FOne of the easiest
ways to reduce your heating costs is to make your home more energy efficient. You should
weatherize your home during the winter season (eg. keep it well insulated, put up storm
windows and use weather stripping) to keep the heat given off from your wood stove inside
your home.
FBy purchasing an
efficient, environmentally friendly EPA certified wood stove, you will require less fuel
(wood) to heat your home. This means a decrease in your annual home heating costs as you
would need and use less wood.
FWood stove heating
utilizes New Brunswick’s readily available and affordable renewable energy source -
wood. Using wood as your heating fuel will provide more energy security. Wood stove owners
are not dependant on imported fuels for heating their home. Again, this will enable you to
heat your home for less money.
FPellet wood stoves
are becoming a more popular alternative in wood stove heating. Pellet stoves are
high-tech, self-fueling heat sources, and are one of the cleanest ways to heat with wood.
The pellets are clean and easy to handle. They are made of wood by-products and require
little storage space.
FThe pellets
required for the pellet stoves are recycled wood by-products which helps reduce waste, and
also helps reduce pressure on our landfills while encouraging the use of a renewable
energy source. Pellets leave little ash after burning and results in easier cleanup.
FThe best way to
ensure that you are maximizing your wood stove efficiency is to know how to properly
maintain and run your stove. This will reduce wood smoke emissions and save you money.
Read and keep your wood stove owners manual for instructions and future references.
FProper burning
techniques will also stretch your fuel dollar and provide your home with more efficient
heat. Be sure to use properly seasoned wood as you will need to use less of it than
non-seasoned wood.
FThe proper size
stove should be chosen for your home. A bigger stove does not mean a better stove. In
fact, smaller stoves generally burn cleaner and use less fuel. The stove should be located
in the proper space in your home. It should be put in the area in which you are trying to
heat. This will maximize your heating efforts and reduce the amount of wood used.
