Wish you lived near us--we give away firewood every year. Before Stan became disabled, we donated 5-6 cords to needy seniors (through the senior center) every year. Now, he can't cut/split wood, but we allow a neighbor and a local policeman to cut up dead or fallen trees. We live in the midst of an oak forest, so it's great firewood--and we're happy to help others (especially those who wear uniforms).

Alisande, that is not good for you! Have you exhausted all other available resources?

I'd advise you to investigate the many indoor kerosene heaters. We're going to get one this year to replace the very old one we have. You could use it in your downstairs living area where you spend the most time. A small oscillating fan can move the heat around the room or even to another room.

Awesome deal on the electric if you're using it as an additional heating source! But rather than all the other expense and worry, wouldn't it be easier and potentially cheaper for you to just buy some ready firewood and continue with your life as normal? I know Raynaud's and being *stressed out* isn't good for you.

BTW: I have a pellet stove that I use as an additional heat source. Have you considered adding one? They come in all sizes (BTUs) and can heat very large spaces. My little one heats up to 1200 sq ft, if I remember correctly.

This is worrisome. I hope you can work out something to keep yourself comfortable. No appropriate firewood available, or too expensive? I guess it would be like buying a double load. So sorry.

Wanda, that's so nice of you! I priced firewood last year . . . you're saving these people a lot of money.

Rhizo, I have an oil burner--I'll be fine (just poor). :-)

In fact, this morning I paid $250 to have the oil burner inspected and stovepipe replaced. The oil burner heats the downstairs, but unevenly. Using electric heaters during periods of free electricity should fill in the gaps and save some money too. I have an oscillating fan that I used to move the heat around from the woodstove.

Wood heat has its disadvantages (dust, smoke), but I'll miss the coziness. Fortunately, we have a small amount of seasoned wood to cover us in case of a power outage. And we have generators as well.

PartyMusic, I just read your post. Thanks for your concern, but firewood prices were out of sight the last time I checked, and the wood was wet. I wouldn't want to burn it. It will be less stressful to burn heating oil, I'm sure.

I talked a friend into getting a pellet stove a couple of years ago to see her through power outages. For me, though, between the oil burner and my large Jotul woodstove, I'm probably covered.

BTW, the worst of the Raynaud's events this month happened when I was preparing vegetables for the juicer. Those cold carrots and greens! No fair . . . you do something healthy for yourself, and get something else in the process.

The cheapest heat we have is the under-floor hydronic. The tubing is cheap -- mostly labor to nail it up. the water is heated by a small natural-gas-fired boiler. (It could even be supplied by a water heater tank.)We added this in two north-facing rooms after our builder failed to adequately duct those rooms for forced air heat.

I'd probably go ahead and look for seasoned firewood and save the non-seasoned wood for next year. I prefer heat from a wood stove because it is so much more thoroughly warming.

We have heated our home with a woodstove for over 40 years and I love it. We get a supply of just cut wood the year before and let it season. We basically heat the whole house until it goes below 30 and then the furnace kicks in. However my husband informed me that this is the last year. He's tired of cutting and stacking and the day to day carrying in wood. So I'm sad, but I get it. We'll take out the woodstove and get a gas insert. Certainly not the same. There is nothing like a wood stove fire, but my daughter does worry about fires with us in this old farmhouse.My pets will hate to see this era end as will I. We did get rid of our ancient oil burner and got a gas furnace two years ago which is better but still I prefer wood.

Lily, would your husband be okay with it if you hired someone to cut and stack the wood? That is a chore than can be hired out and might allow you to hang on to the woodstove for a few more years.

I understand for many there can be economic or logistical reasons for heating with wood fires. From a health human standpoint, any other heat source is a better choice because of the dangerous pollutants released by wood fires.

The local air quality agency in my (not rural) area has a "Spare the Air" program in the winter months. Particulate pollution in the air from wood fires is constantly monitored. They publicly announce wood and pellet fire bans for days when there's a thermal inversion or not enough wind to clear the smoke from the area. Thankfully.

I dislike the smell of wood fire smoke. Besides the other issues, It unfortunately can trigger breathing problems for those with asthma or other respiratory conditions.

Lily, I forgot about the pets! They always loved to stretch out (or curl up) next to the stove.

