05/27/2026
Last week we did the quick math on wood vs. oil heat. A bunch of folks reached out asking, "Okay, but what does a cord really cost — and is it actually worth the work?"
Fair question. Let's go deeper.
First, the latest Maine prices (from the Maine Department of Energy Resources, May 18, 2026):
🛢️ Heating Oil — $5.12/gal statewide average (up from $3.94 just 10 weeks ago)
🛢️ Heating Oil — high of $5.90/gal, low of $4.40/gal depending on supplier
⛽ Kerosene — $6.01/gal statewide
🔥 Propane — $3.34/gal statewide
For our local area (Southeast / Greater Portland), oil is averaging $5.02/gal, with some folks paying as much as $5.40.
A typical Maine home using 800–900 gallons of oil a season is looking at $4,100–$4,600 just to heat for one winter at today's prices.
Now let's talk about wood.
What IS a cord, anyway?
A real cord is a stack 4 feet high × 4 feet deep × 8 feet long = 128 cubic feet. Watch out for "face cords" or "ricks" — those are usually about 1/3 of a real cord. If somebody's selling you a "cord" for $150, ask them to define their terms.
What does a cord cost in Maine right now?
🪵 Seasoned hardwood, delivered: $300–$400/cord
🪵 Green (unseasoned) hardwood, delivered: $250–$310/cord — cheaper, but needs 6–12 months to dry
🪵 Kiln-dried premium: $475–$550/cord — ready to burn, no waiting
How much does a Maine home burn per winter?
Tight, well-insulated home: ~3 cords
Average home: 4–5 cords
Big or drafty: 6+ cords
At 4–5 cords of seasoned hardwood, you're looking at $1,200–$2,000 a season for fuel. Compared to $4,100+ for oil at today's prices, that's roughly $2,000–$3,000 in savings every winter.
Green vs. seasoned — this matters more than people think.
Green wood is freshly cut. It's 30–50% moisture. If you burn it, you get less heat (you're literally boiling off water), more creosote buildup in your chimney (real fire hazard), and a smoky, hard-to-keep-going fire. Seasoned wood (under 20% moisture) is what you want. If you buy green to save money, plan to stack it and let it dry for a full year. Buy in spring, burn next winter. That's the Maine way.
The honest part — the work nobody mentions:
✔ Stacking 4–5 cords each year (a few weekends of work, or pay $20–$80/cord for stacking)
✔ Loading the stove every 4–8 hours when it's cold
✔ Cleaning ash regularly
✔ Yearly chimney sweep ($150–$250)
✔ Keeping wood under cover and off the ground
If that sounds like more than you want to take on, a pellet stove is the middle ground. Pellets cost more per BTU than firewood, but you load it once a day — no splitting, no stacking, no seasoning.
The all-in honest picture for a wood stove household:
Fuel: $1,200–$2,000/season
Chimney sweep: ~$300/year
Stove + proper installation (one-time): $5,500–$8,000+
At current oil prices, a quality wood stove pays for itself in 2–3 winters. After that, you're saving thousands every single year — and you're not at the mercy of next winter's oil price spike.
We're not telling you wood heat is right for everyone. It isn't. But for a lot of Maine families — especially with oil where it is right now — the numbers are hard to ignore.
If you want to know what makes sense for your house — your square footage, your layout, your lifestyle — give us a call. We'll walk through the numbers honestly. No pressure, no pitch. That's not how we work.
🔥 The Hearth Doctor | Locally-owned | Auburn • Brunswick • Yarmouth
