Caring for your environment

Some may view a wood stove or fireplace as old fashioned, but that image is out of date. Things have changed a lot. Innovative research has transformed the trusty old wood heater from a clunky black box into a marvel of modern heating technology. Yet none of the charm and beauty of the natural fire has been lost.

An advanced technology stove or fireplace won't pollute your indoor air and you'll see no smoke coming from your chimney. It can deliver up to 75 percent seasonal efficiency while emitting 90 percent less smoke than the old "airtight". This means you'll need about 1/3 less wood for the same amount of heat.

The new technologies raise the temperature of the fire, making it more beautiful than ever and keeping the fireviewing glass crystal clear. Now you can enjoy the pleasures of a real wood fire and cast your vote in favor of the environment at the same time.

Modern wood burning stoves and fireplaces are a perfect match for new energy efficient houses. A centrally-located wood stove can fully heat a home of moderate size, and for larger homes, the heat from an elegant new fireplace can be ducted to all areas. No more chilly rooms. And no more getting up in the night to feed the fire — all the advanced models deliver a reliable overnight burn.

Solar power from the sun, wind power, and wood energy are renewable resources, meaning they can be used forever without depleting the earth. Using renewable energy is like living off the interest earned by the earth's assets, and never touching its savings.

In contrast, fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal are not renewable and their consumption is the leading cause of global warming. Burning fossil fuels sends carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, on a one-way trip. It pumps million-year-old carbon from inside the earth into the atmosphere, where the concentration of carbon dioxide is increasing. Burning oil, gas and coal is like spending the earth's savings, and scientists say it is changing the global climate. Wood fuel is different. As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air in a process powered by the sun. Indeed, about half the weight of dry wood is this absorbed carbon. A tree destroyed in a forest fire or one that falls and decays in the forest gives up its carbon once again to the air as carbon dioxide. So continues the earth's carbon/carbon dioxide cycle.

When trees are used for energy, a part of the forest's annual growth is diverted from the natural decay and forest fire cycle into our homes to heat them. Both natural firewood and wood pellets — made by compressing waste sawdust — are energy products from the forest. Well-managed forests can be a renewable, sustainable source of energy that helps us reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing the use of oil, gas and coal.

Safety

You may have heard people say that wood burning is unsafe. But when problems arise it is almost always because the heater and its chimney were installed wrong. Modern wood burners are safety tested, and when properly installed, a wood stove or fireplace is as safe as any other heating system.

In the past, chimney fires were a big concern. Today's new breed of advanced heaters burn so clean that chimney fires have become a thing of the past. Your enjoyment of the fire need not be tempered by nagging fears about safety.