Have you considered a pellet insert instead? You might prefer it to gas, although it's an individual thing. I don't blame your husband for calling a halt to cutting and splitting wood. I had a nice routine going with my son whereby he cut the wood and split the massive pieces with the big gas splitter, and I split the smaller stuff with the smaller electric spliter. But this year I wasn't up to doing any of it. If I had, we still wouldn't have seasoned wood. I guess we over-burned last year in that long, bitter winter.

I've worried about fire in my old farmhouse too. It's one of those things I started thinking about when I became a widow. Amazing how our partners can make us feel safe, even unrealistically.

Susan, in the deep winter, all my cats and dogs would position themselves right in front of the stove. I'd have to push my way in if I wanted to stand there...lol My clapboard three story 180 year old farmhouse would be so combustible if there were a fire. Almost every day in the winter, you read about a house fire caused by a woodstove. I'll ask him about pellets, but I think he's done after four decades. He justs want to flick the thermostat. In his 70's, he's not getting any younger. We over burned last winter too because of the severity, and had to shut down the stove earlier in the spring before we usually did. We have gas hot air heating system ,and I would prefer hot water with old fashioned radiators. I hate that when the furnace kicks in, there's heat, when it shuts off, nothing. There is always residual heat in radiators (which I grew up with.) Same principle as the woodstove which is always throwing heat.

Where do you live? I have an abundance of dry wood and a pick up truck and would gladly trade you some dry for your unseasoned. Also, around here, there are some programs to donate dry firewood to certain households (elderly, disabled, or low income) cut from wood taken from public right away - downed storm trees, etc. Have you checked to see if there are any in your area?

As far as electric heaters go I'd recommend the oil filled, radiant type.

I wish people would think of burning, they think saving but at same time like we keep hearing of Washington burn so much the smoke pollution is really bad and people with asthma, breathing problems suffer tons.

Its not good all that wood burning and also burning up our forests too.

I do understand the costs.

I worked for a family that burned and I couldn't take it one year their wood they were burning and so I told them I had to use the furnace heat due to that problem.

I hear there are other ways, don't know if its safer to breath in or what not.

kathy

I think if people who want or need to heat with wood would switch to energy efficient, less polluting stoves, it wouldn't be a problem. Luckily, we can have sustainable forests.

Lower polluting stoves

Olychick, I'm in PA. Thank you for your kind offer, but we'll need to save the current inventory for future use. My year of doing without will be an adventure. And who knows, maybe running the oil burner will keep my floors slightly warmer, allowing me to save some of the chunk of money I spend on disposable foot warmers every year.

Kathleen, I'm not burning up anyone's forest. All our wood comes from my own property--either dead trees or trees that need to come down for a reason. Forests are healthier when trees aren't all crammed together. This year the electric company removed a massive maple that was in danger of tangling with the power lines, and we got the wood from that.

As you've suggested olychick, new models sold are required by the EPA and various states to burn cleaner and pollute less. But they still pollute. The problem is the existing installed base of old equipment that continues to operate. These represent the majority of wood burning for years to come unless it's decided laws are needed to require them to be replaced. Most unlikely.

We burn wood with an oil furnace that kicks n when it is frigid cold. Several winters ago, when oil prices were so high it cost us $850 to fill our oil tank one time. If we didn't burn wood we would go thru abt a tank a month in fuel oil. Can't afford that. We are considering getting a coal stoker. The continuous feed ones with a hopper. It would be much easier on us to not have to cut, split and stack wood, then load it into the basement thru the window well. Definitely not easy work. Where abouts in PA Alisande? Can you ck craigslist for other prices on buying firewood? Good luck!!

Have you considered a kerosene heater? The power is constantly going out where we live so the first winter here we invested in one of these. It was 100.00 at Home Depot and it can heat up to 900 sf. We lost power a couple of times and stayed perfectly toasty. I'd highly recommend it. We've been told they are safe indoors but I still get a little paranoid so to appease me, my DH would leave a window cracked. :c) I wish you lived close by cause I'd sure be happy to loan it to you if you did.

lukkiirish, that's the kind I was talking about....a portable, indoor heater. They come in different sizes.

Lukkiirish, I was about to say it sounds like what Rhizo mentioned above.

