How Many Cords Of Wood Do I Need For Heating My Home This Winter?

During winter, you need to dry enough firewood to last you the entire season. So, how many cords of wood should you store for the winter season? 

The winter season is one that requires a great deal of preparation. It can get extremely cold and if you’re not ready for it, you may have to endure a lengthy period of cold weather. 

As humans, we don’t have the power to control the weather, but we can get the necessary resources to cope with it. 

Firewood is a valuable resource during the winter season as it keeps your household warm and comfortable.

As you think about winter, the important question you should ponder about is- how many cords of wood should you store for winter heating? Indeed, this is a question you should answer carefully for you to be adequately ready for winter. 

With the right answers, you are not going to be inconvenienced at any point of the winter season.  

Well, there are different appliances you can use to warm your home, but if your household is among those that depend on wood to keep their rooms warm, having adequate wood to serve your needs throughout the winter season is essential.

What does enough wood mean? Having enough firewood means that you won’t have to endure a cold night because the wood you had is over. 

Moreover, enough means that your fireplace will continue warming your home before you receive the next firewood delivery. 

Therefore, for you to know how many cords of wood you should store for winter heating, keep on reading to know the factors you should consider.

How Often Do You Use Wood For Winter Heating?   

If you’re wondering how many cords of wood you need to store for winter heating, you should ask whether you need wood to heat your home the whole winter season or occasionally. It’s important to distinguish between the two. 

For each of them, you’ll need different amounts of wood.

Obviously, if you’re going to need wood to warm your home during the entire winter season, you should have more wood compared to the occasional heating of your living room. Again, bear in mind that getting supplies at the time of winter can be slow. 

Therefore, the most prudent thing to do is to be prepared early in advance.  

Normally, if you need wood for winter heating for the whole season, you’ll have to prepare to use 3-6 cords of wood. 

However, if you occasionally heat your home or room, you don’t need a lot of wood. 

Specifically, 1 cord or less will be enough for you in a season. If occasional fires are your preference during the winter season, the amount of wood you’ll need to burn will depend on whether the fire is indoor or outdoor.

For infrequent indoor fires-maybe 1 time in a week- a ½ cord of wood will be enough for an entire winter season. 

For infrequent outdoor fires-maybe 1 time a week-1 cord of wood is enough for winter heating. You’ll notice that the amount of wood required for outdoor fires is more than for indoor fire. 

This is because wood burns faster in outdoor environments compared to indoor environments. 

So, as you plan on storing wood for winter heating, it’s imperative to take into consideration how often you’ll be using the wood.

The Size of your Room or Home

The size of your room or home is a major determinant of the amount of wood you should store for winter heating.

Generally, the smaller the room, the faster it takes to warm it. 

The larger the room, the slower it takes to warm the room. This means that if your room is small, you’ll need a lesser amount of wood compared to a larger room. 

In terms of the size of your room, if your home is in the northern climates, a 1,000 sq. ft. home size requires 2-3 cords of wood. A 1,500 sq. ft. home requires 4-5 cords of wood to last a winter season.

As you go down south, you’ll need fewer cords of wood, for a home of the same size, to last an entire winter season. 

Specifically, you’ll need around 25-50% less wood to heat your room or home during the winter season.

An important tip is ensuring that windows are sealed to prevent warm air from leaving the room you’re heating. 

Irrespective of whether your room is large or small, keep the windows sealed to trap as much warm air as possible.

The Type of Wood you’re using for Winter Heating

The type of wood you’re opting to use for winter heating is also a major consideration when deciding the amount of wood you need to use. There are two types of wood to choose from. You can either use hardwood or softwood.

Essentially, hardwoods burn slower compared to softwoods. Also, they are able to retain the heat in a room for a longer period compared to softwoods.

That’s why they are highly recommended for internal heating.

 The downside of hardwoods is that they are costlier than softwoods and some of the species may not be easy to get.

Based on the characteristics of both hardwoods and softwoods, you’ll need more cords of wood for softwoods to store for winter heating. This is because they burn faster compared to hardwoods.

Key Takeaways

• During the winter season, you’ll need to keep your home warm and wood is a good option.
• This means that you need to know how many cords of wood you should store for winter heating.
• There are different factors to consider such as frequency of use, size of home, and type of wood.
• If you’ll be heating your home the entire season, prepare to store from 3-6 cords of wood.
• If you’ll be heating your home occasionally, prepare to store from a ½- 1 cord of wood.