Massachusetts homeowners hunt for heating savings, but firewood prices can reach $850

“Firewood is all over the place, it’s like the Wild West.”

Some Massachusetts homeowners looking to cut winter heating costs by relying on a fireplace have run into an unexpected expense: firewood deliveries can run from $800 to $850.

There may be cheaper choices on the market, but the lowest price is not always the best deal over time.

What to know

As energy prices climb, more people have been turning to firewood as a heating option, CBS News Boston reported.

Paul Fulmore, who runs Boston Firewood, told CBS News that his company has been hearing from many new customers searching for an alternate source of heat. Among them are people working from home, who may use a fireplace in a home office to reduce heating elsewhere in the house.

“It’s a lot of people we have never heard from before,” Fulmore said, according to CBS News.

More background

Fulmore said some first-time buyers are shocked when they hear the price, having expected to spend closer to $100 instead of the $800 to $850 range he described.

“The new customers are ordering a Domino’s pizza, and they expect it tomorrow morning,” Fulmore said, according to CBS News Boston, joking that “we have to call an ambulance for them” after they hear the price.

He added that cheaper wood can lead to higher heating costs because it produces less heat for each dollar spent than dry, higher-quality wood.

The same logic applies to wood pellets, another common home-heating fuel, Fulmore said. Lower prices can mean a product that burns less efficiently.

What can be done?

According to CBS News Boston, Fulmore said dry firewood can still provide more heat for the money even if the upfront price is higher. That is why he recommends well-seasoned, higher-grade firewood instead of cheaper damp wood.

“You just can’t go on social media, find who’s the cheapest guy and bang that’s going to be our guy because that wood may be outside for the last three months in a big pile,” Fulmore warned, per CBS News Boston.

He said one way to judge dryness is by sound: when a piece of wood is dropped, it should make a sharp, hard clack.

“Sounds like two baseball bats when you clang them together,” he explained, describing the sound properly dry firewood should make, according to CBS News.

Overall, Fulmore said inexperienced buyers should understand that shopping for firewood is very different from buying heating oil.

“They need to realize, it’s not like buying a gallon of oil, all oil is basically the same,” Fulmore said, as quoted by CBS News Boston. “Firewood is all over the place, it’s like the Wild West.”

Where can I learn more?

Finding a heat source is only one of several challenges facing residents in colder climates as winter nears.

• A Pennsylvania wood-stove newcomer stacked winter firewood, then learned green wood poses risks.

• Massachusetts households faced a $2,627 heating-oil winter as Healey moved to ease bills.

• In Massachusetts, heating-aid demand jumped early while HVAC firms urged residents not to delay repairs.

• Massachusetts renters and homeowners can qualify for winter heating help under an income-based rule.

• A homeowner seeking lower oil-heating costs got advice to warm the bed, not the air.