Wood
Heat Cost
Comparison
Overview:
Wood heat cost
comparison is the cost per BTU in wood as compared to other
heating fuels. The available heat in a cord of
wood is dependent upon several factors, including the wood
type (hard or soft wood), and the amount of resin, ash, and
water concentrated in the wood. Woody material, resin and
ash, are determined by the tree species and its growth rate.
The amount of water in the wood depends on the species, the
season in which the tree was cut, and the method of
seasoning.
A general rule is that denser or heavier wood
gives out the most heat. Lighter woods have approximately
the same heat value per pound as harder woods, but give less
heat per cord or cubic foot because they are less dense.
Listed below are various types of
wood, measured in one air-dried cord (less than 20% moisture by weight)
and their equivalents in gallons of oil. Simply subtract the
cost of a cord of wood from the cost of the gallons of fuel
oil to determine the saving cost of burning wood.
-
Hickory, Hop
hornbeam (Ironwood), Black locust, White oak,
and Apple are equal to 46 gallons of fuel oil.
-
Beech, Sugar maple,
Red oak, Yellow birch, and White ash are equal to 133 gallons of fuel oil.
-
Gray and Paper
birch, Black walnut, Black cherry, Red maple, Tamarack
(Larch), and Pitch pine are equal to 114 gallons of
fuel oil.
-
American elm, Black
and Green ash, Sweet gum, Silver and Big leaf maple, Red
cedar, and Red pine are equal to, 103 gallons of fuel
oil.
-
Poplar, Cottonwood,
Black willow, Aspen, Butternut, Hemlock, and Spruce are
equal to 86 gallons of fuel oil.
-
Basswood, White pine, Balsam
fir, and White cedar are equal to 73 gallons of fuel
oil.
Related
articles:
Buying
a Woodstove
Chimney Fire Prevention
Chimney Sweeping | How to Clean a Chimney
Cleaning a Woodstove Pipe
|
