the dirty little secret about EPA stoves is this- they tout 30% less wood consumption than a conventional old stove. the only way to get that, is with 30% less primary DRAFT. so basically they are smoldering the fire down lower and attempting to burn that smoke to clean up emissions, while recovering BTU's from the smoke, to get the stove to put out a comparable BTU rating to an old conventional stove that's wide open using more draft. one thing about old stoves, they may have ate a lot of wood, but they also put out a lot of HEAT. I'm skeptical about how well these new stoves heat a home, with equal firebox size to an old stove. Because if they use 30% less wood, there's only one way to do that, and that's with 30% less draft.
from another common sense standpoint, are things so BAD in this country now, that we have to try to burn smoke, instead of just throwing a few more logs on the fire ? when our family did heat with wood, it was 6 cords a year to heat a relatively big home. a 30% wood savings would mean, not even 2 cords barely.
if things are so bad that I can't afford 2 more cords of wood, in labor or cost- at that point there's something seriously wrong with the entire system and economy. even at today's wood prices that's only $440 for 2 cords delivered. If I can't afford that much more expense a year to heat my house, then I can't afford a house, or a life. That's less than one month's gas money in our family cars now. we need to turn towards the corporations and financial institutions that are causing this situation, and call them on the carpet for it. instead we let them point at our chimneys and say it's smoking too much, while we struggle to save a few dimes heating with wood. this is like watching a puppy get beat up by a full grown german shepherd, and not being able to help the puppy.
at this rate I'll be getting only one creamer with my coffee, and only one ketchup with my burger, at the fast food joint and donut drive through, and that is exactly what's happening. they ARE putting less creamers and sugars and condiments in the bag. austerity is being forced upon us, by the banking system and financial structure. this is BS already, these are the same guys living in 25,000 square foot mansions and burning $5000 worth of fuel oil a month, to heat them.
while we scrimp, burn a few pieces of wood, and have to throw a lever to reburn the smoke, if we want more heat. under the guise of emissions and saving the environment ? c'mon guys, wake up- everyone is being screwed here. if they are forcing us to use wood stoves that use less draft, and smokes less, then they are regulating the very AIR that surrounds us. they are taxing and policing the AIR in your home !! they have no right to it.
there's no bread...let them eat cake ? after your eat your sandwich, is you're still hungry, then sweep up the crumbs and eat them next. burn the smoke from your fires, for more heat. can't you see what's being done here ? it all boils down to more for them, and less for you.
I think the "savings" from buying these expensive high end, high tech EPA stoves, is overly exaggerated. and I see a lot of them being put up for sale lately. the market is flooded. $220/cord wood here locally, means wood is more expensive than coal. it also has more particulate pollution than coal. where are we going with this ? where's the advantage ?
I have several family members who heat their homes using natural gas, including the hot water, for $220-$260 month. if there's a natural gas line in front of your house, that's the best bet. why spend more to have less convenience and the mess, and risk a chimney fire to boot, heating with any alternate fuel and stove.
I think it's time for everyone to take a step back and re-evaluate alternate heating, because it's getting more expensive by the year, to the point it's costing many people more money, than just running their main furnace on city gas. of course this may change in the future. but for now, there's a glut of nat gas, prices are cheap for it.
