Russia's war of aggression, the unstable world situation and Europe's aim to reduce its energy dependence on Russia have caused an energy crisis that is also increasing Finnish heating bills.

In the coming winter, it's worth being careful with your energy use. Everyone should save energy where they can. However, especially in electrically heated homes, rising electricity and energy prices can hit you in the wallet, no matter how hard you try to save energy.

So using firewood for heating this coming winter can not only save a pretty penny, it can help us all get through the worst of the energy crisis. 

Wood heating helps reduce the amount of heating energy you have to buy

Firewood as part of security of supply and crisis preparedness will become particularly important if it is used to heat homes alongside electricity, for example. In this case, firewood is an important safeguard against, for example, power cuts in winter. For example, if a power cut occurs in the middle of the worst frost, firewood can be a real lifesaver.

Especially during the coldest winters and electricity shortages, and now with rising electricity prices, firewood is an excellent way to reduce energy consumption and thus the final amount of your electricity bill. So firewood is also an affordable way to heat your home and reduce the cost of your own energy consumption.

Firewood also helps to reduce the amount of heating energy that has to be purchased. For electric heaters in particular, small-scale wood combustion can bring significant savings during the winter. Of course, when heating with wood, it is worth maximising its heat output. This can be achieved by burning wood efficiently and cleanly. 

To ensure clean and efficient wood burning, make sure your firewood is of high quality, dry and clean. It is advisable to bring the wood inside the day before, so that any moisture that has accumulated on the surface of the wood is lost. This makes it much easier for the wood to ignite and produces far fewer emissions during the ignition period compared to cold, damp wood. It is also advisable to light the fireplace correctly and to leave at least one third of the height of the fireplace free space. It is also a good idea to open the doors to all rooms so that the heat spreads evenly throughout the home. 

Can firewood help you save on your electricity bill?

Of course, the prolonged high demand has also pushed up firewood prices in Finland and elsewhere in the world this autumn. Nevertheless, firewood is still a very affordable form of heating.

When estimating the price of firewood, you should also be careful about volumes, whether we are talking about litres or cubes, for example. Different woods also have different calorific values, which naturally affects their price.

Rough calculations can be done, for example, as follows. One cube of wood means the following weights and calorific values for different species of wood:

COPPER: 243 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4,15 kWh/kg

FIRE: 193 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4.10 kWh/kg

BUTTER: 198 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4,10 kWh/kg

PINE: 195 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4,15 kWh/kg

So, in addition to the price per cubic metre, you should also pay attention to the type of wood you are buying. So how much can you save on your electricity bill by burning, for example, one cube of birch or spruce? 

• One cube of dry birch weighs about 243 kg. The price of birch is 80 €/m3. If the efficiency of the fireplace is 85 %, the energy yield is about 857 kWh. If the electricity price is 20c/kWh, the savings on the heating bill are about 91 € per cubic metre.
  
• One cube of dry spruce weighs about 193 kg. The price of spruce is 50 €/m3. If the efficiency of the fireplace is 85 %, the energy yield is approximately 673 kWh. If the price of electricity is 20c/kWh, the savings on the heating bill are about 85 € per cubic metre. 
  
• Two birch stumps (approx. 20 kg), i.e. one heating batch, produce about 83 kWh of energy and cost about €9.7. If the electricity price is 20c/kWh, the savings on the heating bill are about 7 € per heating session. 

Of course, as the price of electricity rises, so do the economic benefits. And let's not forget that reduced consumption also helps to mitigate the overall energy crisis and its negative effects. 

We can all influence how well the energy crisis is resolved

Russia's war of aggression, the unstable world situation and Europe's aim to reduce its energy dependence on Russia have caused an energy crisis that is also increasing Finnish heating bills.

In the coming winter, it's worth being careful with your energy use. Everyone should save energy where they can. However, especially in electrically heated homes, rising electricity and energy prices can hit you in the wallet, no matter how hard you try to save energy.

So using firewood for heating this coming winter can not only save a pretty penny, it can help us all get through the worst of the energy crisis. 

