coal heats the place for only $3 a day snip
What an ENERGY HOG! I heat my whole HOUSE for less than that with
natural gas! Fireplace? You lose as much heat as you get from one of
those things...it's for effect ONLY.
Dunno about Trip but I burn my wood in a cast iron parlour
stove. I have had the thing for 27 years and I doubt it cost me much more
than $200 and about the same for the chimney at that time. It was certified
air tight when I bought it, but that is a little shaky with a cast iron
unit. Anyway without it I would suspect the cold 30 days that we just saw
around these parts coupled with my old two story Victorian would run me $500
for natural gas. Plus the place would be chilly with the furnace cycling off
and on. The wood is from my place 55 miles east of downtown Winnipeg and I
bring back two cords at a time. I am out there anyway wandering about in the
bush so the cost is negligible. My gas bill that arrived yesterday from Nov
10 - Dec 10 was still a whopping $148. Winnipeg has no inversions and little
to no smog and the warm wood smoke hits the cold outside air and shoots up
to the sky so no nuisance to anyone. Back in the 50s and beyond most of
Winnipeg heated their homes with coal. It came/comes from the Saskatchewan
side of the Man/Sask border. You would think the soot would have been
everywhere but I do not recall it. I do remember when they delivered the
coal though. A big truck arrived and parked in the back lane while four
burly men filled burlap bags with coal from the truck put it over a shoulder
and walked to the coal bin door and dumped it and went back for another. A
different time in labour costs, eh? After they left a black coal dust trail
bespoke their labour for several days till the snow covered it.