Can Wood Stoves Be Environmentally Friendly?
Since 1990, every new wood stove for sale in the Unites States is approved by the EPA, and produces a mere trickle of smoke (2-5 grams per hour) and very little ash. This amounts to a 33 percent increase in fuel efficiency over the old potbelly stoves, and a 90 percent decrease in emissions. This means that advanced wood burning stoves burn a lot less wood and are simultaneously kinder to the planet.
"Don't wood stoves put pollutants into the atmosphere just like other heating sources--gas, oil, or coal?" When fossil fuels are extracted from the earth and consumed, they release carbon dioxide into the environment. There is substantial costs involved in extracting and producing these fuels, and once they're burned, they're gone for good.
As a fuel source, wood is different on several counts. Trees, like all other green plants, take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and convert it to fiber in order to grow. When trees die, and wood decomposes, this CO2 is released back into the air. But in this case, it is a natural cycle, since all trees eventually die. The same thing is true when wood is burned. Making the wood-burning cycle sustainable is the fact that wood is a renewable source of fuel.
"Are wood stoves good for the environment?" The answer, when you compare stoves to other heating methods, is yes. Today's stoves are fuel efficient: they produce more heat with less wood, keeping emissions to a minimum by meeting strict EPA standards. Best of all, perhaps, they don't deprive the earth of non-renewable fossil fuels.
So, call to mind that rusty, black iron stove you saw in a Western movie, a vacation lodge, or at your grandparents. Then prepare yourself for an updated picture as you explore the world of modern wood stoves. Environmentally speaking, today's stoves are very green.
See the full article by AJ Vanderhorstat at American Chronicle.com