Alternative Fuels: A Look at Wood, Wood and Corn Pellets and Waste Oil

Author: Aldene Fredenburg

With gas and oil prices rising, consumers, particularly in cold
winter climates, are looking at a variety of alternative fuels
for home heating. Wood, a traditional fuel, is regaining
popularity while more modern alternatives, such as wood and corn
pellets and waste oil, are more routinely used.

Wood has been used since the beginning of time as a source of
heat. The fuel was brought inside to heat shelters centuries
ago; open fires in fireplaces were replaced in the eighteenth
century by self-contained stoves, which are still in use today
in a number of designs. Franklin stoves and pot-bellied stoves,
popular for generations, have been augmented by efficient
Scandinavian designs like Jotul stoves. In recent years wood
furnaces, designed to burn longer than stoves without refeeding,
have upped the efficiency of wood burning tremendously.

The type of wood burned varies in different regions based on
availability, but some practices are standard: the wood burned
is generally hardwood rather than softwood; wood is aged (cut
and stacked) for at least a year before burning; and it is well
known that the heating energy available for a particular wood
(measured in BTUs, or British Thermal Units) is greater for more
dense woods than for less dense woods, so the heavier the wood
the more energy it will provide as it burns.
The <a href=http://www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/forestry/ext/Wood%20fo
r%20Fuel.html>Iowa State University Forestry Extension
Service</a> lists a number of woods by weight, listing Osage
Orange at 4792 pounds per cord of wood, and Basswood at 1984
pounds per cord. To find out what woods are available in your
area and to estimate how many cords of wood you will need,
contact your local Extension Service (sometimes listed under
state or county government listings in your phone book).

Wood pellets are manufactured from recycled wood waste and are
considered a very safe, clean-burning, and economical
alternative to fuel oil and to traditional wood burning. Special
stove designs have been created especially to burn wood pellets;
inserts are also available to adapt existing fireplaces and
furnaces for this fuel. The Pellet Fuels Institute offers a
<a href=http://www.pelletheat.org/3/residential/fuelAvailability.cfm">lis
t of manufacturers</a> of pellet fuel in every region of the
U.S., along with advice on how to buy and use wood pellets. Corn
pellets are manufactured from dried corn and used the same way
as wood pellets. Either or both can be found at a variety of
outlets including nurseries, garden suppliers, and fireplace and
stove dealerships. Shop around to compare prices and other
information on wood and corn pellets.

Some homeowners are substituting Waste oil for number 2 fuel oil
in specially designed furnaces; others are successfully
converting their conventional furnaces for its use. Waste oil is
actually used vegetable oil collected from restaurants and
filtered before use. Biodiesel is a manufactured oil consisting
of a mixture of fuel oil and oil manufactured from vegetable
sources; B20 is 20 percent vegetable-based oil and 80 percent
conventional diesel oil; B100 is all vegetable oil. B20 is more
readily available and can be used in conventional oil furnaces
without adaptation; B100 requires some adaptations (for
instance, natural rubber in the furnace will need to be replaced
with manmade substances, as the vegetable oil degrades rubber
over time). One problem with using waste oil is that below
certain temperatures it stops flowing; so the fuel needs to be
kept warm; biodiesel contains an additive which keeps the oil
liquid at low temperatures.

Any time fire is present in a home, as in a wood stove,
fireplace, or furnace, the fire hazard has to be considered and
prevented. Additionally, wood burning in particular builds up
creosote, a sticky, flammable substance which coats stovepipes
and chimneys and can cause chimney fires and even burn down a
house. Wood and corn pellets and waste oil are considered
relatively clean-burning, but still require attention and
maintenance.

Choosing an alternative fuel can be not only safe and
economical, but a good deal for the environment; many of these
fuels are produced locally, cutting way down on transportation
costs, and many of them burn more cleanly than fuel oil, having
a more positive impact on the environment. Add to that the fact
that relying on alternative fuels cuts down on reliance on
foreign oil, and it becomes clear that opting for one of these
fuels is a great idea.

About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for the
Internet and for local and regional publications. She can be
reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.