Read Online The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid by Terri Reid - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Terri Reid
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rule of thumb is that you need about ten acres of hardwood to produce enough wood to heat a home every year.
If you are able to cut, gather, and stack your own wood, you can really save money. Keep in mind, though, that the saying “when you cut your own wood, it heats you twice” is very true. Harvesting wood is hard work, and caution must be maintained when using a chain saw.
If you have to have someone cut and deliver your wood, find out how much he or she charges. In some places, paying for wood is more expensive than using fossil fuels.
If you decide to use wood for heating, you have several options: a fireplace, a wood stove, or a wood furnace.
Is heating with wood bad for the environment?
Biomass fuels, such as wood or corn, are “carbon neutral,” which means they do not generate a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, heating an average home with wood can save enough nonrenewable fossil fuel to operate an automobile for a full year.
Fireplaces
Using a fireplace is the most inefficient way to heat your home. Although charming, an open fireplace draws much more air than needed for combustion. This causes the warm air from the burning wood to be drawn up the chimney. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of the heat produced by wood burned in an open fireplace is lost up the chimney. The other drawback is that a fireplace will steal heated air from other parts of your home, because it will be drawing the air for combustion. This draw actually pulls cold air into your home through any unsealed areas, like windows and doors.
If you have a home with an existing fireplace, you can purchase a fireplace insert that is designed to fit into your fireplace. An insert has a firebox that is surrounded by a steel shell. Air flows into the shell and radiant heat from the burning wood warms the air, which is then redistributed back into your home. This prevents the majority of the heat from escaping up the chimney and prevents the air draw in your home.
Wood Stoves
A wood stove is considered a “space heater” because, unlike a furnace that pushes heat through a duct system, it will heat a specific area in your home. New designs in wood stoves and tighter-built homes now make it possible to heat a home with a single wood stove. However, thestove needs to be centrally located, so it can radiate heat throughout the area, and you must provide a way for heat to move through the rest of the home.
Wood stoves come in a variety of materials. Three of the most popular materials are cast iron, steel, and soapstone. Cast iron was the original material because the casting process was perfected long before steel and welding. You might even hear some people refer to wood stoves as “cast iron” stoves. The original Ben Franklin stoves from the 1700s were cast iron. Steel-plated stoves are another choice. Steel stoves heat up quickly and start radiating heat faster than cast iron. But when the fire is reduced to coals, there is little or no residual radiated heat. On the other hand, a cast iron stove might take a few hours to start radiating heat, but when the fire is reduced to coals you will continue to have residual heat for several hours. Soapstone is a relatively soft metamorphic rock. It was used in early New England because residents found that not only could it be easily cut and polished, but it would also absorb the heat and then provide a gentle and steady radiant heat. You can stand near a soapstone stove without feeling overwhelmed by the heat, in comparison to a cast iron stove, which can overwhelm you with the force of the heat it generates.
Wind Power
Once you’ve found that your particular piece of property is appropriate for wind power, you should research the different costs of wind systems and which will meet your energy needs. Some are actually hybrid systems that include not only the wind system, but also solar panels and a generator to ensure an ample supply of power to your home.
A small
If you are able to cut, gather, and stack your own wood, you can really save money. Keep in mind, though, that the saying “when you cut your own wood, it heats you twice” is very true. Harvesting wood is hard work, and caution must be maintained when using a chain saw.
If you have to have someone cut and deliver your wood, find out how much he or she charges. In some places, paying for wood is more expensive than using fossil fuels.
If you decide to use wood for heating, you have several options: a fireplace, a wood stove, or a wood furnace.
Is heating with wood bad for the environment?
Biomass fuels, such as wood or corn, are “carbon neutral,” which means they do not generate a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, heating an average home with wood can save enough nonrenewable fossil fuel to operate an automobile for a full year.
Fireplaces
Using a fireplace is the most inefficient way to heat your home. Although charming, an open fireplace draws much more air than needed for combustion. This causes the warm air from the burning wood to be drawn up the chimney. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of the heat produced by wood burned in an open fireplace is lost up the chimney. The other drawback is that a fireplace will steal heated air from other parts of your home, because it will be drawing the air for combustion. This draw actually pulls cold air into your home through any unsealed areas, like windows and doors.
If you have a home with an existing fireplace, you can purchase a fireplace insert that is designed to fit into your fireplace. An insert has a firebox that is surrounded by a steel shell. Air flows into the shell and radiant heat from the burning wood warms the air, which is then redistributed back into your home. This prevents the majority of the heat from escaping up the chimney and prevents the air draw in your home.
Wood Stoves
A wood stove is considered a “space heater” because, unlike a furnace that pushes heat through a duct system, it will heat a specific area in your home. New designs in wood stoves and tighter-built homes now make it possible to heat a home with a single wood stove. However, thestove needs to be centrally located, so it can radiate heat throughout the area, and you must provide a way for heat to move through the rest of the home.
Wood stoves come in a variety of materials. Three of the most popular materials are cast iron, steel, and soapstone. Cast iron was the original material because the casting process was perfected long before steel and welding. You might even hear some people refer to wood stoves as “cast iron” stoves. The original Ben Franklin stoves from the 1700s were cast iron. Steel-plated stoves are another choice. Steel stoves heat up quickly and start radiating heat faster than cast iron. But when the fire is reduced to coals, there is little or no residual radiated heat. On the other hand, a cast iron stove might take a few hours to start radiating heat, but when the fire is reduced to coals you will continue to have residual heat for several hours. Soapstone is a relatively soft metamorphic rock. It was used in early New England because residents found that not only could it be easily cut and polished, but it would also absorb the heat and then provide a gentle and steady radiant heat. You can stand near a soapstone stove without feeling overwhelmed by the heat, in comparison to a cast iron stove, which can overwhelm you with the force of the heat it generates.
Wind Power
Once you’ve found that your particular piece of property is appropriate for wind power, you should research the different costs of wind systems and which will meet your energy needs. Some are actually hybrid systems that include not only the wind system, but also solar panels and a generator to ensure an ample supply of power to your home.
A small
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