I live close to the Canadian border,in New England, wood was delivered in June, sat out for 2 months drying a bit, got it stacked inside, have not needed it for warmth, we get snow every Halloween, nights get cold, but this was about prepping, we can cook on the stove, no need for electricity or gas to cook, can heat hot water for washing up, doing dishes etc. And yes, by mid October will probably need to light it at night to warm the house up. It's been 40 at night already.