Photo: Tom Fisk

How much firewood do I need for winter?

“The standard rule of thumb is that a 1,000-square-foot home will use three cords of wood for a season,” she says. “If your wood burning stove is super high-efficiency, or if you live in a more moderate climate, you may need less.” Firewood is measured in cords.

quadrafire.com - How Much Wood Will You Need This Winter? | Quadra-Fire Blog

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You may not be able to control the weather, buy you can prepare for it by getting enough firewood ready for the season. No matter how cold it gets this winter, your Quadra-Fire can keep you toasty warm—as long as you’ve got enough firewood on hand. Estimating how much you’ll need is part art, part science. This blog will help you consider what your seasonal needs will be.

To begin, consider these questions:

How cold does it tend to get in the area where you live?

What are the weather predictions for the season in your area?

Is your Quad your primary heat source?

Do you use it every day?

Is it a newer, more fuel-efficient model?

How much wood storage space do you have?

What type of wood do you typically burn? Different wood species have different BTUs, which you can review in this chart. Once you’ve given these questions some thought, it’s time to put pen to paper and begin to make your estimate. The video blog Life in Farmland offers this formula as a starting point, and you can find the whole segment here for an explanation of how to fill in those four factors.

When in doubt, round up

As long as you have the space necessary to keep your firewood off the ground and dry, you really can’t over-estimate your needs. Modern Homesteading blogger Victoria Gazeley says, “It’s better to have too much firewood than not enough.” She’s based in a rural homestead in British Columbia, Canada. In her 1,000-square foot living space, she has used about three cords of wood in a winter. Her experience is reinforced by Krista Campeau, retail sales manager for Fireside Hearth & Home, with five locations in the Twin Cities’ metro area. “The standard rule of thumb is that a 1,000-square-foot home will use three cords of wood for a season,” she says. “If your wood burning stove is super high-efficiency, or if you live in a more moderate climate, you may need less.”

Measuring and hauling

Firewood is measured in cords. If you’re ordering some or all of your wood, you’ll need to understand how much is in a cord. A full cord is 4 feet high by 8 feet wide by 4 feet deep. You’ll want to make sure the logs of your cord are stacked straight across. If they’re crossed over each other, you won’t be getting as much. A full cord of firewood can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, so if you’re picking up your own firewood, be aware of your truck’s hauling capacity. (See illustration from the USDA below!) However your firewood supply stacks up this season, you can be sure your Quadra-Fire will meet the challenge and keep you cozy until spring!

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