By Contributing Author: Richel Ebo for Housecall Pro
Heating costs are climbing again this year, and it’s pushing more Central Massachusetts homeowners to run the numbers instead of assuming wood, pellet, or gas is obviously cheaper. The math depends on more than the price tag on a cord or a pallet. It comes down to how much usable heat you get for that dollar.
WHAT HEATING COSTS RIGHT NOW
Wood: A cord of seasoned hardwood here in Central Massachusetts currently runs about $350 to $450, depending on species and delivery distance.
Pellets: Current pricing from our own pellet price list ranges from $399 to $569 per pallet (one ton), depending on brand and wood type.
Propane: The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported New England residential propane, the region covering Massachusetts, at $3.77 per gallon as of the most recent 2026 heating season reading.
Prices alone don’t tell the full story, since each fuel packs a different amount of heat energy per unit, measured in BTUs. We covered the basics of BTU sizing in Understanding BTUs, but sizing your system is a different question than comparing fuel costs. Here’s that comparison.
THE REAL COSTS PER USEFUL BTU
To compare fairly, the math needs two things: how many BTUs are in a unit of fuel, and how much of that heat your stove delivers into the room rather than losing up the chimney.
Wood: A cord of seasoned hardwood contains roughly 20 to 24 million BTUs, according to research compiled by University of Missouri Extension and forestry data on common Northeast species like oak and maple. ENERGY STAR’s federal tax credit standard for high-efficiency biomass stoves set a 75% thermal efficiency benchmark, a reasonable representative figure for a newer EPA-certified wood stove. At $400 per cord and 22 million BTUs, that works out to roughly $24 per million useful BTUs delivered.
Pellets: Using our current in-stock pricing, a typical pallet runs $399 to $419 with an 8,150 to 8,430 BTU-per-pound rating, meaning 16.3 to 16.9 million BTUs per ton. EPA-certified pellet stoves run 70% to 83% efficiency. That puts pellets at roughly $29 to $31 per million useful BTUs delivered.
Propane: At $3.77 per gallon and 91,452 BTUs per gallon, propane stoves running at a typical 80% to 90% efficiency work out to roughly $46 to $51 per million useful BTUs delivered.
| Fuel Type | Approx. Cost Per Million Useful BTUs |
|---|---|
| Wood | ~$24 |
| Pellets | ~$30 |
| Propane | ~$48 |
These are estimated figures calculated from current fuel prices, published BTU content, and typical EPA-rated stove efficiency, not a fixed published rate. Your actual cost depends on the specific wood species, pellet brand, and stove you’re running.
These figures move with current market prices and vary by wood species, pellet brand, and appliance efficiency, so treat them as a current snapshot rather than a fixed rule. Right now, wood comes out ahead on raw cost per BTU, pellets land in the middle, and propane costs roughly twice what pellets do for the same delivered heat.
WHAT THE MATH DOESN’T COMPUTE
Cost per BTU is only part of the decision. A few things the numbers above don’t account for:
- Labor and Storage: Wood requires splitting, stacking, and drying time that pellets and propane don’t.
- Convenience: Propane and pellet stoves both offer push-button or thermostat-controlled operation. Wood doesn’t.
- Power Outages: A wood stove keeps working with no electricity. Most pellet stoves need power to run the auger and blower, and propane stoves with electronic ignition may too, depending on the model.
- Upfront equipment cost and venting: These vary by stove type and installation, and can shift the total cost picture over a stove’s lifetime.
WHY THIS MATTERS MORE IN 2026
The U.S. Department of Energy’s winter outlook, based on the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association’s most recent projection, put average U.S. home heating costs up 9.2% this winter versus last year, with the steepest increases hitting electricity and natural gas specifically. Housecall Pro’s own research adds another data point: in a survey of over 1,100 U.S. homeowners, HVAC and heating system repairs and replacements ranked among the top planned home projects for 2026, right behind plumbing and appliances. Rising costs are pushing more homeowners to look closely at heating decisions they might have skipped in past years.
FAQ’s
Is wood always the cheapest option?
Usually, but not always. Wood’s cost advantage depends on local wood prices and stove efficiency. In areas where firewood is scarce or expensive, or with an older, less efficient wood stove, the gap between wood and pellets can shrink or disappear.
Do pellet stoves save money over propane even with the equipment running on electricity?
Yes, in most cases. The electricity a pellet stove’s auger and blower use is a small fraction of the fuel cost difference between pellets and propane.
Should I switch fuel types based on cost per BTU alone?
Not by itself. Convenience, storage space, power-outage backup, and upfront equipment cost all factor into a decision that a per-BTU number alone doesn’t capture. Use the cost comparison as one input, not the whole answer.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Right now, wood costs less per useful BTU than pellets, and pellets cost meaningfully less than propane, based on current Central Massachusetts pricing and typical EPA-rated stove efficiency. That said, the best choice for your home depends on more than the math: how much labor you want to put in, whether you need heat during a power outage, and what fits your daily routine. If you want help running these numbers for your specific home and stove options, visit our showroom in Barre or browse our current stove and fireplace lineup to see what fits your space and budget.
