New York households pay 29.93 cents per kWh as of September 2026, 62% above the US average, and a wood fire will not undercut that rate per unit of heat, so the case for firewood is the room you live in, a price fixed in September and heat when the grid fails. The honest per-BTU math is below. What a wood fire does earn is the room you live in, a lower thermostat for the rest of the house, a price fixed in September, and heat on the night the grid goes down.
🔥 Kiln-dried cords delivered across NY and PA
Kiln-dried hardwood, under 15% moisture, USDA certified heat-treated. Free local pallet delivery across New Jersey, Connecticut, NYC, Long Island, Westchester, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and the Baltimore area. Enter your ZIP on the product page to confirm your address.
Outside the pallet zone? Firewood Boxes ($39.60) and Mega Bags ($49.50) ship free to 11 Northeast states.
New York and Pennsylvania electric rates as of September 2026
The Northeast is the most expensive electricity region in the country, and New York sits near the top of it. All figures as of September 2026.
| Measure | As of September 2026 |
|---|---|
| US average residential electricity | 18.34 cents per kWh, up 5.0% year over year |
| Northeast average residential electricity | 25.49 cents per kWh, 39% above the US average |
| New York residential electricity | 29.93 cents per kWh, 62% above the US average, up 72.5% since 2019 |
| New York, change over the last 12 months | up 11.1% |
| Pennsylvania, change over the last 12 months | up 10.4% |
| Maryland, change over the last 12 months | up 13.2% |
| New York residential natural gas | $22.74 per thousand cubic feet, up 62.5% since 2019 (US average $19.83, up 55%) |
Put plainly: a New York house on electric baseboard or a heat pump pays 72.5% more for the same winter of kilowatt-hours than in 2019, and Pennsylvania added 10.4% in 12 months. A gas furnace is no shelter either, with New York's residential gas rate up 62.5% since 2019.
Why your bill keeps rising when wholesale gas is not
Wholesale natural gas is not spiking right now. The EIA expects Henry Hub to run around $3.43 per million BTU for 2026. The cost that keeps rising is the delivery side of the bill: poles, wires, pipes, and the rate cases that pay for them. That is why "your bill" and "gas prices" are two different conversations.
Utilities across the Northeast have filed new rate increase requests for 2026-27. We will not quote a utility or a percentage, because filings change in review. The other variable is weather: the EIA Winter Fuels Outlook for 2026-27 comes out in October, and last winter it was revised upward twice because December ran about 8% colder than the 10-year average.
Does firewood beat electric heat per BTU? No, and here is the math
We sell firewood, so read this twice. At our prices, a palletized 1/4 cord at $499 or a 1/2 cord at $799, kiln-dried hardwood works out to about $95 per million BTU delivered to the room. The other fuels on the same yardstick:
- Natural gas: about $21 per million BTU
- Heating oil: about $31 per million BTU
- Propane: about $32 per million BTU
- Electric resistance heat: about $75 per million BTU
- Kiln-dried firewood at our prices: about $95 per million BTU
If the only question is which fuel delivers a million BTU for the fewest dollars, firewood loses to gas, oil and propane by a wide margin, and to electric resistance heat too. The case for wood is a different case, and it holds up because it is true.
Where a wood fire actually earns its price
Nobody heats the whole house with a fireplace. You heat the room you live in from dinner until bed and turn the thermostat down for the rooms nobody is sitting in. The US Department of Energy says turning the thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees F for 8 hours a day saves up to 10% a year on heating and cooling, and a wood fire in the living room is what makes that setback comfortable. At 29.93 cents per kWh, that 10% comes off the expensive fuel.
The second thing wood gives you is price certainty. A cord bought in September is a fixed price. There is no rate case, no fuel surcharge and no surprise on the January bill. After a year in which New York went up 11.1% and Pennsylvania 10.4%, knowing what one part of your winter costs before it starts is worth something.
The third is that wood heat works when the grid does not. Every ice storm that knocks out power in NJ, PA or CT is a night when a stove or fireplace is the only heat in the house.
