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Heating with wood is an American tradition. Yet woodburning in the 1990's bears little resemblance to the woodburning done from the dawn of man or even of wood burning done in the 1980's. Tremendous advances in technology have made the Jøtul stoves produced today one of the cleanest burning, most efficient, and longest burning heating appliances on the market. There are many reasons why one would chose to heat with wood: it's economical, it's environmentally-friendly, it is a renewable resource, and it takes us back to a time when life seemed simpler and fuller. Lets take a few moments and explore each of these reasons. Woodburnings' Social and Aesthetic Appeal Since the dawn of man, humans have congregated around wood fires. The dancing of the flame in an infinite pattern, the sweet smell of burning wood, and the gentle radiant heat has always induced reflective contemplation and conversation. We are reminded of the pleasant memories of childhood and family. The woodstove has always been a focal point in homes, and with the classic styling of the Jøtul woodstoves, we can truly say that a Jøtul woodstove is ART THAT WARMS. Wood as a Renewable Resource Wood is a near perfect fuel source in that each year it renews itself. Forest product companies have proven this by effective management and reforestation. It is as simple as "cut a tree..plant a tree..". The pruning, culling, and harvesting of overgrown forests not only provides fuel for woodstoves, it promotes the growth of healthy trees that absorb three times as much carbon dioxide as is released when wood burns. Woodburning is Environmentally-Friendly We all have an obligation to prepare for the future by making informed energy decisions. Whether we put another log on the fire, order more fuel oil for the fire, or set the thermostat higher on the electric radiator, we must understand that the choice we make has an environmental impact on our lives beyond keeping us warm. It is important to our future that we consider all the consequences of the energy decisions we make. One of the major factors we should consider is that of Renewable vs. Non-renewable sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy include wood, hydroelectric power, and solar. The Non-renewable sources of energy are the fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas and electricity. Electricity is included as a Non-renewable energy source in that over 73% of electricity is produced from Non-Renewable fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The burning of fossil fuels produce high quantities of carbon dioxide gas that contribute to the "greenhouse effect". While the decay or combustion of "biomass" (primarily trees and other plants) also produce carbon dioxide, it has always been a part of a natural cycle. In that cycle the release of carbon dioxide gases is reabsorbed by the growing biomass. In the study "Power Surge: the Status and Near-Term Potential of Renewable Energy Technologies" they found that if biomass (woodburning) is used as a supplement to the fossil fuels, the atmospheric effect is essentially zero. In fact, they claim it may actually result in a slight improvement, a much better situation than if additional fossil fuels are burned. While woodstoves of the past produced billowing clouds of smoke and particulate, the new EPA Phase Il stoves produce almost no smoke. The old conventional woodstoves emitted between 30 and 80 grams of particulate matter (smoke) per hour, while the new approved stoves have reduced emissions to between 3 to 6 grams per hour. That is a reduction of over 90%. All Jøtul stoves meet and exceed the EPA Phase 2 standards and are among the cleanest burning stoves on the market! The EPA concludes that that control of the greenhouse effect could be achieved if more homes reduced their use of fossil fuels and relied more on wood and biomass for heat and energy sources. Woodburning is Economical When heating with wood, significant economic benefits are evident. Consider the comparisons in heating value. As a rule of thumb, a two-ton cord of hard wood yields about the same usable heat as 200 gallons of heating oil, a ton of hard coal, or about 4000 kilowatts of electricity. By comparing the cost of whichever fuel one uses with wood, you can figure the savings obtained by wood-burning. For example, 200 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil at $1.00/gallon costs $200.00. The same usable heat from wood would run $100 (1 cord of wood), a saving of $100! Of course, if you cut your own wood the savings can be even greater. [ Back to Jøtul Home ] Phone: (609)-597-3473 ..... Fax: (609)-597-0667 |