Outdoor wood furnaces cost around $12,000, but you'll pay between $8,000 and $20,000 for varying brands, styles, and sizes.
Outdoor wood furnace prices range from $8,000 to $20,000 on average, with most people spending about $12,000 for the furnace and installation. However, you could find a standard outdoor wood furnace with a lower heating capacity for as low as $4,000, while gasification outdoor wood boiler prices cost up to $25,000.
The average outdoor wood furnace costs about $12,000, but the total cost varies based on several different factors, from how many BTUs, or British thermal units, you need to efficiently heat your home to the type and brand of furnace. People can typically expect to spend $8,000 to $20,000 for an outdoor wood furnace.
There are two types of outdoor wood furnaces: standard and gasification. A standard outdoor wood furnace costs less upfront, but it operates less efficiently. This means you’ll have to spend more on wood fuel over time. By comparison, a gasification wood furnace burns wood, its gasses, and smoke, making it run more efficiently.
| Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard | $6,000 – $12,000 |
| Gasification | $7,000 – $20,000 |
Outdoor wood furnace prices can vary by size, which is typically measured in BTUs. Outdoor wood furnaces can offer BTUs of 95,000 to over 400,000, but a home around 2,000 square feet or less typically only needs 100,000 BTUs. An outdoor wood boiler with 400,000 BTUs is more commonly used to heat large buildings in addition to garages, barns, and other buildings on the property.
| Home Size | BTUs Needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| >1,000 sq. ft. | 18,000 or less | >$4,000 |
| 1,000 sq. ft. | 18,000 – 21,000 | $3,000 – $6,000 |
| 1,500 sq. ft. | 24,000 – 30,000 | $4,000 – $7,000 |
| 2,000 sq. ft. | 30,000 – 34,000 | $5,000 – $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq. ft. | 34,000 – 39,000 | $6,000 – $9,000 |
When you start shopping around for an outdoor wood furnace, you’ll want to consider the prices of different brands. Costs of similar units will vary from brand to brand, and you’ll also find different costs from model to model within the same brand. Keep in mind the size of your home and how many BTUs you need when comparing brand costs.
| Brand | Unit Cost* |
|---|---|
| Central Boiler | $8,000 – $16,000 |
| Crown Royal Stoves | $7,000 – $11,200 |
| Econoburn | $7,000 – $12,000 |
| Hawken Energy | $6,000 – $11,200 |
| HeatMaster | $5,000 – $17,000 |
| Heatmor | $6,600 – $14,000 |
| Hyprotherm | $6,700 – $7,400 |
| Woodmaster | $8,000 – $14,600 |
*Costs for units only, not including installation.
After considering the new furnace cost, you’ll want to budget about $1,500 to $4,500 for labor costs. Installing this heating system is complex, as the pros will need to install the furnace or boiler and connect it to your home, which is an even more challenging job when you place the appliance farther from the house. While you’ll typically see per-project costs, the company you hire may quote you an hourly rate, typically $75 to $200 per hour.
One major factor to consider when buying an outdoor wood furnace is the type of furnace that’s best for your home and budget. While a standard model costs less upfront, it’s going to require more wood to fuel it and more frequent cleanings because it burns less efficiently and produces more smoke and sediment.
A standard outdoor wood furnace costs about $6,000 to $12,000 for the unit and installation. This type of furnace only burns the wood for heat, but it doesn’t ignite some of the smoke and gasses produced during the burn, giving it about a 70% to 85% efficiency rating. Because of this, they need more wood to keep your home nice and cozy.
They also release more smoke and soot, so you’ll need to clean the furnace more frequently, about every two to four weeks.
A gasification outdoor wood furnace costs about $7,000 to $20,000. Although it costs more upfront, a gasification outdoor wood furnace is 90% to 95% efficient. That’s because this type of furnace is designed to burn not only the wood but also some of the smoke and combustion gasses, too. For you, this means less time or money spent chopping or buying wood. You’ll need about 50% less wood per season for heating compared to a standard unit.
Aside from weekly ash removal, a common furnace maintenance task for wood-burning models, you’ll only need to clean gasification outdoor wood furnaces about once per month.
From hauling away an old furnace to supplying wood year after year for the outdoor wood furnace, there are many additional costs to operate and maintain this heating appliance each year.
