I have a homemade OWB, and this is my first year of use. I'm still figuring the stove out, and trying to fine tune it. I had a problem with my aquastat, and feel that it caused me to use more wood than I normally would have. I first fired the stove on Oct. 23, and plan on burning it until May 1st.
I heat my home, which is 1680 sq. ft. and keep the thermostat on 72-73 degrees. The house is a very well insulated, single story home that I built 4 years ago. I also heat 1100 sq. ft. of my shop/garage which has 10 ft. ceilings and is also well insulated. I keep the temp. at 45-50 at night, and crank it up when I need to work in my shop, which is at least 4-5 days a week. I don't heat my domestic water YET, but I will be at the start of next season.
I cut, split, and stacked in my shed, 7.5 cord of oak and hickory at the beginning of the heating season. I dropped the trees in late spring/early summer, so I know the wood isn't completely dry. Next year will be a different story, as I have seven or eight large oaks in a stand that died 3 years ago that I will have on the ground soon. Hopefully, using dryer wood will reduce my usage.
As of today, I have used 6.5 cords. I have one full cord left. With the milder temperatures lately, I feel confident that the cord I have will easily last me the rest of the heating season.
I'd be interested to know how much wood everyone has used.