How much is a wood burning stove? What are the key costs involved?
If you’ve decided to add this classic character-piece to your home, either purely for heat, for aesthetics or a little of both then we’ll help you examine how much you can expect to pay and what exactly your money will get you.
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How Much is a Wood Burning Stove?
How Much is a Cheap Wood Burning Stove?
You can get a wood stove at the cheapest end for about $55.99. However, this kind of stove will be of no use for home heating.
The stoves that cost this much are only good for when you want to cook some food whilst out camping. For this, they are ideal as they are robust, strong, and can maintain a decent amount of heat.
They might not be the type of “wood burning stoves” we often think of, but they are stoves that burn wood, so technically, it’s not wrong to call them “wood burning stoves”. Despite that, they’re pointless for the large-scale heating of a home so you can ignore and move on in your search.
How Much is an Average Wood Burning Stove?
So let’s forget about “technically” and focus instead on what you really want, a proper wood burning stove that can add character and heat to your home.
The answer to how much that will cost depends on how big you want the stove to be, which in turn is generally influenced by the size of the space you want to heat.
For about $580, you can get a cast iron stove, which is 900ft2.
Although a stove this size probably won’t be able to heat an entire house, but it will undoubtedly do the job if you just want to keep a small room warm.
How Much is a More Expensive Wood Burning Stove?
If you’re willing to spend a bit more, a 1800ft2 stove will cost around $1190. And a 3200 ft2 stove is about $2460.
Simply put, the bigger the stove is, the more money it will cost but the greater size will result in a greater heat output and more of your home being heating by one fuel source.
If you already have a specific size in mind, it might be worth knowing that most stoves will cost you between 60-80cents per square foot.
How to Calculate how Much you can Expect to Pay for a Wood Burning Stove?
Style is obviously a factor when adding anything to your home, but heat output should always be the primary factor of concern when buying a stove. To calculate the ideal kilowatt output to determine how big your wood burning stove should be follow the below process:
KW output is the amount of energy it will take to heat your room.
1. Calculate the cubic space of your room
You do this by measuring the room’s width, weight, and length and multiplying all three of those numbers together.
To follow the math laid out in this article, you must measure your room in meters.
2. Divide the cubic space by the correct number
For most people, this number will be 14. But, if your room is poorly insulated, divide it by 10 instead.
And if it’s a new build home (which tends to be better insulated), divide it by 25.
This will give you the KW output you need.
3. Calculate how big your stove should be
A small stove is best if your ideal KW output is between 4-6. These are stoves which are less than 500 ft2.
You’ll want a medium stove if your KW output is between 7-9. Which is between 500-1000 m2.
If it’s 10-15, you’ll want a large stove, which is between 1000-2000 ft2.
And if your KW output is more than 15, the best stove would be extra large, which is more than 2200 ft2.
4. Once you decide on the right size for your stove, multiply that number by 0.6 to get the lowest price you can expect. And also multiply it by 0.8 for the highest
For example, let’s say that Pete wants to install a new stove in his living room. His living room is 10m long, 5m wide, and 2m high.
So, his room’s cubic space would be (10×5×2) 100m2.
His room is neither a new build nor poorly insulated, so we divide 100 by 14, which gives us 7.14 (approximately).
So, at a KW output of 7.14, he will want a medium stove, which will be approximately 1000-500 ft2.
Pete decides to go somewhere in the middle and look for a stove which is 700 ft2.
To find the cheapest stove he can get, he should multiply 700×0.6, which results in $420. And to find the most expensive, he should multiply 700×0.8, which is $560 in total.
This might sound like a lot of extra hassle, and in some cases it might be. Some people prefer to do the research themselves, but if you prefer then simply talk to the sales staff within your local stove retailers.
Extra Costs Associated with Wood Burning Stoves
After you’ve purchased your wood burning stove you may experience additional or extra costs from time to time. As with most things in life, you can add accessories, provide extra safety measures and so on.
A stove by itself may not be safe to use, especially if being retro-fitted into a previously unused space. Listed below are some other extras you may need to consider:
- A chimney insert, which is about $2500 on average
- A hearth pad for around $300
- Wall coverings for about $200
- The labor of getting the above installed for about $500
The numbers listed above are approximations so be aware they may change. You may need to pay more depending on the amount of material required, and the space/sizes involved.
How Much does a Wood Burning Stove Cost to Maintain
As well as installation, you also need to consider the general running and maintenance costs associated with any wood burner.
In most cases your two main running costs will be; fuel and cleaning.
Fuel is self-explanatory in that this will consist of the wood logs you buy to burn. If you happen to already have a ready supply of wood then these costs will lower dramatically. For everyone else, the price of a bag or pallet of logs will change depending on your local area and the readiness of wood supplies.
Cleaning costs should generally be relatively low. You can read more about cleaning and maintaining your stove here, but normally you’ll only need to purchase basic cleaning supplies and nothing more. You’ll only need to hire professional help if you leave your stove for a significant period of time, or some form of accidental damage is caused.
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We hope this helps, and for everything else home heating stick with CosyWarmer.com