What Is the Most Efficient Way to Burn Wood?
Last Updated: Apr 7, 2025There is nothing more romantic than the orange-red embers of a fire slowly burning in the fireplace during a cold winter night. The warmth of a fireplace brings a rich, natural heat that only comes from burning firewood. Most homes built today have replaced the natural log fireplace with gas fireplaces. Gas fireplaces are often much less efficient and run the potential risk of filtering carbon monoxide into your home, especially if you opt for a ventless fireplace.
Does your home have a fireplace and a chimney, or are you thinking about installing a small wood-burning stove or fireplace into your home? Some tricks of the trade will allow you to maximize the heat that comes from burning wood. Learning the agrarian art of properly cutting, storing, and burning wood is a great way to sustainably heat a home or add a bit of extra warmth without having to turn up the thermostat.
Table of Contents
- Get the Right Wood
- What Is the Best Firewood for Heat?
- How to Stack Firewood Wood
- What is a Cord of Firewood?
- How Much Is a Cord of Firewood?
- How To Start a Fire Safely
- Ideas for Efficient Burning
- What Are Some Alternatives to Fireplaces?
You can research the BTU values of several types of popular tree species here.
What is a Cord of Firewood?
When purchasing firewood, you generally buy it by the "cord" or fraction of a cord. This commonly accepted unit of measure is equal to 128 stacked cubic feet. This volume corresponds to a neatly piled stack of wood that measures four feet high by four feet deep by eight feet long. Another well-known measure, the "face cord," is a neatly piled stack of wood measuring four feet high by eight feet long by 16 inches deep.
How Much Is a Cord of Firewood?
If you purchase firewood in large quantities, you can expect to pay between $120-$180 per year per cord.
How To Start a Fire Safely
Once your wood has dried out sufficiently to burn, the first step in lighting a fire is priming the flue. During cold winter days, chimneys (mainly if they are situated on the outside of your wall) will accumulate cold air, which will draw down into your fireplace and make it challenging to get a fire started without blowing smoke into your living space. You can prime the flue by simply lighting some newspaper, holding it up inside the chimney until you "feel" the airflow reverse. When this occurs, the hot air begins to be pulled up through the chimney.
If you do not have a large supply of kindling or newspaper, you can purchase fire logs. These products are manufactured from compressed sawdust and paraffin and so are very easy to get started. If you are looking for a DIY option, "ocote wood" or pinewood, which is naturally soaked in pine resin, is a great way to get a fire started.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
