Wood Burning Stoves: Beautiful and Efficient

There is nothing like the warming, comforting heat of a wood burning stove on a cold winter day. The cracking and snap of the wood as it catches fire, the mesmerizing flames, and the soothing aroma of soup simmering on the stovetop. I used to think that wood fires were not environmentally friendly. But in fact, they are a carbon neutral heat source. It’s also really easy to use your wood stove for cooking, almost like a slow cooker, and for heating a kettle which of course just saves on energy. Read more..

Comparing Wood Burning Stoves

I had always been under the impression that burning wood for heat was inefficient, caused pollution in the form of smoke, and was therefore not a green solution to heating. But then I moved into my current home in the country and a wood burning stove was already installed in the house. I love wood heating. It really warms you, helps counteract the damp that usually comes with winter, and as a bonus you can use it for cooking and heating water for tea. A ‘wetback’ can be installed so you get hot water as a by-product of your heating, allowing you to save all the energy and money it takes to provide hot water to your house. So, could it really be all that bad and inefficient? I decided to find out. Read more..