Clearing the Air: Heat With Wood

Has the prospect of spiraling home heating oil and gas prices sent you into a tailspin about how best to keep your family warm this winter? If you can’t see the forest for the trees, consider those trees for warmth.

One hundred percent of my home is heated by wood. We have three woodstoves–one for the main house, one in a detached studio and one for a wood-fired hot tub. The crisp air and fall foliage usher in the beginning of the wood heating season here in the Northeast. The firewood has been seasoned, cut and stacked. Our stoves have had their seasonal safety checks and we’re all ready to fire those babies up. The only problem is this nagging feeling I have about heating with wood. At the beginning of the season, the first dancing fires with their radiating heat have such a relaxing effect. By the end of the season, I have had enough. Tired of hauling wood and cleaning up messes, I also have a flicker of doubt wondering about the impact woodstoves have on our environment. Here are some pros and cons.

PROS
Cost-savings after the initial outlay for the stove and wood (from sustainably managed woods) is great.
People who heat with wood do not contribute to fossil fuel by lessening their dependence on foreign oil.
Wood stoves provide light, warmth and ambiance, even when the electricity goes out.
New, high-efficiency wood burning stoves have little effect on climate changes. No more carbon dioxide is released than the natural forest would release if left untouched–less greenhouse gas emissions creating more heat and consuming less wood that emit fewer pollutants.
Buying local wood employs local workers and preserves open space.
Generally, wood stoves are easier to install than a furnace or fireplace.

CONS
Due to the population density of cities, many enforce wood burning bans to reduce air pollution.
Wood for stoves and fireplaces that don’t use sustainable wood are wasteful.
Ash and soot require cleanups.
It takes some extra time and effort to keep a fire burning.
You need safety provisions for children.
Wood heat sometimes irritates respiratory illnesses.

I moved over and became a full-fledged proponent of wood heat a few months ago after viewing the Pete Seeger documentary The Power of Song. Watching this 89-year-old man chop wood and load up his woodstove and then bask in the glow of its warmth was an inspirational moment. So much to admire about Pete and now this–a rich love and lifetime devotion to heating his home with wood. It was a wood-heating muse moment and I redevoted myself to finding a stove that fits my commitment to the environment and sense of style.

Since the stove that heats my house is a workhorse, it needs to be replaced every 15 years or so. It will soon be on its way to Freecycle. The old stove will be fine for augmenting a gas, electric or oil heating system by offsetting high costs but because of the amount of wood-burning we do, we need a more efficient burner soon.

Wood stoves have come a long way. The new wood stove designs that combine modern eco-technology with modern style are exciting. I particularly like the Scandinavian inspired models made by Wittus, Rais and Morso. Their longer lifespans also makes them more desirable than the older models.

As Pete croons, “If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.” For now, I’m reusing my woodstove one last heating season. Then I am moving on to one of those beauties above. Given the heating alternatives (with the exception of solar), clean-burning, efficient wood stoves might just be the thing to keeping your heating budget from going up in smoke.

Ronnie Citron-Fink lives in New York with her husband, two children (when they come home to the nest), two dogs and a cat. Ronnie is a teacher and a writer. She has been a contributing writer for Family Fun magazine. She currently writes articles about education and home design. Her writings are in four books including Family Fun Home and Some Delights of the Hudson Valley.

Read more: Blogs, Conservation, EcoNesting, heating, oil, trees, wood, woodstove

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kathleen B.

10:22AM PDT on Oct 11, 2010

I used to heat with wood, however not every fell tree is acceptable for burning. Eventually, I had to turn to purchasing wood for the stove. Not cheap either. Then there was the mess with the ashes, bugs in the wood. Chimney cleaning, possibility of fire in the chimney, lugging the wood indoors had gotten to be a problem also. I gave my stove away, and got a gas log insert. I still have the fire, more control over the temperature, lovely to look at, and no mess. It cost me about the same for the propane per year as it did to buy the wood. A whole lot less labor is involved.

send a green star

Charmaine C.

4:04PM PDT on Apr 8, 2010

I use wood from copse thinning and forest management. I also use Dura logs and compressed cardboard logs when I can afford to buy some. I love a wood fire, the dancing flames and cozy warmth is wonderful.

Nell W.

9:38AM PDT on Oct 13, 2008

Wood pellet stoves are also excellent-- they burn compressed sawdust waste from sawmills and lumber yards. It looks like rabbit food. My parents have had theirs for 13 years and are about to upgrade to newer more efficient models. It's much, much cheaper than gas heat. If city wood-burning ordinances didn't prevent us from having one here in Chicago, we'd buy one in a heartbeat.

Tamara A.

8:55PM PDT on Oct 8, 2008

btw, you can also get a soapstone stove to do the work:
http://www.soapstone-woodstove.com/index.html
http://www.tulikivi.com/www/kotien.nsf/WWWTakka/Radiant%20Heat!OpenDocument&id=TE2

8:48PM PDT on Oct 8, 2008

The price--and the kind of wood may be prohibited as well as prohibitive. Be careful you aren't using wood from places affected by the emerald ash borer...if you _are_ going to use wood, let me suggest a classic design you don't have to worry about Craig's Listing or updating: Masonry stoves. More initial expense, but once it's done, it's efficient as hell and a beautiful part of your home besides: http://www.mha-net.org/
http://www.sssolar.com/stoves/customstoves.asp
http://www.adobebuilder.com/grubka-european-masonry-stove.html
If you're going to do it, you might as well get the most bang for your buck and do it in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way you can.

Ted F.

6:48AM PDT on Oct 8, 2008

In my rural town in upstate New York, they are actually trying to encourage forestry in an attempt to create economically viable ways to keep lands open and productive and to prevent suburban sprawl. There's lots of trees here and the former farm fields that are now out of agricultural production grow trees spontaneously without any effort on the part of the landowners. Seems like a win-win situation that retains rural character, keeps people employed and helps me to stay fit, provides a virtually carbon neutral heat source, and reduces our dependence on foreign oil and all of its destructive effects. Wood heating may not be for all, but for us country folk, it works like a charm.

Creek I.

5:40PM PDT on Oct 7, 2008

Another delicious eco-nest egg! Favorite aspects of using wood heat: (1) the heat is treated like the precious resource that it is, using only the minimum amount needed, because of the hard (but delightful) work involved. With other heat sources, its so easy to leave it on or too high when you don't really need to, just like leaving lights on when they're not needed. I'd rather wear a sweater or coat inside and use less firewood. So real, direct, local, sincere! (2) the smell and feel and look of each kind of wood that you get to know personally. It keeps one connected with the outdoors and the changing seasons. (3) wintry coziness; beauty; poetic symbol (4) doubles as food warmer/ cooker and clothes dryer. Least favorite: chainsaws

Tracey T.

6:08AM PDT on Oct 6, 2008

I really like heating with wood. It is so warm and cozy! One big plus for my family is that we live on 40 acres, and can heat our house with wood off of our own land. We don't even have to chop down any trees. We are able to use what naturally falls down during storms, etc. I really feel that wood is a good option for heat. It not only reduces our independence on foreign oil but it can be a locally purchased/grown heat source.

Shamana L.

3:55AM PDT on Oct 6, 2008

The price of wood around here is prohibitive. Plus? I do not believe they are as eco-friendly as touted.

Nikolas K.

5:32PM PDT on Oct 5, 2008

Your article was first class and i congratulate you on it, I would like to add that another benefit wood heating has over gas and electric is you do not become dependant on the Banksters, this is something we all need to be aware of as they are the polluters and destroyers of our world in their greed to own it, plus 10%.