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.

1. Hickory, Hop hornbeam (Ironwood), Black locust, White oak, and Apple are equal to 46 gallons of fuel oil.

2. Beech, Sugar maple, Red oak, Yellow birch, and White ash are equal to 133 gallons of fuel oil.

3. Gray and Paper birch, Black walnut, Black cherry, Red maple, Tamarack (Larch), and Pitch pine are equal to 114 gallons of fuel oil.

4. 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.

5. Poplar, Cottonwood, Black willow, Aspen, Butternut, Hemlock, and Spruce are equal to 86 gallons of fuel oil.

6. Basswood, White pine, Balsam fir, and White cedar are equal to 73 gallons of fuel oil.

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