Feul cost comparison
Firewood - that is green is not firewood.
I piece of oak - green - in the spring will not float in water. I tried it. It also will not burn - at least not on its own. Sure you could but in a roaring fire with a real hot bed of coals, and you could boil the moisture out of it. But - it is not firewood - yet!
I had a Ford Ranger one time. I could pack it and get maybe 1/3 cord of wood into it. So that is what 1000 pounds and pushing it at that.
Cord of wood - then would be maybe 3000 pounds?? Sounds reasonable.
Cost of seasoned wood cut and split in southeast mass - uhh - $200 / $250 - say $250!
OK -- $250/3000#= about .85 cents. Oak gives off far more heat than maple. So to get a cost per BTU, per pound which is really what it's about is tough. Even at that it doesn't really tell you much.
It also depends on "how" the firewood is burned. Fireplace? Airtight stove? Steel stove? Cast Iron? Front loader, Side Load, Top Load, baffles, no baffles, Cat converter.
I have tracked my energy usage for the last 10 years, so this is how I compare the difference.
I burn about 1.5 cords per year. Small house, woodstove in living room, I don't turn on the oil heat except occasionally. I still use ~about~ 500 gallons of oil during the course of the year. Hot Water mostly, and a little heat in a couple of rooms in the cellar. Below ground level, real easy to heat. I keep them at 62 degrees.
My house is about 1100 sq/ft, well insulated, new windows.
If I were to heat with oil only, hot water, baseboard, I would use about 100 gallons per heating month in the coldest months. I would guess December, January, February, and most of March. About 400-500 gallons, more than I use now.
So at $3.00 per gallon for heating oil = $1500
1.5 cords of wood at $250 per cord = $375
Savings of burning wood compared to burning oil = $1125
Intangible benefits:
1) I get to keep the house at about 75-78 degrees in the winter
2) If I had glass doors on the woodstove - I get to see the pretty fire.
3) I can burn my scrap wood for heat
4) I can find FREE wood (heat) in lots of places.
5) If I buy cordwood I can get it at about half the cost of seasoned, cut and split. So I "could" buy it 2 years ahead and let it season.
In other words the cost of burning firewood is far more variable (controlable) that the dependance on oil.
Sooo - that's "my" 2 cents from the noobie.