Weighing the pros and cons of heating with wood in your home? Well, we’re big proponents of heating our homes with wood so we will leave the cons off of this list and just provide you with 10 reasons that you should be using wood as the source of heat in your house.
1. It’s Affordable
Swapping from fossil fuels to heating your home with firewood will save you money instantly. Wood is one of the most affordable types of fuel you can use if you don’t live in a built-up or inner city location. A lot of individuals think this is one of the only reasons people opt for wood heating and they miss the bigger picture.
2. Renewable Energy Option
Wood is a renewable source of energy meaning it doesn’t use up the Earth’s precious resources. This is due to the fact that trees can be regrown, unlike fossil fuels. The energy is stored in the tree wood from the sun and when you burn the wood in your fire you are releasing that energy.
3. The Charm of the Flame
No one can deny that the look of a natural wood fire looks stunning. Humans have been socialising around open flames for a millennia, so it’s no surprise that we are practically built to enjoy the ambience of warmth of a glowing, dancing fire.
4. Help your Local Economy
By sourcing your fuel from your own local community you are going to be keeping your hard earned money in the local economy, helping to support those around you. This beats giving your money to the large energy suppliers.
5. Help the Planet
When you burn fuels they produce carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Fossil fuels are one of the worst culprits as when they burn they release a lot of carbon dioxide from the Earth’s land to the atmosphere. However, trees are different. When a tree grows it absorbs carbon dioxide and when the wood is burned carbon dioxide is released. Yet this is absorbed again by young samplings. Therefore, as trees recycle carbon dioxide, burning wood provides heat for your home alone and not the entire planet.
6. Control Your Bills
A major benefit of heating with firewood is that you are in the driving seat. You can buy the fuel, stockpile it when prices are cheap and keep a good track of your energy use throughout the year. This trumps energy companies wanting a monthly bill regardless of your usage. Stop giving away your money to a big, greedy energy company.
7. Unbeatable Warmth
Burning firewood in a wood stove or pellet stove generates a certain type of heat referred to as a radiant heat. This is the same warmth experienced when you sit in the sun, natural and comfortable. This beats the moisture-sapped air of modern heaters than commonly utilize convection heat.
8. Responsible Heating
The great thing about firewood is that it is a natural, tangible object you can see and feel with your own hands and eyes. It’s so easy to increase the thermostat on your gas or electrical heating and never even consider the lasting impact on your finances or the environment. The firewood you load your appliance with can be seen and experienced, helping you to keep track of your usage.
9. Heat where you need, not the whole property
Of course, you can purchase wood burning stoves that have a higher enough heat output to heat a very large space, but you don’t have to. By planning exactly where you want to heat your home most of the time, you can save a lot of money.
10. Off-Grid Heating
Modern appliances and central heating systems often rely on an electrical or gas supply line. This is all well and good until there is a power outage, which renders your heating source completely useless. Powering your home with firewood means that this is never an issue, you simply need to sit around your wood fireplace or stove and get comfy.