs. You can determine your specific BTU needs and see exactly how quickly a wood stove pays for itself.

Wood is fundamentally cheaper per BTU than propane, heating oil, or electricity. As AmericanOutdoors puts it, at the end of five months you have got an investment of $1,250 in wood versus what you would have spent in propane of $1,750, so there is a $500 difference right off the top.

If you buy your firewood, a standard cord runs around $250. If you harvest your own timber, your fuel costs drop to zero. Just be ready for the sweat equity and physical labor of hauling wood.

Your upfront costs depend heavily on whether you are replacing an existing stove or installing a brand new system. As AmericanOutdoors notes, the cost to install a cast-iron stove system can range from just $400 to replace an old stove, to $3,000 or more for a complete setup.

To ensure your stove is large enough, calculate your needed BTUs. The average is 20 BTUs per square foot. If you have a leaky house where your newspaper rattles by the window, you will need more.

Based on content by AmericanOutdoors on YouTube.

Original: The Costs Of Heating Your Home With Wood vs Propane