Finding alternative energy ways to heat your home can save money and give homeowners additional resources in times of energy shortages and economic difficulty. Wood stoves, pellet stoves and fireplace inserts can be an efficient and comfortable way to heat your home. Do your research and find the best match for your family. Many alternative heating sources are now regulated to meet environmental standards and have new technology engineered into the design just for that purpose.

Pellet Stoves

Pellet stoves use pellets of fuel poured into a hopper which are subsequently fed into a firepot at a steady rate by an auger. They have thermostats to regulate the temperature by regulating the rate that fuel is added. They are vented with a stove pipe and can be installed in homes that do not have a chimney. Rather than heating a room by radiant heat they heat with air blown through a heat exchanger and into the room. Pellet stoves are clean burning and efficient making them a green energy alternative. Corn pellets can be used in some pellet stoves so be sure to ask first if that is your intention. However, if you lose your electricity the blower and auger on your stove will not work.

Wood Stoves

The great thing about wood stoves is that the fuel supply is cheap and readily available. Modern wood stoves are built to satisfy the current emissions standards and burn much more cleanly than in years past. The heat is controlled with baffles and louvers to let in more or less air which causes the fire to burn hotter or cooler. Some wood stoves depend solely on radiant heat and others work with a blower that requires electricity or a combination of both. In some states there are wood cutting programs that allow individuals permits to cut and remove certain marked trees from the land as well as clear trees that have been previously cut and marked for clearance. 

Fireplaces

Fireplaces are the least efficient means of heating a home and can actually cause a drafty feel in the room. They work by drawing air from your room to feed the fire and then the heat goes up the chimney rather than into the room. There are ways to fix the problem with modern fireplace inserts that have heat exchangers and blowers. Another solution to energy sucking fireplaces is to install a hearth stove. They work the same as wood stoves but they sit on the hearth and back up to the fireplace. The fireplace is sealed with a plate through which the stove is vented.

Consider cooking on a wood burning cook stove and decrease your dependence on the grid.

Wood burning stoves can keep your home warm and provide fuel for cooking.

Wood stoves are great to have in case of an emergency power outage but they cannot provide power to your essential appliances such as your refrigerator. Adding a standby power generator for your home is another way to gain additonal security and safety for your home.

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