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Create sustainable power with wood-fuelled stoves
When winter arrives, there’s little better than snuggling by the fire. © Just Another Caulkhead – Flickr
My husband and I have been planning our dream home in a BIG way. We know it’s a way off (5 – 7 years) but I’m a meticulous planner (you should’ve seen my wedding schedule) so I want to start preparing now. I mean, we’re not rich, and a careful eye to every detail is a great way to keep costs down – or so I say, anyhow!
Now we’ve got the basic framework for our building sorted, we’ve begun to think about fittings and how we can make our build as environmental as possible. Not only do we want it good for the land around us, but also for our wallets because the more self-sustaining a house is, the less it can cost. In fact, in some cases, you could even MAKE money by selling energy back to the grid. As well as solar panels (which we definitely want) and wind turbines (which we likely won’t get PP for), there’s a plan for a grey-water recovery system too. However, in complete contradiction to being environmentally friendly,I want an open fire. I know – OUTCRY. After all, burning wood, creating smoke and, therefore, pollutants, can’t be good – right? But, oh how I want to be able to curl up in front of a crackling fire in the depth of midwinter when the farm around me is crisp and cold at best, and brown and sludgy at worse. Either way, I just LOVE fires.
Luckily, it seems I may have found a solution; wood-fuelled stoves with back boilers. Whatever way you look at it, humans need warmth. You can have the most insulated house in the world but somewhere, somehow, you need to actually generate some heat to start with. In the summer I hope hot water systems can be fuelled by the sun’s renewable energy, but what about in the winter when those rays aren’t quite as strong? It’s here that wood-fuelled stoves can help. Our particular advantage is that because we’re building a home from scratch, we can make the necessary arrangements to have this work.
Biomass Stoves
If you have access to logs, a wood-fuelled stove becomes a sustainable resource. © Simon Griffen – Flickr
Biomass stoves come in two forms; those that burn wood pellets or logs. I definitely prefer the latter because it means we can produce our own wood and then keep a stockpile in a log store such as those sold by Sheds and Things. Alternatively, whilst pellet stoves do tend to be more expensive, they can offer more control and convenience. For example, some pellet stoves can actually be programmed to come on whilst you’re out, ensuring there’s no lag between fire and hot water. However, I far prefer to be able to throw on some home-cut logs.
The remoteness of our future farm means it’s off the gas mains so finding as many ways to power the home on-site is not just preferable, but a need. However, you don’t need to be living in a remote place to implement this yourself; you could just be in suburbia. You’ll need enough room to have the stove and boiler built in, of course. But, as energy bills continue to soar, as well as many of us wanting to try and live in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way, adding a wood-fuelled stove with a back boiler could be a great addition to your solar panel array!
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