Wood fired stoves generally burn at to low a temperature so release a lot of nasty compounds – think cigarette. However, new bio-fuel boilers using dry pelleted or sawdust feed are very clean, Co2 neutral, and, if from coppiced managed woodland, very susytainable; as well as providing an income for managing the land suitable for wildlife, and slowing water runoff etc.

electric is best used as a heat pump. but it is a “high-grade” energy source so it is a shame to waste it on heating. It also depends on the source of the electric.

We converted our fireplace to wood when we moved in and now we’re converting it back to gas. It doesn’t have the fireplace smell I love so much but if you’ve ever visited a small community in winter and seen the haze hanging over town, burning wood fires turns into a guilt trip.

But eventually gas supplies will dwindle and be reserved for special uses, so electric would be the way to go.

All the others require you BURN something. Electric fire places could be running on a renewable resource such as wind power or hydroelectric power.

All the others require some sort of venting, so you lose some of the heat out the vent or up the chimney. An electric fireplace can be totally unvented, even fake. All the heat you generate stays in the house.

All the others can cause fires outside the fire box. Gas can leak, wood can roll out. Electricity stays put.

All the others are local fires. Electricity, if produced by burning something, can be produced at a power plant in a more efficient manner. There is efficiency in mass production.

Lastly, when they have a ban on burning due to poor air quality you can still use your electric fireplace. The gas and wood fireplaces are illegal at that time and can get you a whooper of a fine.

they only burn branches and heat is radiated out
it does not heat the air,it heats objects
such as bodies or furniture
they are very economic ,using only branches and no need to cut down trees
the heat does not leave everytime someone opens the door
And the fire is very contained and low so there is a minimum of smoke

Wood also produces CO2 (as well as some other pollutants) — however, this carbon has been fixed by the tree from the air, so it is renewable.

The question then is, whether the timber was from a sustainable source.

If it’s from a woodland which has been cleared, and replaced with grassland, buildings or whatever, then that is carbon which used to be safely tied up in the woodland, and is now in the air — it’s additional CO2, and so not sustainable. If it’s a primary (ancient) wood, that’s destroyed an important natural habitat too.

However, if it’s from a wood managed to produce timber, for example by sustainable logging or coppicing, then that’s an efficient and acceptable biomass harvesting technique. Better than using good farmland. Woodland is not the trees themselves, but the land-use — trees will always grow again if the woodland is still kept as woodland. In many woods (such as most UK ones), management from harvesting is necessary to maintain the wildlife.

If you do burn wood, do it the most efficient way you can. An open fire loses heat badly, as it pulls much more air up the chimney than the fire needs, dragging cool air into the room all the time. On the other hand a closed stove can be adjusted to pull only enough air to keep the fire going, and so is very much more efficient. More heat, less smoky pollutants, and the fuel last longer.

Also, what ever you end up burning is going to spew out into our atmosphere and cause air pollution.

that doesn’t necessarily mean gas fireplaces are better. sure they are cleaner, but there you go again with the dependence on oil.

I would work towards making sure your home has a good weathering system in place; insulated properly, dual pane windows, even those goofy heads with long arms at the base of your doors. Wear sweatshirts or sweaters in the house. Use throw blankets.

BUT… these are State and local and you don’t say where you are.

Consult your yellow pages under Contractors or attorneys…

Good luck

what i’m doing: making sure to turn off lights when i’m not in the room, turning off electronics at night, bocking heat leaks in my home, combining errands, driving a (fairly) fuel efficient car (30-34mpg), replacing my light bulbs with fluorescent ones.

e-mail me, we’ll talk more! BELIEVERS UNITE!

Why do you continue to use a computer and sit in a room warmed by combustion of hydrocarbon fuel? Turn off ALL your luxury devices and migrate south, where you can be prey of carnivorous beasts, if you survive the migration!

BTW, I’ve done quite a little over my lifetime to lower not only my CO2 “footprint”, but also yours!

They said I couldn’t..

I turn off everything in my house when not in use even my computer monitor…but I don’t think that a special holiday that people will go for it, not having Christmas lights that is.