I burn around 4.5 to 5 tonnes per year, coal or wood; usually a mix of both although coal is getting too expensive and I've been discussing another pre christmas mission with the neighbour for late spring and summer fuel (windblown standing larch). Nextdoor burn about 30% more than me as they aren't fully insulated yet, so they're always keen on a mission. We've also been discussing a mission to the central belt for lower cost coal in bulk.
All my hot water comes from the fire (immersion element knackered and I can't be bothered to fit a replacement as it involves dismantling the header tank etc to get in about it) and that runs the central heating too, so totally solid fuel.
Best wood for burning? I find a mix of woods burns best, pine larch or birch works well with oak or other slow burning wood, alder works well with an accelerant such as pine larch or birch too. Ash sycamore beech etc all work well solo. Even willow burns well if you cut it at the start of winter and have somewhere dark to stack and keep it for the following winter, it takes around a year to kill the green bark, longer if it's allowed to put a root down, hence the dark
Pine is fine if you've the time, or have a tame lumber jack
In short I'll burn anything wood wise, it all burns but some needs longer to season than others. Hardwoods, I cut split and leave from green in a heap out in the weather for around 6 months turning once or twice before stacking under cover, there it'll take anything from a further 3 to 12 months to be fire ready, depending on size and type. So on the whole one needs to be around a year + ahead from cut to burn.
For the teepee'ists they'd do well to scope some timber out then hire the services of a woodcutter for half a day on the saw to cut it in place, then there'd be around a couple of days, maybe more, carrying/wheelbarrowing splitting stacking, that would do it.