It does look like it would come in handy during a power outage, but I'm not sure I want to deal with kerosene. Using electricity during my free hours is the most economical option I can think of.

Such a nice, generous thought on your part to loan the heater to me, but if we lived close to one another my power outage would most likely be your power outage too. :-)

I didn't know they came in different sizes. The one we have is rather large but boy does it give off some really nice heat; it doesn't burn the kerosene real fast either. Our whole first level was warmed up and toasty in no time. What I like about it too is that it's very easy to fill and start. The out put of heat can be adjusted as well. I really believe they should be a back up staple for anyone who lives where there's severely cold weather.

Oh man, if you have any respiratory problems or allergeries, etc. be careful with the kerosene heaters. They are deadly to asthmatics. It put my mother in the hospital the one year we had one, granted that was decades ago. But the fumes from that thing were killer.

We heat with wood too and there's nothing as cozy as it is. Woody's been cutting fallen trees, we're still cutting ones that were blown over in a hurricane aftermath years ago, was it Ike? We lost about 50 huge trees that night. I'm sorry you don't have the best supply, Susan. Maybe you could also make yourself some rice bags and zap them in the evening to warm up your bed?

wish we had a fireplace...dh cut up couple of junk trees at least 5-6 years ago and it's STILL sitting here...we can't even give it away! sil would take it but his little trailer is always packed at Christmas...with dd and 3 dgs, and buying presents for both his and our families, he never as room...but the ground squirrels, and 2 hedge hogs love it, lol...

btw don't forget to do some of the easier heat retaining things like the shrink film on the windows, shutting doors to retain heat and the ever useful insulation...and if you have a crawl space we always shut the vents in the winter...we also tried one year of putting the bagged leaves as insulation around the house on the north side...kind of tacky looking and don't know if it helped or not...

Alisande, I'm interested in your Reynaud's 'damage'. Last winter, I began to have misery in my right hand fingers when I got cold. I found this disease online and mentioned to my doctor. I also read that it is very likely to be inherited condition (my mother had something like this but never had very much to say about it). Doctor had very little to say about it and nothing about any damage. According to what I read, there is very little to be done and I agree that chopping and prepping cold veggies (which I do a lot) causes torture. Have you found any relief for this? Now I am really dreading the cold weather! Before very long I had the same symptoms in the left hand. Wearing warm gloves did not afford me much relief. Any hints you can furnish would be very welcome!

Lovemrmewey (is Mr. Mewey your cat? ;-) ), do you have the problem in your feet as well? Mine started there, back in the early 1980s. We were x-country skiing, and I thought I had some sort of infection in my boots. I forget how I found out what it really was. Some years later it progressed to my fingers.

My doctor at the time told me there are two versions of Raynaud's: One is independent of anything else, and the other is attached to a disease. He ran a blood test and diagnosed me with lupus, but later tests refuted that. So I don't know if my Raynaud's is attached to anything else, but I do know it has gotten worse over the years.

My feet are no longer a problem, because I use disposable foot warmers about 7 months of the year. I buy Toastie-Toes Foot Warmers by Hot Hands (made in USA)--boxes of 40 pairs from Amazon. In fact, I just ordered two boxes this morning. They are adhesive, sticking easily to the bottom of my wool socks. I also wear them on thin trouser socks with dressier shoes.

I wish it were as simple to protect my hands. A few random tips:

If your fingers get white and numb, be careful not to warm them under hot water. Use warm water only.

A wet washcloth warmed (and rewarmed) in the microwave can be a fast fix over and over when chopping vegetables.

Try to make sure your core is kept warm. I've become a big fan of turtlenecks topped with a fleece vest under a fleece hoodie, but there are other ways to do it, of course.

I occasionally use a disposable body warmer tucked into my jeans.

On the coldest days in the house, air-activated hand warmers in my hoodie pockets are very welcome.

It took some time, but I have finally learned not to step outside in winter, even "for a minute," without gloves or mittens. Ditto going to the basement to get something out of the freezer.

My tax accountant took a prescription beta blocker for her Raynaud's. This will lower blood pressure, though, and mine is already on the low side.

If I think of anything else I'll be back.

