How All This Got StartedA friend who is as avid a wood heat enthusiast as my wife and I, and who also cuts and splits wood from his own property, said that he burned wood mostly because it was free. He is not enamored of the open fire like we are and uses an enclosed stove for greater efficiency (so he burns far less wood). I asked what he would charge for his stack of firewood, which we�d estimated at three cords. He said that he�d probably take $500 if someone drove up and offered that (and then go out and cut more for himself). I also asked what it would cost to buy that much firewood and we agreed that it would be somewhere between $400 and $500, depending on when it was purchased and how good a deal could be negotiated. Thus, he burns at least $400 worth of wood per winter (and we burn almost twice that much). We didn�t pursue the matter any further, but it made me think about it being �free�. If there was $400 worth of wood in his stack in the fall and none in the spring, it seems like HEATING was NOT free because $400 of value went away in the process. Otherwise, what accounts for the $400 in value that goes away?
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