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Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:06 AM PST
Guest Blogger #265, Entry #774, November 22, 2011
Let’s face it – The cost of heating your home
has gotten very
expensive and we’re all looking for ways to save money. If you
live in a rural area where wood is abundant, an outdoor wood furnace can
be a source of free (or almost free) heat.
Warm up your home this season
Image via
Besides, if you live in a rural
area, you can’t always rely on the local utilities to keep your home
heated in the winter. Unexpected storms, maintenance work and
just generally being a low repair priority can sometimes have you
dealing with spotty service from electrical or gas utilities, and oil
deliveries don’t always come as quickly as they are
needed.
Citing the cost benefits and self-sufficiency benefits, many home owners have invested in outdoor wood furnaces. Here’s what you need to know:
Outdoor Wood Furnaces Are Safe
Outdoor wood furnaces have the advantage of being a much safer option than traditional indoor wood stoves. Children, for example, are protected from coming into contact with the furnace itself – something that is much harder to control with an indoor stove. The risks of carbon monoxide poisoning – which can cause severe illness and even death – are also reduced because the furnace isn’t in your home, so it’s not polluting the air you breath.House fire risks – be they chimney fires, fires caused by damaged or malfunctioning furnaces, gas leaks, etc. – are minimal simply because the potential source of these fires is far away from your home. In fact, switching your home heating source to an outdoor wood furnace typically translates into lower homeowner’s insurance premiums.
In terms of cleanliness, these furnaces keep all of the bugs, dust, soot, and ash far away from your living space, which makes them a much cleaner option. You will also avoid the dangers of carbon monoxide building up inside your home as a result of combustion. Another interesting advantage offered by outdoor wood furnaces is that they are often available with home furnace hot-water hookups that can heat water for use in showering, cooking or cleaning, and they can of course be connected to a pool or jacuzzi and offer year-round outdoor water heating.
How an outdoor wood furnace works
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Outdoor Wood Furnaces Are Self Sufficient
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of an outdoor wood furnace is that it makes your home almost completely independent of your local utilities. Other than the need for a small amount of electricity (which could be met with a generator), you can keep warm with minimal dependence on the rest of the world.Roads too muddy to get through? Trees down on the line? None of this is your concern as long as you’ve got enough wood stockpiled to keep your furnace going through the winter and a small generator to keep the fan blowing. It’s simple to plan for the amount of wood that you will need, and wood is always easier to source than oil in the middle of a crisis situation, as fewer home owners are searching for a reliable supply of firewood when disaster strikes.
Typically, an outdoor wood furnace is the primary source of heat for homeowners who own one. However, you can use your outdoor wood furnace as a backup to your existing oil or gas furnace instead, as the systems can mesh together and complement each other with ease.
Heat your home with an outdoor wood furnace
Image via
Outdoor Wood Furnaces Are Cost Effective
Another advantage offered by outdoor wood furnaces is cost. A single cord of wood costs roughly $150, depending on the area where you live. Estimating an average home size of 2,500 square feet, it would cost no more than $850 per year to keep your home warm and toasty – and meet all of your hot water needs – throughout the winter season. Some homes would cost even less, depending upon how well they are insulated. Compare that to your current utility bills and you might be shocked by the amount of money that you could save by choosing an outdoor wood furnace.Outdoor Wood Furnaces Are Essentially Carbon Neutral
When it comes to listing off the advantages of outdoor wood furnaces, the environmental benefits are the icing on the cake. Unlike furnaces that burn fuel oil or natural gas, an outdoor wood furnace doesn’t contribute green house gases to the environment. Burning wood in your furnace releases the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere as decomposition would, which means that your outdoor wood furnace isn’t adding to the greenhouse gas problem.Petroleum and natural gas, however, are locked deep underground and have been for millions of years. Burning these fossil fuels for heat releases million-year-old CO2 into the atmosphere, increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and contributing to the greenhouse effect.
When you add it all up, outdoor wood furnaces are a smart way to heat your home. However, before you invest in your very own outdoor furnace, be sure to check the regulations in your area.
Randi Brawley works with Alternative Heating and Supplies, a company that sells outdoor wood boiler treatment, outdoor furnace parts, and maintenance supplies.
For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.
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