What provides the cheapest heating - electricity or wood burning?
Our wood calculator helps you compare the price of electricity and wood burning. The prices vary greatly, we therefore encourage you to use prices that apply to your household.
The calculation is based on the assumption of:
- Firewood with a maximum of 20% humidity
- Wood-burning stove with a power of 75% (efficiency varies, adapt this to your fireplace)
We assume that the gross energy content in 1 kg of firewood, when it has a maximum of 20%, is 4.3 kWt.
Wood measurements and weight
When you buy wood in liters, the volume will vary because it varies how much air you get in the bag. It is also important to take into consideration whether the wood is stacked or not. In this calculator the volumes presented in 40, 60 and 80 liters considers to be stacked, while wood sold in 1000 or 1500 liters are most often not stacked.
Efficiency may differ
The wood stove efficiency is different between products. For clean-burning stoves it is approximately 75%. For a non-clean burning stoves from before 1998, it is lower - approximately 50-60%. An open fireplace has even lower efficiency, about 15%.
How to get the most out of your firewood
So, proper wood burning with dry wood in a clean-burning wood stove provides the best conditions for cheap heating. In addition, the wood stove is a reliable source of heat if the power goes out.
Want to learn more about firewood and wood burning?
