Save Money: Understanding Wood Price Fluctuations and Seasonality

Foresight pays dividends. This old saying couldn’t be truer when it comes to procuring firewood and briquettes for the winter. When the temperatures begin to drop in the autumn, millions of people in Britain start searching for logs and briquettes for their wood stoves.

But did you know that this yearly tradition of waiting until the moment is costing you hundreds of pounds?

Prices are at their lowest during the summer when wood supply is high and demand for it is low.  Purchase your fuels when prices are low and you can save upwards of 50% on your winter heating. Wait until the winter rush and you’ll end up overpaying.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about wood heating material price fluctuations and how they affect your household's budget every year.

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The Hidden Calendar of Firewood and Briquette Prices

The business of selling firewood logs and wood briquettes is a highly seasonal one.

Virtually nobody is thinking about purchasing heating fuels in the summer. But as the temperatures drop in the autumn and winter months, the demand for firewood and briquettes skyrockets.

On the other hand, wood fuels are harvested mostly during the summer months. This is when their supply is at its highest. The vast majority of this fuel needs to be warehoused until the winter to be sold.

The combination of these warehousing costs and dwindling supplies forces wood fuel companies to raise their prices in the winter. On the other hand, logs and briquettes can be sold at a discount during the summer, when there are no warehousing costs to be accounted for and additional fuels can be manufactured.

The clever shopper knows that summer is the right time to strike, buying their fuel cheap ahead of time instead of waiting until the last moment.

Want to avoid making other mistakes? Read our blog post on the Top 5 Wood Burning Mistakes That You're Making Right Now.

Yearly Wood Fuel Price Fluctuation Chart

To help illustrate the differences in wood fuel prices from month to month, we’ve averaged out the prices of all fuelwood products over the last several years and mapped the changes out graphically.

Unpacking the Wood Fuel Price Calendar

Here are a few takeaways from this wood fuel price chart:

• Wood fuel prices are at their absolute lowest during the summer months. This means it’s the absolute best time to order wood fuels if you’re interested in saving money.
• Wood fuels are well-priced in the spring and autumn. Although not as lucrative as in the summer months, autumn and spring prices are still better than in the winter.
• Prices are at their highest during the winter. Only purchase fuels in the winter if you’ve run out. This is the most expensive time to purchase your fuel. Not to mention the fact that the increased demand may cause delivery and stock shortages.