November 21, 2008
- Yakima, Washington 29
Heating Your Home On The Cheap: Back To Basics
By Steve Wellman
They've taken the bite out of winter for hundreds of years: wood stoves. Now the big jump in gas and electric heating has more people taking a fresh look at the old-fashioned way of keeping warm.
"We're seeing more people looking at wood stoves because of the gas prices going up," says Scott Nedry of Fosseens, a wood stove merchant. At Fosseens...there's a new generation of wood stoves...like forced air automatic feeding pellet stoves. They burn cleaner, more efficiently, and can help keep your costs down. The only a problem might be occasional severe air quality restrictions, like a stage two alert. Nedry says, “They burn very clean. They fall into the same category as the wood where you can burn in a stage one but not in a stage two.” But...if you're using wood as your sole source of heat...those restrictions don't apply. And a new trend sees more people cutting their own wood...for traditional stoves and fireplaces. So how much do you need? Nedry answers "3 cords a year is normal usage for a wood stove in our valley." Let's check the numbers. Wood pellets are $200 a ton...and you'll burn through about three tons for a normal sized house during the winter. Split hardwood sells for $185 a cord...multiply that times three for a seasonal estimate. So which is cheaper? Says Nedry “If you're buying your wood they're probably about the same but if you're going up and cutting your own wood you're going to be less than the pellets.” Compare gas and electric heat: that can run much higher, closer to a thousand bucks for the winter to keep a house as warm as with a good wood stove. One more thing. Some wood varieties burn slower and hotter than others. That'll also affect your final bill. "Apple wood burns real hot. So does cherry. A lot of people like Tamarack and Red Fir," says Daryl Vanwey of Mortons. You need to do your homework and maybe even some cutting and splitting...but you can keep toasty for less this winter...using a renewable resource: good old wood. |
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