With the rise in fuel oil costs, it has set many people scrambling for alternative energy, i.e. pellet stoves, wood stoves and gas fireplace inserts. Sales are up by more than 50% and even greater for wood stoves. After all, we have an abundant supply of the renewable natural resource all around us in upstate NY. Wood and pellet stove suppliers have backlogged orders that started coming in as early as spring did.
The cost of pellets and a face cord of word have gone up with the greater demand and a woodstove isn't cheap to buy either, ranging in price from $1,000 to $4,000, add to that a chimney if you don't already have one at an approximate cost of $1,200. Are you still saving money? Definitely!
A great "green" alternative are the soapstone fireplaces. The wood burning units store the heat in the soapstone. Sales for the soapstone units increased 30%. Outdoor wood boilers have become very popular. Take a drive through the rural countryside and you can spot many of them. Beware though, as many towns are clamping down and prohibiting the outdoor furnaces in their areas. About 50 towns, cities, villages and counties across New York have either banned them completely or set regulations on use. The average cost to install an outdoor wood boiler runs in the vicinity of $10,000. And firewood, delivered, averages $250 for a cord, which, needless to say, has also nearly doubled in price over the past couple of years. Still saving money? Call your oil company and find out what your pre-pay amount will be for this winter. Run your numbers and you will see that you can recoup your cost in a couple of years on that new outdoor wood boiler!
If you are planning on installing an alternative energy source this winter, I would recommend that you order it now and make sure you find a good supplier of firewood or pellets, both of which are in high demand around here! Wood, pellets and gas inserts are an energy saving, low cost alternative to the exorbitant fuel costs.
Don't forget, before you install it, check with your local municipality for zoning and code compliance. AND... don't forget to get your chimney cleaned annually!
Comments(0)