Whether you’re replacing an old indoor gas furnace or an existing outdoor wood furnace, the pros will need to haul out the old unit. This service might be included in the quote you receive for installation cost, but if not, expect to spend about $60 to $500. The cost will cover removal and disposal of the old furnace or boiler.
One benefit to installing an outdoor wood furnace over indoor units is lower utility costs. You’ll spend about $450 to $3,200 per year to buy wood, which is typically less than the cost to run a gas, propane, oil, or electric furnace.
But even if you live on a property with a lot of trees, your fuel source won’t be free. When you cut your own wood, you’ll need to pay for a woodcutting permit each year, which costs about $20 to $40 per cord of wood. A cord of wood is about 128 cubic feet, and you’ll need one to three cords per year to heat a home around 1,000 square feet. You’ll also need to buy a ladder, a chainsaw, and protective gear, which could add $500 to $1,000, and you may want to lease or buy a vehicle large enough to haul your wood to your home.
Like with any furnace, you’ll need to spend about $80 to $100 for the cost of annual furnace inspections. Additionally, you’ll need to clean out the firebox about once per week, and you may need to clean the unit more frequently, about every two weeks to every month, depending on how often you’re using it and whether you have a standard or gasification model.
If you plan to DIY an outdoor wood furnace, you’ll spend about $4,000 to $12,000 for the unit, plus another $300 to $1,000 in tools and materials to install the furnace or boiler and connect it to your home. Installing an outdoor wood furnace or boiler comes with burning and scalding risks, so you should only attempt this project if you have previous experience in HVAC and/or plumbing work. Not only that, but improper installation could lead to a leaking unit, which could cause costly water damage to your home or yard.
Hiring a pro adds about $1,500 to $4,500 to the price of the outdoor wood furnace. The pros need to install the unit, connect piping, and add other parts, like the drain and the flue pipe, for the furnace to operate properly and safely. If all of that sounds daunting or confusing to you, it’s best to hire a local wood stove and furnace company to handle this advanced home improvement project for you.
In addition to installing the outdoor wood furnace, you may consider tackling several other home heating projects at the same time, like updating your thermostats or adding radiant floor heating to your bathroom floors for an extra-toasty feel.
Air duct cleaning cost: $275–$500
New radiators cost: $100–$2,500
Thermostat cost: $120–$275
Radiant floor heating cost: $1,700–$6,000
Furnace cleaning cost: $60–$400
Installing any type of furnace is a worthwhile investment, as you’ll need that heat when winter comes. Fortunately, there are several ways to lower the cost of a new heating system. To save on outdoor wood furnace prices:
Look for tax incentives: Wood furnaces may be eligible for state and federal tax incentives, such as a 30% federal tax credit for up to $2,000 on qualifying units, according to ENERGY STAR®.
Keep up with maintenance: Cleaning the furnace and scheduling annual inspections and tune-ups will extend the life of your furnace, saving you money on repairs.
Consider long-term costs: A gasification wood furnace costs more upfront, but it could save you 50% of wood costs each year compared to a standard outdoor wood furnace.
Whether an outdoor wood furnace is worth the money depends on your preferences for putting in a little more elbow grease to save on fuel. While fueling the furnace with wood costs less than other sources, like oil or propane, you’ll still need to either buy firewood and haul it home, pay more to have the firewood delivered, or chop and haul your own wood. Plus, wood-burning fireplaces require more cleaning than other furnace types.
The life expectancy of a wood furnace is about 10 to 20 years. By keeping up with weekly and monthly cleanings, annual inspections, and regular tune-ups, your wood furnace could last even longer, as much as 30 years. Be sure to make repairs and replace parts as needed to extend the life of your furnace.
Your state, city, or even homeowners insurance company may have requirements on how far the outdoor wood furnace should be from the house, so be sure to abide by those regulations. In general, you should install an outdoor wood furnace or boiler as few as 30 feet or as much as 500 feet from the house or any other building.
The main difference between an outdoor wood furnace versus an outdoor wood boiler is what each appliance is heating. An outdoor wood furnace burns wood to create heat, which warms the air and moves it through the ducts in your home. An outdoor wood boiler uses the heat from burning wood to warm water, which goes through pipes to radiators in the home.
