Here in northern Wisconsin, keeping a home warm is a large, predictable expense. Both LP gas and electricity can be very costly, especially when there are long stretches of subzero weather. Most people that we know don’t magically generate extra income to pay a high heat bill when it gets colder than usual outside. If at least one member of a household is able-bodied enough to wield a chainsaw, a well-insulated home can be heated with firewood for an investment of approximately 2 gallons of gas and 50 hours per year of cutting, splitting, and stacking. Once again, being that these hours of work are not taxed like a paycheck, you are money ahead by investing in this way. Many people who live through the frigid Midwest winters wouldn’t be able to pay their annual heating bill with six days worth of a paycheck. Personally, we choose to do this work in the autumn, gradually over a couple of weeks. If a person’s schedule doesn’t allow for that, one and a half hours per week is a good way to break up the workload and to ensure that the work is done and doesn’t become overwhelming.
Depending on available resources, locating enough wood shouldn’t be too difficult. Quite often you will have neighbors have a tree blow down in a storm, maybe an old tree dies in your own backyard, or someone just needs their yard cleaned up. A borrowed pickup truck for a weekend or two and a chainsaw can be a great time outdoors, and it will make a huge difference in your annual bills. We also suggest that firewood be split, stacked, and stored under cover for a minimum of a year (we prefer 2 years) to make starting fires easier and minimizing buildup in the chimney.
Stay tuned for next weeks blog about the things that we have missed out on due to the “Generation Gap”.