Why Use a Wood Stove to Heat Your Home?

December 17, 2013 By: Tim McGirl In: Chimney & Fireplace Health and Safety 597 Comments

Wood Stoves Sales and Installation by A&T Chimney Sweeps

The sales of wood and pellet stoves are on the rise. People are turning to wood stoves for a number of reasons. Most of the wood stove purchasers are using wood stoves as an alternative heating method for their home, others as a cozy addition to their homes. But, with what are the benefits to adding a wood stove to your home? The main benefit is reduced heating costs. Other benefits include; more Eco-friendly heating, more efficient heating, added ambiance, and providing an excuse for an old-fashioned workout.

Reduce Your Heating Bill with a Wood Stove

Fuel cost are on the rise, and wood remains one of the cheapest fuels available. With the increased efficiency in today's wood stove, they remain one of the most cost-effective heating methods available. The normal unit for determining heating cost is cost per million BTU (British Thermal Unit). Determining exact costs for wood are difficult due to varying costs of wood, variations in type of wood used, and variations in the size or density of a cord (3.62 m^3 of dried wood). However, the general consensus is the wood heat costs about $5-9 per million BTU. Compare this to the average cost of electrical heating, which is $13-15 per million BTU or natural gas at $11-13, and you can see the savings.

That does not even take into account the use of free wood. Have a dead tree laying around? Did a tree get knocked over in your neighborhood during that last storm? Get out there and chop a bit of your own wood, and you can subtract that from the already lower costs of wood heating. Live near a forest preserve? Odds are they would gladly allow you to take all the dead wood you want (just be sure to ask first). If you are willing to do the work and have a storage place, a wood stove can reduce your heating bill to zero!

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The Environmentally Friendly Heating Option

While geothermal and solar heating options are the most environmentally friendly heating systems, both of these systems can be costly and require installation throughout your home. Wood burning stoves make use of a renewable and sustainable heating source – trees. Wood stoves are also carbon neutral for the most part. That is burning wood releases about the same amount of carbon dioxide as the tree consumed while living. However, wood stoves do release more particles that gas furnaces. The particles released by a wood stove can reduce the air quality in dense urban areas.

That Comforting Crackle of Burning Wood

Your family sitting around the family room with the soft crackle and pop of burning wood in the background is right out of a Rockwell painting. Even though there is little chance of getting a family of today to sit around a fire, the comfort is still there. Put the kids to bed, make a pot of tea, and cuddle up on your couch with a good book. The wood stove just makes it that much more comforting. Heck, you can even make that pot of tea on the wood stove, making it more convenient and efficient.

Need a Push to Get in an Extra Workout?

People like to say, “I would workout more, if I could get paid to do it.” Unless you are about to land that NFL contract, this is about as close as you are likely to get to getting paid to workout. Chopping wood can result in free heat for your home, and burns about 390 calories per hour for the average male. That is saving money and getting in shape all-in-one! If you have any questions about how to get a wood stove installed in your home, feel free to contact our Wood Stove and Fireplace experts at A&T Chimney Sweeps. They are available 6 days a week to answer your questions. A&T offers new wood stove sales and installation, as well as fireplace insert sales and installation. They are also trained pellet stove and chimney repair experts, so ask away!