Wood heating pros and cons

[Daox]

I got an email from HomePower today and this was one of the links in it. I love the idea of growing my own heat in my back yard. Anyway, its worth a read:

Efficient Heating with Wood | Home Power Magazine

Wood straddles the line between being a renewable and a fossil fuel. It is a store of solar energy and atmospheric carbon that can be consumed at a pace similar to the rate at which it is produced—in which case it is renewable. Or it can be burned more quickly, acting more like a fossil fuel. Unlike with vehicles or other complex energy systems, pollution from wood heat remains largely unregulated, and there’s a high potential for misuse. That’s reason to become better informed about the technology and how—and when—to use it most efficiently.

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So when is heating with wood an appropriate solution, both economically and environmentally? Five factors come into play:
- Ability to obtain local, sustainably produced fuel (firewood or pellets)
- Room for storage and/or drying firewood
- No atmospheric inversion problems
- Low population density
- Ability to source and install a high-efficiency wood- or biomass-burning heater