New England wanted to use all renewable energy… then it got cold

hotair.com ^ | 1/3/2018 | Jazz Shaw

[4yearlurker]

I've had the same big wood burner in my basement for 25 years. The top is flat and I have duct work coming off the top into my oil burners cold air return. All the hot air rises naturally and comes up through the cold air return vents upstairs. When I get a fire going in about 20 minutes the house is toasty warm and the floors are all warm too. No electric needed. It actually gets to warm to use in the Fall and Spring. All the electric can go out and I can still heat my house,and all the water pipes too. Works great!

[from occupied ga]

Nothing is as easy as it sounds.

Good motto

[from occupied ga]

cordwood is the by-product of timberstand improvement, ditch maintenance, fence cleaning, and the like

Not really. Try reading the references particularly reference 2

[WellyP]

5 Top Reasons Your Future is Powered by Thorium Energy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQReZYZ_6R0

Interview with Benjamin Soon, Flibe Energy, at ThEC15 in Mumbai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uXQbeqiisw (REALLY GOOD!)

[The Great RJ]

In 2010 a cold snap caused rolling blackouts in Texas. Two fossil fuel plants were shutdown for maintenance and the much vaunted windmills were mostly idled by the weather front and could not provide the needed power. Wind energy is simply too fickle to be more than an expensive supplement to other sources. The wind turbines are a blight on the landscape, are blenders for birds and the health hazards for people living close to the turbines are being ignored.

[WellyP]

Kirk Sorensen Flibe Energy LFTR Development Strategy @ ThEC13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORiZVmsIPmE

[from occupied ga]

Its probably the lowest energy density fuel in large-scale use right now

Agree I just wanted to make the point that it isn't hassle free going to an 18th century solution to home heating.

[abclily]

Also chain saws and maintenance of same.

[RinaseaofDs]

I say this with a great deal of serious respect:

Please restate this. You have introduced an interesting economic observation, but because of the way it is framed and worded, I don’t think I understand.

Thanks!

[chimera]

I agree it is not. Like all energy systems, it has its downsides as well as advantages. It seems more of a niche application. As other posters have noted, if you have access to a natural supply, like 100 acres of forested land from which you can gather wood felled by natural processes, and are in good physical shape and aren't too concerned about emissions, it may be a way to go.

One thing utilization of wood combustion in confined spaces that bears consideration is good ventilation of combustion byproducts. Generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is bad news if they are not ventilated properly. Although controversial, there is evidence that some of the pulmonary ailments in third-world countries results from exposure to high concentrations of PAHs, primarily from use of wood for indoor cooking. If you've got good ventilation, no worries.

[RinaseaofDs]

Thorium based nuclear. Small, no waste, and relatively cheap, with relatively abundant fuel.

[reformedliberal]

We go through around 12 face cords (4 full cords) a year. A container load of slab (Logging *scrap* with many large log pieces and oak construction offcuts) provides that amount for $450. Stacking takes work: about an hour/day over the spring/summer/fall. The larger bits need splitting, my husband’s fitness regime, along with a 2 mile dog walk/day. We supplement with down/dead trees: apple, birch, maple, etc from our 80 acres with about 40 in woods. Our new EPA-compliant wood stove is wonderful, uses less than our old down-drafter and leaves fewer ashes and produces less creosote.

We use the propane in tandem during below-zero weather. Otherwise, the propane is only for hot water & the shop. With 2-500 gallon propane tanks (one for the work shop), my gas bill on the budget plan is under $70/month. The biggest hit is for electricity for the forced air portion of the furnaces.

I do not want to see December’s electric bill. My gas bill monthly payment will increase, as well after all this extreme cold.

[PA Engineer]

I agree with most of your post. For some however wood is the answer.

The amount of land needed to heat in the Appalachians is different than Nebraska. In Western PA, I spend more time cleaning blowdown and disease than dropping healthy trees.

Heating Degree Days (HDD) also have to be taken into consideration. We are approaching 6000 now. Different regional loads for different heating requirements. One of the oversights of people heating with wood is insulation. I learned a long time ago to up ours during renovations and additions. We now range (including greenhouse direct gain) 350btus per degree (no wind) up to 400 (wind). This is a large home (well above average) for those with wood heat. Further, stove efficiency plays a big role in consumption. As we added stoves (4), we spent the extra money on the highest efficiency units. Finally, all the wood I collect is seasoned for two years before burn. The wood is red oak, white oak, and hickory. There is a sprinkling of other hardwoods.

I have been doing this for twenty-four years. It is not for the feint of heart. Every tool, method, drying house has taken years to develop. I do this on six wooded acres with an annual requirement of 2.5 to 2.75 cords. This year may push 3.25. It has been that "extreme." I don't need a pickup truck and have brought the wood down on hand carts. Twelve trips per full cord. The only change I may make is because of age and becoming mindful of injury. A Polaris will be added in the near future.

We do have gas heat. We have plenty of natural gas and capacity. It is just nice to know we can live off of our own wood production. Heating with wood takes a lot of planning. It is not for everyone.

[MileHi]

Plus, it’s tough to heat evenly with just one stove/firelace. Especially a two story structure.

[Mr. Lucky]

Do you really cut a lot of firewood? And you burn wood which could otherwise be graded for lumber?

[GreyHoundSailor]

My cousins in VT use 70 cords of wood every year to make 350 barrels of maple syrup. All the wood comes from their 1200 acres.

[from occupied ga]

I don’t burn any wood at all. READ THE REFERENCES

[Mr. Lucky]

I’ve read the references. Where do they contend that firewood constitutes the highest end product of a forest plantation?

[from occupied ga]

You completely missed the point. What the references try to quantify is how much wood is required and how much acreage to produce the wood required is necessary to heat a home. Your comment about using lumber for other purposes is completely irrelevant to the discussion. Yes, it’s probably better if you have a high grade walnut or oak tree to make a cabinet out of it than burn it, but that’s not what this thread is all about.

[Mr. Lucky]

The thread is about renewable fuels as a heating source. My point is that the cutting of firewood is not exhaustive of timber resources because the removal of undesireable trees enhances the quality and quantity of the remaining marketable timber.