Think of firewood as a lifestyle and comfort spend that happens to lower the furnace bill, not as a replacement for the furnace. One Mega Bag at $49.50 is roughly 3 to 4 fireplace evenings, about $12 to $16 per evening, delivered. Kiln-dried to under 15% moisture, it lights in minutes, burns hotter and cleaner, and leaves less creosote in the chimney. Green wood at 25 to 40% moisture wastes a large share of its heat boiling off water, so the per-BTU math gets worse with wet wood, not better.
Which size to order
- 1/4 cord palletized, $499 (was $555): 32 cubic feet, roughly 200 to 250 pieces. A whole winter of weekend fires for most fireplace users.
- 1/2 cord palletized, $799 (was $940): 64 cubic feet, for a wood stove that runs most evenings or a house with two fireplaces.
- Mega Bag, $49.50: 1.75 cubic feet, about 60 lb, free UPS Ground to 11 Northeast states. The try-it-first size and the storm reserve.
- Premium Box, $39.60: 1.33 cubic feet, free UPS Ground. A one-person carry for a city fireplace.
Palletized cords arrive on a free scheduled lift-gate truck across NYC, Long Island (Nassau and western Suffolk), Westchester and eastern Pennsylvania, with a ZIP checker on each pallet page. Start at the New York firewood delivery page or the Pennsylvania firewood delivery page, or go straight to the Westchester County page or the Brooklyn page. Every order ships from our kiln in Levittown, PA, heat treated to 160 F at the core for 75 minutes, USDA certified with a phytosanitary certificate.
Ready to order? Kiln-dried, USDA certified, delivered.
1/4 Cord, $4991/2 Cord, $799Mega Bag, $49.50Free local pallet delivery in the zone, free UPS Ground on Boxes and Mega Bags to 11 Northeast states. All sizes and prices
FAQ
How much does electric heat cost per month in New York?
Take the kWh figure from a winter bill and multiply it by your rate. As of September 2026 the New York residential average is 29.93 cents per kWh and the Northeast average is 25.49 cents. We do not publish a made-up monthly figure, because insulation and the thermostat change it more than the rate does.
Are electricity rates going up in Pennsylvania in 2026?
Yes. As of September 2026, residential electricity in Pennsylvania is up 10.4% over the last 12 months, against a US average increase of 5.0%. Utilities across the Northeast have filed new rate increase requests for 2026-27.
Does wood or electric heat cost less?
Per million BTU, electric resistance heat at about $75 costs less than kiln-dried firewood at our prices at about $95, and gas, oil and propane cost far less than either. Where wood pays is heating the one room you use with the thermostat set back for the rest, a price locked in September, and heat when the power is out.
How much firewood do I need for a New York winter?
A quarter cord (32 cubic feet, roughly 200 to 250 pieces) is a whole winter of weekend fires for most fireplace users. A half cord covers a stove that runs most evenings. The firewood calculator sizes it against how often you burn.
Sources and references
- electricchoice.com, Electricity Rates by State, September 2026: state residential rates and 12-month changes.
- Empire Center, Energy Data Bulletin, August 2026: New York electricity and gas prices against 2019.
- EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook, September 9 2026: Henry Hub natural gas price forecast for 2026.
- EIA Today in Energy, December 15 2025: the colder December and the revised heating forecasts.
- US Department of Energy, energy.gov thermostat guidance: thermostat setback guidance.
About the Firewood Flex Team
Written by the Firewood Flex operations team. We kiln-dry to USDA APHIS standard, log moisture content per batch, and ship from our Levittown, PA distribution facility with USDA APHIS phytosanitary-certified hardwood to 11 Northeast states. Founded 2025. USPTO Serial 99591611.
Kiln-dried firewood delivery from our Levittown, PA kiln: New Jersey · New York · Connecticut · Pennsylvania · Delaware · Maryland · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Washington DC
Pallet delivery areas: Short Hills · Denville · Morristown · Bergen County · Hunterdon County · Princeton · Manhattan · Brooklyn · NYC · Scarsdale · Westchester County · Long Island · Greenwich · Stamford · Hartford · Philadelphia
