A single household in a temperate climate needs about 5-10 tonnes of air-dried wood a year according to the parent article, which is roughly 72-143 GJ of net heat at 14.3 GJ per tonne. Heating is the largest share, 3-6 tonnes, while cooking takes 1-2 tonnes and can be cut by a rocket stove and a haybox.
Part of Coppicing & Fuel Management
The annual fuel demand of a household by use, in tonnes and in energy, and what lowers it.
The Table
From the parent article (air-dried wood a year):
| Use | Tonnes |
|---|---|
| Cooking (rocket stove and haybox) | 1-2 |
| Space heating (efficient stove) | 3-6 |
| Hot water | 0.5-1 |
| Charcoal (workshop) | 0.5-1 |
| Total | 5-10 |
The rows add: 1 + 3 + 0.5 + 0.5 = 5 and 2 + 6 + 1 + 1 = 10.
Energy Equivalent
Air-dried wood at 20% moisture (wet basis) gives about 14.3 GJ/t net (BTU Content Compared to Wood), so 5 × 14.3 = 71.5 and 10 × 14.3 = 143 GJ a year, roughly 72-143 GJ.
The Charcoal Row Is Ambiguous
The table’s heading says air-dried wood, but the row says “Charcoal (workshop) 0.5-1 tonne”. Two readings give very different results. If the 0.5-1 t is the wood burned to make charcoal, at the 15-25% yield of an earth pit (Charcoal Making) that gives only 0.5 × 0.15 = 75 kg to 1 × 0.25 = 250 kg of charcoal. If the 0.5-1 t is charcoal, you need 0.5 ÷ 0.25 = 2 t to 1 ÷ 0.15 = 6.7 t of wood, which would raise the total well above 10 t. Decide which you mean before budgeting.
Cutting Demand
- Cooking. A rocket stove burns sixty to seventy percent less wood than an open fire (Rocket Stove Design), and a haybox cuts fuel use sixty to eighty percent (Retained Heat Cooking).
- Heating. Reduce heat loss before burning more; leaks and a poorly sited stove waste fuel (Heating Systems).
- Hot water. Solar heating in summer (Solar Thermal Collectors).
Method: Your Own Figure
Step 1: Weigh the wood you burn over a week in each season.
Step 2: Scale to the year by season.
Step 3: Compare with the table and use your own.
Common Mistakes
- Using the table as a promise. Climate, house and stove change the answer.
- Counting charcoal twice. Either as wood burned or as charcoal produced, not both.
Safety
Running short is a hazard
A cold household burns what it can find, often damp or treated wood, and shuts the stove down to stretch supplies, both of which raise carbon monoxide (Carbon Monoxide Risks). Keep a seasoned reserve.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Acreage Requirements — turning demand into land
- Combine with: Fuel Budgeting — the whole sum