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Heating Your Home with Wood: Eco-friendly? Carbon Neutral?

By
Real Estate Agent with Dockside Realty Ltd

Wood StoveApproximately 20 percent of the single family dwellings in Canada are heated to some extent with wood.  According to Environment Canada, wood is used in more than 3 million Canadian homes as either a primary or secondary heat source. Of course, woodstoves and fireplaces are not only used for heating purposes, but also to create a "comforting and cozy" atmosphere.

The Environment Canada site goes on to say that, in Canada, residential wood heating is responsible for 29% of the fine particle emissions associated with human activities. This makes it the third largest source of these emissions overall.  Wood smoke contains over 100 pollutants -- these pollutants not only negatively impact the environment but are also linked to a wide range of health problems, and residential wood combustion is a major contributor to winter smog.

That said, the efficient use of wood fuel is much more eco-friendly than more efficient and convenient fuels like kerosene and natural gas.  Read more here...

For more about Pender Island real estate, visit Howard Sanders online @ http://www.HomesOnPender.com

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Best Regards,

Howard Sanders – Pender Island Real Estate

Howard on Pender

Dena Stevens
Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO
Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004
But........wood is renewable. It's hard to know what the right answer is.
Jan 04, 2008 09:58 AM
Gary Smith
Agent Marketing Today - Commerce Township, MI

Howard, Thanks for the encuraging news. The use of renewable carbon sources seems to be a better choice than fossil fuel alternatives.

At one time, I used to operate incinerators. The State mandated 1200 F minimum degree exit gas temperature to decrease CO2 emmissions. A similar temperature might be very effective for wood stoves.

Jan 04, 2008 10:14 AM