A prescription beta blocker in a low dose, if a low dose would help, may not lower blood pressure significantly unless yours is already remarkably low. My Mom's has been approx. 117/72 always and she is taking 10mg inderol for about the last three years. It improves tremor in her hands that had begun making writing, any sewing difficult at 89 yrs. It doesn't eliminate the tremor, but improves it - and without side effects including change in her blood pressure. Just a thought.

Good idea about Craigslist, Katlan. I'm in NE PA. I checked, and it's going for about $150 a cord. But then my son told me he has some long-dead wood that he needs to cut up, and this should easily take us through any power outages that might occur.

We've never had to buy wood, and I honestly don't know which is cheaper--burning heating oil or purchased wood. At this point I'm resigned to burning oil this winter. I've had a convergence of unusual expenses, and need to start looking for freelance work. I haven't done that in awhile, and have no idea what's out there.

We have burned wood for many years, but the past year and this year we will not be burning it. It is too hard for me to handle and my husband since his second stroke can not manage it either. We do have a small amount on hand if power goes out. We have a fireplace insert. I would never use a fireplace to burn wood with out an insert. It takes too much heat out of the house. The wood we burn is either wood from our son's tree trimming business or if we have a down tree or a tree that should come down. I know of no one that just goes out and cuts down a tree to burn. My next door neighbor is getting a lot of wood to burn from a nearby farmer. He had a lot of trees cut for lumber and sold, so my neighbor is getting all the tops and things that they did not want. We have electric heat in our house and I like it.

Sue

We're on a well for water. Going almost a week without power and water a couple of years ago convinced us to get a generator. The Kerosene heater is still available for the garage or should our main heat go out so it certainly wouldn't have been a problem to lend to you. :c)

I really hope you will do some research before you decide completely on your winter plan. At the very least I hope you will consider the Kerosene before you use your oven. Using your oven for warmth is very dangerous! Ovens are not designed to be used as heaters and omit heavy volumes of carbon monoxide. We have lots of deaths every winter because of people trying to warm their homes with ovens. Another problem in our area is electric heaters as they tend to cause fires. They demand a lot of juice and if you're in an older home, your circuits or electrical panel may not be able to properly support the demand.

Our Kerosene heater produces so much heat that we'd have to turn it off after 10-15 minutes. Within that short period of time, the whole first floor of our house is warm. The heat lasts an hour or so then we'd run it again. As it's been pointed out, they do come in other sizes and having one even for back up is better than not having a back up plan at all. Actually, when used with proper ventilation, they are safer than either source you are considering. The electricity may be free, but that's not the only thing you need to consider.

Katlan, I'm not disputing what you experienced, but I've never heard that about the Kerosene heaters before. Yes, they do have a smell but Kerosene does burn "clean". My SIL has asthma pretty bad and they use their heater (the same one we have) every year without a problem. Maybe there were some other contributing factors like a lack of ventilation?

I guess I don't express myself as clearly as I think I do. I would never use the oven for heat! When I said "If I plan to use the oven" I should have added "for baking, etc." I simply meant I would schedule baking or roasting vegetables early in the morning to warm up the kitchen.

I had some rewiring done about 10 years ago, and a new circuit breaker panel installed. We have a separate setup for the generator. We got our first generator back when we had horses because it was imperative that the horses had water at all times. Eleven horses go through a lot of water!

I appreciate your concern, but an electric heater wouldn't be unattended and wouldn't be run indefinitely. I have a healthy respect for fire, and know where my extinguishers are.

Yeah, that helps to clarify because when I read you could use your oven I was like oh no!!! LOL

Actually, I was just at Costco and thought of you when I saw one of these on display:

btw has anyone installed one of the natural gas-fired generators? a hefty price tag of about 3-4 grand and sits on a cement pad by natural gas source...looks like ac unit....we have a gasoline fire one, purchased when the east coat to Detroit went black...then ds1 borrowed it to drain the basement when they had horrible rains and never returned it, lol...

Susan, I don't believe we have natural gas here. Nor do I have 3-4 grand. LOL But my son has a propane-fired generator that hooks up to his large tank. Mine runs on gasoline. It was a pain to keep it fed during hurricane Sandy and the aftermath. And it was so LOUD. A friend had a pricier Honda that was much quieter.

