I am a builder and to begin with I have built many pole barns and even after 30 to 40 years the posts show no signs of decay even in very high humid areas such as the midwest (aka the rust and rot belt) that being said I grew up in Montana (Red Lodge and Livingston) and have even better success stories there.
I have been a builder in the Chicagoland area for over 25 years and know of a builder there, who at the time guaranteed your heat bill would not exceed $100 per year. He has built several communities and most of his homes have wooden foundations. If installed correctly you can ensure a lifetime of success with this type of foundation. If you don't follow through with staying away from marshlands etc you will find yourself getting into trouble. I would give you his name and web but I don't want to step over the line with spam.
When I met my architect/engineer Ken Woods he lived in Naperville IL and it was -20 at 7pm in January when his furnace kicked on for the first time that day. He showed me his fuel bill including hot water and it averaged between $100 and $150 per year. Now he had a concrete foundation but he designed it to be energy efficient.
The point to my story is whether you use wood or masonry you can achieve these types of savings, and wood against dirt isn't the problem. There are many variables you need to consider when putting wood in the dirt. Even though I have built under the strictest building codes in the country and tend to be sort of a snobbish builder I plan to use a lot of Ron and Perry's plans in my next endeaver.
