What size wood stove do you need for a 2000 square foot home? A larger or smaller house?
That’s the kind of question addressed in this Wood Stove BTU Calculator and Guide that includes a handy reference chart for homes from “tiny home” size to estate size.
First, check out the calculator. Below it are the instructions for using the wood stove size calculator. They are followed by information about why properly sizing a wood stove is so important and other important information.
Wood Stove BTU Calculator
This is pretty simple. Input a little bit of information, and the wood stove size calculator will let you know how many BTUs are required to effectively keep the space warm on the coldest winter days.
The calculator is very straightforward, so add data if you’d like and find your needed wood stove BTUs size.
Or follow the instructions below.
Wood Stove BTU Calculator
Box 1: Home Size
Once you select the box, you can either type in the exact house size or you can use the Up/Down arrows on the right side of the box to adjust the number. It’s faster to just type in your home size.
How big is my house? That’s important information. You can find it in a couple ways.
>Documents: Is it in closing documents, marketing information or a blueprint/drawing of your home?
>Online: You might be able to find it on Zillow or Trulia if your home has been on the market in the last 15 years or so. And the square footage might be listed. Go to one of those sites, and type in your address to see if it is available.
>Measurements: You can multiply the length and width of your home’s footprint if it is rectangular. For example, a 36 x 48 foot home single-story home is 1,728 square feet. If it’s a two-story, double that to 3,456. For non-rectangular homes, you might have to measure the length times width of each room, and add the numbers for the total.
>Guesstimate? We don’t recommend this approach. For reasons discussed below, it is important to have a wood stove that is the right size – creates the right amount of heat – for your home’s needs.
Box 2: Insulation Condition
Issues to think about include:
How much insulation is in the attic? Have you added any since the home was built?
How old are the windows and doors? Do you feel air coming in around them?
Are the windows single-pane or double-pane? Triple-pane offers even better insulation.
Does the home have house wrap beneath the siding? House wrap helps reduce air leaks, and that makes a home more energy efficient.
With that assessment, would you say the Insulation Condition is:
Average – The home is newer, and the windows are in good condition, but no insulation upgrades have been made.
Good – The home is newer or has been remodeled, and energy efficient upgrades were included in the construction or remodeling process.
Poor – The home is older, and little or nothing has been done to improve energy efficiency.
When in doubt, choose the “worse” of two possibilities. While you don’t want your wood stove to be significantly oversized, having one that’s a little too big is better than it being a little too small.
Results
The result is calculated – and the answer is given. This is the ideal number of BTUs for most homes in an average climate. There’s a note on local climate below which will help you tailor your wood stove purchase to your specific home.
It’s that easy.
Quick Wood Stove BTU Needed Chart
The following chart can be used for reference and to check the results you got using the calculator. Note that the chart uses Average Insulation levels.
Again, if your home is between sizes on the chart, it’s probably a good idea to go up to the larger BTUs amount rather than down. If you want to be exact, and you can probably tell this by glancing at the chart, multiply the square footage of your home by 30:
Square feet x 30 BTUs per square foot = wood stove BTUs needed.
For example, a 1,000 square foot home x 30 = 30,000 BTUs.
| Home Size | Wood Stove BTU |
|---|---|
| 200 sq ft | 6,000 BTU |
| 300 sq ft | 9,000 BTU |
| 500 sq ft | 15,000 BTU |
| 600 sq ft | 18,000 BTU |
| 800 sq ft | 24,000 BTU |
| 900 sq ft | 27,000 BTU |
| 1,000 sq ft | 30,000 BTU |
| 1,200 sq ft | 36,000 BTU |
| 1,500 sq ft | 45,000 BTU |
| 2,000 sq ft | 60,000 BTU |
| 2,400 sq ft | 72,000 BTU |
| 2,500 sq ft | 75,000 BTU |
| 3,000 sq ft | 90,000 BTU |
| 4,000 sq ft | 120,000 BTU |
| 50,00 sq ft | 150,000 BTU |
Why Wood Stove Sizing is Important
Like any type of heating equipment, it is important that it is the right size for the space.
Too small: When a wood stove is significantly too small, areas of the space or home don’t get adequately heated. If you have to use a space heater or two to keep those areas warm, you’re losing money because electric resistance heat produced by space heaters uses a lot of electricity. The alternatives are to be chilly or have to bundle up on cold days to stay warm – and that’s not what you wanted when you decided on wood!
Too large: This is a better option, because you can regulate the amount of heat produced on many wood stoves by using less wood and/or by using dampers to reduce heat output. Still, when a wood stove is much too large, the potential arises for wasting heat energy and overwhelming the space with too much of it.
A Note on Your Local Climate
Wood stoves are used in most climates, especially those with winters ranging from chilly to bitter cold. The colder your climate is, the better off you’ll be with a wood stove a little larger than shown on the chart. In Missouri, for example, a 60,000 BTU wood stove is just right for a 2,000 square foot home. In Minnesota, choosing a stove with output closer to 70,000 won’t be a mistake.
More on Wood Stoves
See the Related Posts section on this page for a list of pages discussing wood stoves including top brand reviews, best wood stoves for various activities such as camping or tiny house living, pellet stoves vs wood stoves, the best wood stove models for homes from 500 to 4,000 square feet. We’ve also completed a pellet stove BTU calculator similar to this one.
- Cubic Mini Wood Stove Reviews
- Best Portable Wood Stove for Camping
- Pellet Stove vs Wood Stove: Pros & Cons Comparison
- 2021 Best 9 Wood Stoves for 500-4,000 Sq Ft Homes