Wood heating helps reduce the amount of heating energy you have to buy

Firewood as part of security of supply and crisis preparedness will become particularly important if it is used to heat homes alongside electricity, for example. In this case, firewood is an important safeguard against, for example, power cuts in winter. For example, if a power cut occurs in the middle of the worst frost, firewood can be a real lifesaver.

Especially during the coldest winters and electricity shortages, and now with rising electricity prices, firewood is an excellent way to reduce energy consumption and thus the final amount of your electricity bill. So firewood is also an affordable way to heat your home and reduce the cost of your own energy consumption.

Firewood also helps to reduce the amount of heating energy that has to be purchased. For electric heaters in particular, small-scale wood combustion can bring significant savings during the winter. Of course, when heating with wood, it is worth maximising its heat output. This can be achieved by burning wood efficiently and cleanly. 

To ensure clean and efficient wood burning, make sure your firewood is of high quality, dry and clean. It is advisable to bring the wood inside the day before, so that any moisture that has accumulated on the surface of the wood is lost. This makes it much easier for the wood to ignite and produces far fewer emissions during the ignition period compared to cold, damp wood. It is also advisable to light the fireplace correctly and to leave at least one third of the height of the fireplace free space. It is also a good idea to open the doors to all rooms so that the heat spreads evenly throughout the home. 

Can firewood help you save on your electricity bill?

Of course, the prolonged high demand has also pushed up firewood prices in Finland and elsewhere in the world this autumn. Nevertheless, firewood is still a very affordable form of heating.

When estimating the price of firewood, you should also be careful about volumes, whether we are talking about litres or cubes, for example. Different woods also have different calorific values, which naturally affects their price.

Rough calculations can be done, for example, as follows. One cube of wood means the following weights and calorific values for different species of wood:

COPPER: 243 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4,15 kWh/kg

FIRE: 193 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4.10 kWh/kg

BUTTER: 198 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4,10 kWh/kg

PINE: 195 kg/i-m3 and calorific value 4,15 kWh/kg

So, in addition to the price per cubic metre, you should also pay attention to the type of wood you are buying. So how much can you save on your electricity bill by burning, for example, one cube of birch or spruce? 

• One cube of dry birch weighs about 243 kg. The price of birch is 80 €/m3. If the efficiency of the fireplace is 85 %, the energy yield is about 857 kWh. If the electricity price is 20c/kWh, the savings on the heating bill are about 91 € per cubic metre.
  
• One cube of dry spruce weighs about 193 kg. The price of spruce is 50 €/m3. If the efficiency of the fireplace is 85 %, the energy yield is approximately 673 kWh. If the price of electricity is 20c/kWh, the savings on the heating bill are about 85 € per cubic metre. 
  
• Two birch stumps (approx. 20 kg), i.e. one heating batch, produce about 83 kWh of energy and cost about €9.7. If the electricity price is 20c/kWh, the savings on the heating bill are about 7 € per heating session. 

Of course, as the price of electricity rises, so do the economic benefits. And let's not forget that reduced consumption also helps to mitigate the overall energy crisis and its negative effects. 

We can all influence how well the energy crisis is resolved

While using firewood can save you a pretty penny on your heating bill, it's still worth paying attention to your energy consumption as a whole.

The current energy crisis is first and foremost about energy sufficiency, so by reducing consumption we can together ensure energy sufficiency in the coming months. Even small actions can make a big difference when they are taken by many. At the same time, of course, you can reduce your own electricity bill. 

Easy tips for reducing your energy consumption include:

• Reduce the room temperature by one degree - saving around 5% in heating energy.
• Set the air vents lower for the winter, and ventilate with a quick cross-draft if necessary. Do not leave windows open for long periods.
• Maintain the insulation of windows and doors. 
• Reduce the room temperature for journeys (still remember a good base temperature).
• Turn off appliances and lights when they are not needed.
• Use water sparingly.
  

Remember that the timing of energy use also matters. Try to use as little energy as possible during peak times. The national peak electricity hours are between 8 and 10, 16 and 17 and 19 and 20 on weekdays. By reducing your electricity use, especially during these hours, you help reduce the risk of power cuts.  

Step down a notch -campaign page for more everyday tips on how to reduce energy consumption. 

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