GREEN: Questions about Green or Pollution?
UNDERSTANDING A WOOD FURNACE - EDITORIAL:
A recent story in the Wellsboro Gazette titled Boroughs Confront Wood Furnace Problems, Wellsboro Gazette Dec 26, 2006,by Mr. Jason Przybycien, focused on a specific problem discussed in a Borough involving smoke and perception of Pollution from Wood Furnaces. In the past few weeks since the article I have had several inquiries about the content of the article and possible effect on my business. The article also discussed the possible introduction of an ordinance that was being prepared to regulate Wood Furnaces.
I am sure it was not the intent of the Article, but the latent effect of that article were implications (taken by some residents) that Wood Heat Furnaces in some way create excess pollution in general, regardless of location. I believe the intent was to suggest that burning these units with a low chimney was not neighborly in close quarters such as in a close town. And that it was not proper or appropriate to burn trash or plastic in town, with these points I agree.
I would like to offer a clarification and discussion of the Article about these well designed pieces of Equipment and to clarify that they are very cost effective, completely legal and discuss the suggestion of pollution added by some.
As a member of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers), Owner of a Business for involved with Indoor Environmental Controls and a Local Dealer of WOODMASTER Outdoor Wood Furnaces I am very familiar with Environmental Control Engineering and the Outdoor Furnace Industry.
First The Cost (Why we buy them):
What an Outdoor Wood Furnace offers is independence from high Energy bills that Utility connected customers deal with. With Access to wood on an owners' property, Energy bills for Heating and Hot Water are very low or almost non-existent. Even those whom purchase the Wood for Fuel and make payments on an Outdoor Furnace, pay less than Fossil Fuel per year.
A BTU is the Unit of measurement that is used to determine how much Heat is generated by a Heating Unit regardless of Manufacture or Fuel. Please look at the Cost to generate 1 Million BTU's for the various Fuels:
- Red Oak @ $75. / Cord = $ 5.21 / Million BTUs
- #2 Fuel Oil @ $1.15/ Gallon = $ 9.55 / Million BTUs
- Propane @ .90 / Gallon = $10.17/ Million BTUs
You can clearly see why it is less expensive to Burn Wood than other popular Fuels. Also remember, wood re-grows and is less pollutant than burning petro-chemicals which are gone forever.
Pollution and Cascading Efficiency:
Electric Utility Power Plants operate at about 40% efficiency and have additional line loss during transfer. Electric Utility plants in the US primarily burn fossil fuels such as Coal or Petroleum products. The reason this point is significant is because Wood Furnaces operate at a higher Efficiency than the power plants and have no additional line or transport loss. The Fuels used to power the Utility Power plants is used up forever, also known as, Non Renewable.
Natural Gas wells are mostly out of state and Natural Gas is mined and transported by Gas lines to local Utilities where it is delivered to homeowners. Fuel Oil is another mainstream Heating Fuel which costs homeowners significantly during the Winter months. Once Natural Gas or Fuel Oil are used it is gone or a Non Renewable Fuel Source. For my 2800 sq. ft. home when I used all Fuel Oil I paid over $400/month during the coldest months and over $3000.00 per year.
The Wood Fuel used in Wood Heat Furnaces, on the other hand, is a completely renewable resource. If a homeowner, like myself, cuts his own trees and uses the wood to fuel a Wood Furnace, there are No costs to heat your home and the trees grow back. Even if a homeowner pays the typical $100 per cord (delivered) and burned 7 cords a year (what my home takes), that is only $700 maximum to for the wood heat my home for the Season. That my friends are over 4.2 times less Cost to use wood than Fuel Oil. And, again, the Fuel is Free if you cut your own wood like I do.
OK, so we have covered the Cost which is the primary motivation for Homeowners to employ this technology. How about Pollution? Well, I have already pointed out the Efficiency of Electrical Power plants which completely remove Electric heat from the Efficient equation. Let's say a Fuel Oil Heating unit is more efficient, I completely agree, unit for unit. However, how did the Fuel oil get here?
It took energy to remove the Oil from the ground, transport the crude to the US, power in the refining process which is close to Utility efficiency and then transport the Fuel oil to the consumer. If you look at the cascade effect of the diminishing returns of the Static efficiency of the individual Fuel Oil Heating Unit vs. the Gross inefficiency of the process, the unit looks very inefficient. Not to even mention the fact that once you use it, it's gone! Any other questions about pollution? These units are (Gross Pollutants) much GREENER than Fuel Oil or Natural Gas considering the whole picture from removal from the ground, transportation and actual usage at the Furnace.
Just because you don't see smoke from your Non-renewable Fuel Oil or Natural Gas Unit does not mean that you are not polluting, the smoke is at the refinery or power plant producing the fuel. In fact fossil fuels are polluting much worse than the person burning a Wood Furnace or locally mined coal. That is why it is cheaper to burn Wood, you pay for all of the inefficiencies of obtaining, refining, transporting and storing fossil fuels.
The wood smoke coming from a Wood Furnace is no different than the smoke coming from a Fireplace or woodstove from your neighbors In Town. The CO2 generated from burning actually fuels the trees to grow, that's what plant breathe.
About Being Neighborly:
Well, I'll give it to you that it isn't neighborly to Burn a Wood Furnace with a low chimney a few feet from your neighbor without taking some steps. Burning a Wood Furnace is the same as burning a fire in a chimney or woodstove. In fact most of the Smoke you see from these units is Water Vapor as pointed out in the Article. How can we keep these in town and not cause a problem?
To be neighborly, increase the level of the Chimney to around 5 feet above the level of the eve on the home, just like your fireplace. That should get the smoke up where it belongs where it won't affect your neighbors. The Wood Master Furnaces that I sell also use a draft fan to increase the flow, instead of just natural draft like the outdoor boilers that were the subject to the Dec 26,2006 article. I would also suggest that nobody burns trash or plastic in a Wood Furnace as clarified in the Article. That isn't neighborly! That is what should be regulated.
One thing for sure, we are in Rural America where we need options, especially green ones. Town or Borough officials should look at the whole picture before decisions are made. If you are outside of a town, have a large yard of property, or have a high chimney if you are inside a town, you can't beat Wood Furnaces for Cost savings, Renewable energy or Pollution reduction (through removing mining, refinery, transport cascaded in-efficiencies from fossil fuels). We should all practice thinking about the effect of our choices on our neighbors, just as we should think about our environment and renewable energy solutions.
I hope this Editorial shed a different light on the image of those Furnaces in your neighbors' yard. Remember, the smoke is mostly water vapor and the process is cleaner than Petroleum based alternatives when you consider the whole process. I hope that those Borough officials consider the true interest of their neighbors who are using these very Green and very Effective Units.
David G. Zavetsky
Affordable Alternative Energy (Daly, llc), 570-724-2238, Representing: WOODMASTER Outdoor Wood Furnaces & Bergey Windmills, Wellsboro, PA