Lukkiirish, what is that? Some sort of fan with radiant heat?

Nope, it's an electric heater. Costco has them available every year but I've never paid much attention; sometimes the store will have a display with one turned on and they do provide some good heat. It has some safety features too. Here's the link for the one at Costco but they are available in other stores too.

presto heat dish

Susan, we looked into going the natural gas generator route, several people in our neighborhood have them and they are a great option but you aren't kidding when you say hefty price tag! We were quoted over 5000 for one installed and that's for a house with less than 2000 sf.. The power doesn't go out for long periods very often, but when it does, it's during horrid weather so we needed something. We opted instead to buy a 7000W gas run unit and then we had a supplement panel put in. When the power goes out, we just have to plug the generator into the panel, flip a switch on the panel and turn the generator on with a remote. The cost to have that installed including the generator was less than 1500. It runs everything in the house except for our 2nd floor lighting and the a/c. It's been installed for almost 2 years and we've only had to use it a couple of times and it worked out great. I have to admit it is sort of loud, but everyone's is, including the natural gas units.

I need to invest in a kerosene heater too, just in case. There is an old cook stove in the kitchen that we used for years along with the natural gas furnace but now without DH to maintain it,I am afraid to use it. Plus worrying about a chimney fire. Susan, wish you lived in my area as I have plenty of wood for cutting, plus half a woodshed full! I was also thinking of a pellet stove for my house just for power outages as I guess they don't burn as hot.

We have 2 Hond EU200i gas powered generators. There's an attachment with them that you can hook them together and run them at the same time for twice the power. Bought them for our RV, but have used them more for our house when power goes out. We can hook up our fan from the woodburner to it to keep it going when necessary. Can also plug the furnace in. We also have well water (and septic tank) so we would need to plug in the water pump also.

No problem lukkiirish not offended at all. Maybe it burned something else. It was 30 years ago or more. I remember it looking just like they one you posted. You could smell the fumes when you got half way down the steps from upstairs. The fumes were horrible. I'm sure they've come a long way now. :)

Like most other things, there's lots of information to be found on the topic of kerosene heaters. Here's what the US Dept of Energy says about kerosene heaters:

"Space heaters are classified as vented and unvented or "vent-free."
Unvented combustion units are not recommended for use inside your home,
because they introduce unwanted combustion products into the living
space—including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and water vapor—and
deplete air in the space. Most states have banned unvented kerosene
heaters for use in the home and at least five have banned the use of
unvented natural gas heaters."

The California Air Resources Board says:

"Kerosene heaters.......should never be used indoors"

Yes, they sell them everywhere. Yes, lots of people have used them for years. This is another one of those things - people fall into habits and then prefer to ignore information that suggests their habits are unsafe or ill-advised.

Yeah well laws like that are put into place because some people are Idiots and don't follow instructions. The state has to do something to protect the ignorant, and so it goes. Anyone who's lived in California knows it tends to make a law for everything under the sun. In subzero weather, our heater did the trick to keep everyone warm including the animals at an affordable price, but of course proper ventilation is key.

I was in doubt if we would do the wood thing this year. My husband is not doing well. Our son and his family came a few weeks ago and helped us get wood in the old barn. We have 4 big racks that we stack it on. Each rack lasts 3 to 4 weeks. We have a lot of dead trees down that all they need is to be cut and split. Last weekend my husband took his big trailer down south to gather logs that are already down. He will fill the trailer and haul it home.. He will split on the nicer days. Don't know how much longer we wil do it either.

Alisande, I have no suggestions on helping you keep warm in the wood burning/furnace department, but do have a suggestion for keeping your hands warm while doing the veggies. Could you perhaps wear a thin pair of gloves under a pair of latex gloves while prepping and chopping your veggies? Also, Zippo makes pocket hand warmers that use the Zippo lighter fluid, that last 6-12 hours. They do recommend that you don't put them in your pants pockets, as they can get very warm, but in the kangaroo pocket of a sweatshirt would be ok, as you would have your hands in it and be moving it around, and it wouldn't be as close to your skin as it would be in pants pockets. I have found them very helpful. I have very cold hand in the winter, but not Raynauds. My aunt does have it, though. I also have very cold feet. I have not figured out a way to keep them warm, other than my hand knit wool socks, and even those don't keep my feet as warm as I would like. I find that the warmers that you use, get to hot in spots, so that I can not use them in my shoes. I do like them occasionally for my hands, especially when the Zippo warmers are not available, like when we are in the RV and the warmers are at home! :)

I know that my parents had/have (DB & family are living in my parent's house, taking care of mom now) a fuel oil furnace, and the price of fuel oil is outrageous! You were not kidding when you said $850 a tank, that would maybe last a month. Hope you figure out a good way to stay warm this winter, without spending a fortune.

