It costs th average homeowner t lt $1000 a year t heat a single-family home,and it n exceed

$,000 in th coldest climates! "id #$tting a strain n family finances, high heating %ills ftn
indit a negative environmental im#act! &ht' %$ mn( homes r heated with non-renewa%le,
car%on-%ased f$els li) nt$rl gas nd oil!
*ood nd +ellet ,toves
*hn ($'r rd( t redefine hw ($ heat ($r home, a wood r #ellet stove i a s$r#risingly eco-
friendly o#tion! -rd wood, whn s$staina%ly harvested frm a #ro#erly managed forest, i a
renewa%le reso$rce! .n( varieties f fast-growing trees n reach /0 feet within thr years! +ellets
n % made with n( com%ination f %iomass f$el $h wood, 00r r vn corn h$s)s! 1nd th
cost f heating with #ellets nd wood generally m $t t % l thn heating with fossil f$els,
de#ending n ($r a##liance efficiency!
&oday's 2+1 standards fr nw wood- nd #ellet-%$rning stoves ens$re tht nithr th environment
nr ($r home will % #oll$ted! &h nw stoves $ a catalytic com%$stor! &hi means tht th gases
#rod$ced %( %$rning wood will nt % vented, %$t will com%$st t a lower tem#erat$re, thr%(
allowing mr heat t % #rod$ced with l energy! &hi method f com%$stion i l %$rns cleaner
thr i l soot %$ild$#!
& gt th mt heat $t f ($r wood stove, thin) f it a sort f s#ace heater! If #ossi%le, install th
stove in th mt $d room f ($r ho$se! &hn $ sim#le methods, $h a slow-%lowing fan, t
move th hot air thr$gh th rest f ($r home! In mn( cases, installing a stove in ($r finished
%asement nt nl( heats $0 n all-#$r#ose living s#ace %$t l llw th hot air t rise thr$gh nd
heat th rest f th ho$se!
2lectric 3eating
3eating with electricity i a %it f a con$ndr$m whn l)ing fr %th financial nd environmental
savings! In terms f individ$al heating costs, it i 0i%l t greatly red$ce ($r winter %ills %( a
strategic $ f s#ace heaters nd 4onal heating controls! 2ssentially, ($ heat th rooms ($ r in nd
leave th rest cold! 5r a ho$sehold tht i gn mt f th day nd i willing t slee# in a cold ho$se
t night, thi n #rod$ce significant individ$al savings! 2lectricity n l % highly efficient 6xls7 in
a ho$sehold setting! *hn $d t o#erate n air-so$rce heat #$m#, th cost f electricity i com#ara%le
t tht f nt$rl gas! "ase%oard heating, n th thr hand, n % vn higher thn heating with oil! It
ll de#ends n hw m$h ($ wnt t reg$late ($r system!
&h #rod$ction f electricity, n th thr hand, i nt vr( efficient! 8nl( /09 f th energy frm oil,
gas r coal t$ll( %m electrical energy! &hi means tht vn th$gh ($r #ersonal home-
heating system i efficient, n a glo%al scale ($ r t$ll( increasing th amo$nt f fossil f$els
cons$med! 1lso, ($ m( nt % %l t control th so$rce f ($r electrical energy, thr%(
inadvertently $ing coal t heat ($r home! If ($ )nw ($ r gtting ($r electricity frm a
renewa%le so$rce, $h wind #ower, ($ may, however, wnt t nidr $ing mr electric heat!
:eothermal 3eating
3$man)ind h %n harnessing energy frm th 2arth fr tho$sands f years! 5r instance, hot s#rings
hv %n so$ght $t %( vn +aleolithic men! &oday, a com#lex system f #$m#s h %n created t
llw fr geothermal heating!
:eothermal heating $ th 2arth's steady tem#erat$re f a##roximately ;;< t =0< t heat r cool
water! 5r instance, in th winter it i m$h colder n th s$rface thn it i in th 2arth! In a geothermal
heating system, #i#es #$m# cold water int th 2arth nd llw it t warm $#! *hn th water i warm,
it i #$m#ed %ac) int th ho$se t heat it! In mn( ways, th 2arth i treated li) n %ig %oiler in a
geothermal heating system! &h converse #rocess h00n d$ring th hot s$mmer months!
&h cost f a geothermal installation n r$n r$nd $1;,000, %$t n installed, it costs n %
reco$#ed thr$gh lw $tility %ills in thr t fiv years! ,in th renewa%le warmth f th 2arth i
ding th lion's share f th heating, th nl( fossil f$els ($'d % cons$ming w$ld % th small
amo$nt nr( t #rod$ce electricity t r$n th #$m#s nd t generate th fw extra degrees f
tem#erat$re ($ re>$ire! .t homeowners #ay a##roximately $?0 a month in additional heating costs
whn $ing geothermal!
@ matter whr ($ live r hw ($ heat, thr r lw( ste#s ($ n t) t lower ($r heating
%ill nd red$ce ($r car%on foot#rint! &$rn dwn th thermostat nd wear a sweater indoors! Ins$late
($r windows with #lastic nd dra#es nd $ a draft sna)e t %loc) cold air frm entering $ndr ($r
doors! It' rtinl( worth ex#loring ($r home-heating o#tions t choose th n tht ma)es th mt
economic nd environmental sense fr yo$, ($r family nd f$t$re generations!