Choosing A Wood Heating Appliance for your Home

As I wrote yesterday, approximately 20 percent of the single family dwellings in Canada are heated to some extent with wood.  According to Environment Canada, residential wood heating is the third largest source of fine particle emissions associated with human activities.  That said, the efficient use of wood fuel is much more eco-friendly than other fuels like kerosene and natural gas.

If you decide to buy a wood stove, choose one that has been certified for low emissions by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

The benefit of the EPA/CSA wood stove for emission reduction is substantial. In a controlled environment, emissions from an EPA/CSA wood stove are reduced by an approximate average of 80%. When using an EPA/CSA wood stove at home it is estimated that emissions are still reduced but in a lesser degree. All in all, you need to remember that even EPA/CSA certified appliances still emit smoke, including a variety of pollutants such as dioxins and furans, which affect local air quality. Therefore, it is important to always maintain good wood burning practices (see tomorrow’s post).

Whatever wood stove you have, make sure it is installed according to all applicable codes or regulations. Wood stoves must be properly installed to be safe and efficient. Have a certified professional install your stove (most insurance companies will insist on it before giving you coverage.)

Choose the smallest stove that meets your heating needs. This way the stove can operate optimally, burn the wood more efficiently and produce less pollution.

Lastly, avoid open fireplaces. They are very inefficient when it comes to heating your home -- they take warm air from your home and bring the cold outside air in. They transfer heat through the outside wall they're built against and they pollute because they simply aren’t as efficient at combusting firewood as a stove.

Tomorrow:

Good Wood Burning Practices