Heat your house with renewable fuels

The most obvious response to renewable home-heating fuels is firewood, but many developing nations do not have a good supply of wood. Biodiesel is an alternative renewable clean home fuel for heating and transport.

Biodiesel is very compatible with diesel oil, is renewable and can be mixed in any proportion. It is basically an animal fat or vegetable oil derivative that burns relatively clean with little carbon; this means that it does not emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. More than 30 million gallons (79 million liters) of biodiesel is produced annually in North America, with many states now offering it as an alternative clean fuel. Demand is increasing compared to fossil fuels.

Wood, wood pellets and corn

Wood has been used as a heating fuel for ages. European settlers along the east coast of the New World and in Pennsylvania experienced ferocious North American winters. The fast-growing population and poor energy efficiency from wood-burning appliances caused deforestation and grimy, sooty towns. Consequently, many population centers quickly jumped onto the oil, electric and natural gas bandwagons when the opportunity arose. It was so simple: pay, install and enjoy your central heating immediately. Wood heating looks like a step backward in civilization.

However, wood-heating technologies have made much progress since the discovery of fire, such as stove designs which allow more heat recovery with lower environmental pollution. These technology advancements can also reduce efforts in chopping wood. 

See our articles in Saving Energy  to learn about energy-conservation techniques in detail.

“Wood” fuel also includes wood pellets and dried corn as well as all types of biomass fuel sources. If you choose wood as your preferred home heating source, then your local building inspector or stove supplier should advise you on installation details: the process is complex and differs for each location. A professional installer or contractor should be employed to set up the system.