A cord of freshly cut hardwood from a northern forest (green firewood) contains about 24,000,000 British Thermal Units (Btus) and weighs about 4,500 pounds. After proper air drying, the same cord weighs only 3,500 pounds. The loss of 1,000 pounds of water at 8.34 pounds per gallon is about 120 gallons. The next time you […]
Climate change and environmental concerns drive many of today’s consumer decisions. One of the biggest environmental decisions homeowners can make is how to heat. Tucked away in basements and utility rooms, boilers and furnaces are quietly emitting about 75% of household carbon dioxide emissions. Making large reductions in household carbon footprints, therefore, requires de-fossilizing home […]
As of December 2020, installations of wood-fueled boilers and stoves for home heating with an efficiency of 75% or better qualify for a 26% federal tax credit. The Investment Tax Credit or ITC, which has been available for other renewable energy installations for years, was finally granted for efficient wood heating after almost a decade […]
Green wood chips or dry wood chips, what is the best fuel for heating boilers? Generally the answer depends upon scale. Green wood chip boilers and fuel handling systems require more infrastructure, which means both a larger investment and larger requirements for floor space. Green wood chips do not require as much processing and handling […]
Using wood for heating is not only smart carbon policy, but should also become an essential component of pro-forestation land management. Some believe the countdown timer on a 10 year planetary climate time bomb has begun. They believe we have ten years to figure out how to clip the carbon “wires” or human-induced carbon emissions […]