Appreciation post: the old wood stove in my Fairbanks cabin

Swapped out the cheap propane heater for a 1980s Jotul wood stove last October. After 3 months of burning birch logs I saved $400 on heating oil and the whole place stays warmer. Did anyone else make this switch and notice a major difference in their power bill?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel55216d ago

Well, "genuinely amazed" seems a bit strong, don't you think? I mean, $400 over three months is like $133 a month, which is pretty good but not some record breaking miracle. A cord of birch lasts me maybe 5 or 6 weeks when it's really cold, and I'm burning day and night. The savings are real but it's not like I'm sitting on a pile of cash or anything. The stove is a lot of work too, hauling wood and cleaning ash, so it's not all upside.

patricia_wells16d ago

Wow, FOUR HUNDRED dollars in savings? That's INCREDIBLE. I can't believe a wood stove could make that much of a dent in a heating bill, especially in Fairbanks where it gets SO cold. Birch is a good choice though, burns hot and clean. I swapped out my old electric baseboards for a tiny cast iron stove a few years back and my bills dropped by like a third, but NOTHING like that. You must have been paying a fortune for propane before. How long does a cord of birch last you up there? I'm genuinely amazed you're saving that much money.