Now is the time to purchase and efficient wood burning product! Why, you ask?

The available tax credit makes the option of buying an efficient wood burning product an affordable project.  Plus, you will be helping small businesses that are taking a huge hit by the economy.  Most small businesses can’t get credit now because their financials show the hit from the economy over the last two years (yes, it has been that long).  While getting credit is essential to small businesses, the major concern is lagging sales.  So, please save yourself some money and move to a greener energy option by going to an efficient, EPA approved wood stove, fireplace, or insert. 

You can get a 30% Tax Credit (up to $1500.00) on the cost of having an efficient wood burning appliance installed in your home (must be a primary residence; cannot be new construction or rental property for the tax credit).  The credit is determined by the cost of installing an efficient wood burner, not just the cost of the appliance itself.  This is a HUGE savings! 

So, you are thinking about purchasing a wood stove or fireplace and you realize that if you do; you will feel so good about yourself.  Because you were smart and saved money, because you helped a local small business survive for another day, and now you are socially conscious because you are heating your home in a “GREEENER” way!  Plus, now you can come home after a hard day and revert back to your primal instincts and play with fire, or just relax while watching the beautiful, efficient flames; while knowing your heating bill will not break the bank this year or next.

If you already have an open style fireplace, you can heat efficiently too by choosing a good quality wood insert.  There is an efficient wood appliance out there for everyone, every style, every size.

Don’t hesitate to call your local Specialty Hearth Retailer and find out how you can start saving money!

I was just reading my “Hearth & Home Magazine” (www.hearthandhome.com) and there was a great article by Dr. James E. Houck In the Zone The Three E’s; Energy, Economy and Environment.  This article talks about how using room heaters or Zone Heaters can help reduce the cost of heating by allowing home owners to turn down their central system and focus on heating the rooms they are in.  This makes so much since to me!  Many homes have 5 or more rooms, yet we seem to spend most of our time in just a few of those.  “Zone heaters, sometimes referred to as room heaters, can offer energy and money savigs if used to augment centralized heating systems.  Households can turn down the thermostat and turn on the room heater when and where it is needed.”  “Inefficient heat delivery and the heating of empty rooms means wasted energy, wated money and wnwarranted greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions.”  The other part of the article that impacted me was Dr. Houck’s discussion of Radiant Energy.  “At rest, humans are comfortable at an air temperature of about 70 degrees F.  When we sit in the sun we feel warm even if the air temperature is less than 70 degrees F due to radiant energy.  Zone heaters can have the same effect; they can provide warmth without the need of heatig the iterior of the home to a comfortable temperature.  If all else is equal, radiant heat from a zone heater can be far more efficient than covection heat from a centralized hot-air furnace.”  Again, this makes sense!  I know that my electric bill has been much larger this year than last.  I have become obsessed with turning off appliances etc.. and then watching my meter spin in the hopes of keeping the electric bill in check.  I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I didn’t have my Direct Vent Gas Fireplace in the living room.  Not only is it capable of heating more than one room but it feels nice to have the family sitting by the fire.  So by zone heating it makes sense that I am saving energy, saving money, and doing this by creating a warm ambiance in my home all at the same time.  Talk about a win-win situation.  Zone heaters can be free standing stoves, fireplace inserts, and masonry heaters.  These heaters can be fueled by cordwood, gas, oil, coal, corn and pellets.  OK…  So there are lots of options for a zone heater and one will fit your needs and style.  In fact the options are so numerous that you have to be careful that you choose something that fits your needs.  Factors to consider; size of the room or rooms you want to heat, aesthetics, efficiency, installation (how do we vent it and what makes the most sense for our situation), quality (yes, you can buy a product that will last 20-30 years), up keep (physically speaking can I lift a 40lb bag of pellets, do I have a source of wood, do I want to manually light my unit or is a remote a better option etc..), and finally budget. 

I wanted to pass along the information on zone heating from this article, as it conveyed the idea better than most articles I have read on the subject. 

(About the author: Dr. James E. Houck is president of OMNI Environmental Service.  www.omni-environmental.com)