Why Heat with Wood?
Heating with wood is an American tradition. Yet woodburning in the 1990's bears
little resemblance to the woodburning done from the dawn of man or even of wood
burning done in the 1980's. Tremendous advances in technology have made the Jøtul
stoves produced today one of the cleanest burning, most efficient, and longest
burning heating appliances on the market. There are many reasons why one would
chose to heat with wood: it's economical, it's environmentally-friendly, it is a
renewable resource, and it takes us back to a time when life seemed simpler and
fuller. Lets take a few moments and explore each of these reasons.
Woodburnings' Social and Aesthetic Appeal
Since the dawn of man, humans have congregated around wood fires. The dancing of
the flame in an infinite pattern, the sweet smell of burning wood, and the
gentle radiant heat has always induced reflective contemplation and
conversation. We are reminded of the pleasant memories of childhood and family.
The woodstove has always been a focal point in homes, and with the classic
styling of the Jøtul woodstoves, we can truly say that a Jøtul woodstove is
ART THAT WARMS.
Wood as a Renewable Resource
Wood is a near perfect fuel source in that each year it renews itself. Forest
product companies have proven this by effective management and reforestation. It
is as simple as "cut a tree..plant a tree..". The pruning, culling,
and harvesting of overgrown forests not only provides fuel for woodstoves, it
promotes the growth of healthy trees that absorb three times as much carbon
dioxide as is released when wood burns.
Woodburning is Environmentally-Friendly
We all have an obligation to prepare for the future by making informed energy
decisions. Whether we put another log on the fire, order more fuel oil for the
fire, or set the thermostat higher on the electric radiator, we must understand
that the choice we make has an environmental impact on our lives beyond keeping
us warm. It is important to our future that we consider all the consequences of
the energy decisions we make.
One of the major factors we should consider is that of Renewable vs.
Non-renewable sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy include wood,
hydroelectric power, and solar. The Non-renewable sources of energy are the
fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas and electricity. Electricity is
included as a Non-renewable energy source in that over 73% of electricity is
produced from Non-Renewable fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The burning of
fossil fuels produce high quantities of carbon dioxide gas that contribute to
the "greenhouse effect". While the decay or combustion of
"biomass" (primarily trees and other plants) also produce carbon
dioxide, it has always been a part of a natural cycle. In that cycle the release
of carbon dioxide gases is reabsorbed by the growing biomass. In the study
"Power Surge: the Status and Near-Term Potential of Renewable Energy
Technologies" they found that if biomass (woodburning) is used as a
supplement to the fossil fuels, the atmospheric effect is essentially zero. In
fact, they claim it may actually result in a slight improvement, a much better
situation than if additional fossil fuels are burned.
While woodstoves of the past produced billowing clouds of smoke and particulate,
the new EPA Phase Il stoves produce almost no smoke. The old conventional
woodstoves emitted between 30 and 80 grams of particulate matter (smoke) per
hour, while the new approved stoves have reduced emissions to between 3 to 6
grams per hour. That is a reduction of over 90%. All Jøtul stoves meet and
exceed the EPA Phase 2 standards and are among the cleanest burning stoves on
the market! The EPA concludes that that control of the greenhouse effect could
be achieved if more homes reduced their use of fossil fuels and relied more on
wood and biomass for heat and energy sources.
Woodburning is Economical
When heating with wood, significant economic benefits are evident. Consider the
comparisons in heating value. As a rule of thumb, a two-ton cord of hard wood
yields about the same usable heat as 200 gallons of heating oil, a ton of hard
coal, or about 4000 kilowatts of electricity. By comparing the cost of whichever
fuel one uses with wood, you can figure the savings obtained by wood-burning.
For example, 200 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil at $1.00/gallon costs $200.00. The
same usable heat from wood would run $100 (1 cord of wood), a saving of $100! Of
course, if you cut your own wood the savings can be even greater.
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