"Yeah well laws like that are put into place because some people are Idiots and don't follow instructions."

What I quoted were recommendations from two different agencies, one federal and one state. They're not laws. I consider them to be instructions from knowledgeable people that, as you say, some people choose to ignore and not follow.

I understand that there can be money issues involved. Older houses that are leaky and inadequately insulated can suck dollars day after day and still be uncomfortable inside. The solutions in such cases shouldn't involve risking your health or safety.

Tami, thanks so much for the tips. I never thought of using thin gloves + latex gloves in the kitchen, but I have the perfect combination. I use cheap stretch acrylic gloves under disposable latex gloves to pick up garbage strewn around the yard by the bear. I'll definitely try it.

Also, I didn't know about the Zippo hand warmer. I read the reviews on Amazon, and will pick one up at Walmart today, along with the premium lighter fluid. The smell might bother me since I'll be using it mostly in the house, but it does I'll pass it along to a family member.

I'm puzzled about the hot spots in the foot warmers, as I've been using them for a lot of years and never experienced this. I wonder if your shoes are letting in too much air. Oxygen heats up the warmers. I use them mostly with Lands' End All-Weather Mocs (old style), which look like this:

All-Weather Mocs

But then again, even with dressy flats I haven't noticed hot spots. Did you use the same brand I use (Hot Hands Toastie Toes)? I tried other brands that didn't work nearly as well.

Susie, I hope your husband feels better soon.

Basic expensive heat provided by an oil-fired furnace, with a
supplementary wood-fired stove in a distant room, and have an oil-filled
heater in the bathroom that I turn on at night when the price is at the
lowest of three levels during the day/night to provide comfort during
repeated ritualistic visits when clad in only one layer of clothing during sleep time.

A substantial number of people who burn wood use trees that are dying, or too close to other important trees, or blown down in wind storms, or cut to keep power lines clear, and sometimes tops of trees when the tree was cut for lumber.

As for the burning causing pollution ... if you allow them to lie on the ground when they die, and a forest fire comes along ... substantial pollution, but maybe less when burned at high heat ... but the larger numbers cause those more devastating fires that have put people and property at increased risk in recent years. Remember Smokey the bear and, "Only you can prevent forest fires"? Stopping them in the short term only allows more buildup of residue ... that results in a much bigger, and more dangerous fire ... later.

Also ... dead trees that have fallen over - rot. Which produces carbon dioxide, methane? and some other unfriendly atmospheric degraders ... granted, over a longer period ... which delays the pollutants being released ... till tomorrow ... another problem with which our kids will need to deal.

In earlier years many had electric blankets, but haven't heard much about them recently. I think that having those wires over one's body in a blanket rather than being hammered by bodies thrashing over them nightly in a mattress pad would be preferable, in terms of lasting longer and being less at risk in case of damage to the wires.

Hope you can find some seasoned wood at less than outrageous prices, Alisande.

ole joyfuelled ... with additional warmth provided by an extra sweater/blanket or so

Regardless of what method you use to heat with, there is pollution involved. So choose what works best for you, regardless of who you are.

Alisande, I will have to look to see which disposable warmers I have. I know they are orange, and I buy them for about a dollar for a pack of 4, I think. I like to keep them in all of the vehicles, and give them to our kids, too, in case of break downs, so they have at least some heat, if they can't get help immediately.

Ole Joyfull, we use the electric blanket in the winter, but only use it to warm the bed, then turn it off when we get in. I may have a screw loose, but I think I can feel the current running thru the blanket, so it has to be really cold before I leave it turned on for a while after I get in. And I am almost always up at least once to make that same trip you do, so turn it off then. We also use a lot of blankets when sitting watching TV or reading.