I can give you my 2 cents. We started out with a block arch built on the ground. We filled the inside with earth and clay to make a ramp so the heat would stay close to the pan. It was significant amount of mass to bring up to temperature. I noticed right away when we went to a metal arch how much less wood/energy it took to put a boil on the pan. We never used steam pans, we had a flat divided pan. The whole contraption was a fire breathing monster, lol. The more you can do to keep the energy under the pan and contributing to your boil the more efficient you will operate, the fun is finding out how to do that without breaking the bank.
2023 - 38 Gallons - RO broke, Buckets didn't run, rebuilt vacuum pump mid-season, still made good syrup!
2022 - 52 Gallons - DIY RO, 50% less fuel, no late nights in the shack!
2021 - 48 Gallons - new pans, new arch, lots of new taps and tubing
2020 - 32 Gallons
2019 - 27 Gallons