by J.L. Eck

Created on: December 21, 2009   Last Updated: March 21, 2010

Using a wood stove to heat your home is a great way to reduce your gas and/or electric bill.  For many, wood heat is the only way to go when fighting off old man winter.  The comfort of standing next the ol' wood stove after a stint in the cold outdoors is matched by no other source of heat for the home.  Burning wood for heat is a very simple concept, but there are risks and rewards to be considered.

First of all, the type of wood stove needs to match the user's needs for safety and convenience.  If your home is filled with children, you may want to consider a wood stove with a decorative outer shell, for example.  This will help protect those little ones from serious burns. These types of stoves can be purchased at your local Tractor Supply for far less than those retailers that sell only heating devices.  Many refer to this type of stove as a "Warm Morning" or "Circulator" as these were the name brands that prevailed for this type of wood stove for quite some time in the past. 

There are various options that can be purchased with and for a wood stove as well.  Some come with blower fans built in, some do not.  There are also after-market blowers that can be added to many makes of wood stoves.  This may sound inviting, but beware. Many blowers are very inefficient, costing more in electricity than they are worth.  Often, an efficient fan can be purchased on clearance in a nearby aisle and work far better at circulating the warm air through the home.  Just don't place it too near the stove! If energy efficient ceiling fans are installed in the home which is being heated, there should be plenty of air movement to keep the heat nearer to the floor. 

The next thing to think about is the square footage that you will be heating.  The size of your wood stove should be rated for slightly more square footage than you will be heating as this will allow for banking a fire for the overnight and for extra heat when winter gets terribly cold.  One of the biggest mistakes people make when choosing a wood stove to heat their home is underestimating the size of the stove needed.  This always leads to backing it up with other forms of heat such as space heaters which add to the bills and can be dangerous.

Another thing to consider is the fuel.  The type of wood used for heating can make all the difference. Seasoned hardwoods are the optimal choice for heat.   "Seasoned"

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