Homesteading
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sustainablility
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Biomass & Fossil Fuels
Biomass
The term biomass includes all forms of vegetation, plus organic waste. Biomass is solar energy converted into organic matter through photosynthesis. Up until the Industrial Revolution, almost all of world's energy needs were met with biomass. In some parts of the world today, crop residues, animal dung and peat are used for domestic heating and cooking. In North America, the most common form of biomass used for heat and cooking is wood.
The appeal of using wood for heating and cooking, especially for the homesteader, is two-fold: It can be produced locally (on one's own land, ideally) for home consumption, and as a renewable resource, can be used in a sustainable, environmentally sensitive manner. With some understanding of the principles of agro-forestry, and a 10-20 acre wood lot, it is possible to selectively harvest enough wood to meet a family's needs without undermining the integrity of the forest ecosystem. As for the environmental impact of combustion, that depends largely on the stove used to burn the wood. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now requires that all new heating stoves sold in the U.S. burn clean. In most stoves, this means having a catalytic smoke cleaner. And as for its effect on atmospheric carbon dioxide, a sustainable harvest of wood for home use does not result in a net increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, because the carbon dioxide being emitted was taken from the atmosphere as the tree grew.
- A Guide to Residential Wood Heating
- From Natural Resources Canada, this is an authoritative, unbiased guide to using wood as a domestic heat source. Includes checklists and worksheets to help compare costs and to take care of codes, permits, insurance and other necessary matters.
- Woodheat.org
- Advocating the responsible use of wood energy in the home, Woodheat is a non-commercial, comprehensive and up-to-date source of information on everything from harvesting and splitting wood to various types of stoves and safety considerations. There is also an informative Question & Answer section.
- Fireplaces: Studies in Contrast
- A good technical introduction to fireplaces and woodstoves, this article explains the problems and inefficiencies of the conventional fireplace, and then details the superior performance of the new generation of advanced-combustion woodstoves. From the archives of Home Energy Magazine.
- Mostwoodstoves.com
- A division of leading homesteading equipment supplier Lehman's, this site offers a large selection of wood stoves, and includes an interactive form to help determine the best wood stove for your home and climate.
- The Masonry Heater Association of North America
- Masonry heaters differ greatly from ordinary woodstoves. They are massive structures, built on-site by a mason out of bricks or stone, which are able to store the heat of a short, hot fire and release it slowly into the home. The MHA site contains highly informative introductory materials, a number of technical papers, a directory of masonry heater builders, and a gallery of some beautiful masonry heaters.
Fossil Fuels
In contrast to biomass, the carbon dioxide emitted when fossil fuels are burned has been sequestered in the earth for millions of years. The result of large scale fossil fuel burning is the dramatic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels seen in the past century. Fossil fuels have some advantages in terms of cost and convenience, and can be used as either a primary or a backup source of fuel for heating or cooking. For those not connected to the grid, the most commonly used fossil fuels are propane, kerosene and fuel oil. There are many types of heaters, each with its own advantages and disadvantages to consider.
- Propane Gas Facts
- This industry-supported site is perhaps most useful for it's Residential Guide, which presents the choices consumers have for types of systems, home storage of propane and ventilation. (Note: navigation among the pages of the Residential Guide is possible only from the bottom of the page linked to here.)
- Kerosen Heater Safety
- From Doityourself.com, this page offers safety tips for using kerosene for supplemental or backup heating.
- OilHeat.com Web Guide
- This mini-directory of fuel oil heating resources contains links for both consumers and for industry professionals. The site also includes some original content, including a good introduction to oil heat in the Consumer Handbook.
