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Dear Dot,
I love to curl up with my cat in front of a blazing fire. Is burning wood a better way to warm my home than cranking the thermostat? Are commercial fireplace logs better/worse? Should I consider a gas or electric insert? Please advise as it’s freezing in Northern Michigan.
– Sunny
The Short Answer: Dot is loath to rob you of a fireside snuggle with your cat, Sunny. Goodness knows, we need stillness in our world’s chaos, a moment of restorative comfort. Though there is no perfectly virtuous choice, there are better ones: burning firelogs instead of wood, installing a fireplace insert with insulated doors or an EPA-certified woodstove, and, if it’s time to upgrade your overall heating system, seeking out an electric heat pump over a furnace (or fireplace) fuelled by natural gas.
Dear Sunny,
While our Neanderthal ancestors (and presumably their cats) were better adapted for cold, they nonetheless had methods to help them stay warm, including wearing fur (PETA hadn’t yet been invented), hibernating, and, of course, fire. Indeed, new research indicates that fire may have kept our species warm for an estimated 800,000 years.
More recently, we’ve kept ourselves from freezing mostly by burning fossil fuels to power radiators and furnaces. But alongside modern technology, fireplaces and woodstoves maintain a place in our hearts and our homes — according to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association, 7 in 10 American homes have some sort of fireplace, wood stove, or insert (more on inserts coming). Whether it’s contained by a ring of rocks in the woods or a small hole in our walls, fire continues to enchant.
So, Sunny, let’s consider the climate costs of the various options and warm to the best solution.
Up in Smoke
A basic fireplace into which you throw chopped up trees is a highly inefficient way to generate warmth. We experience just about 10% of the heat generated, with the remainder going up our chimney. And while you can find guides to which woods are the most fireplace-friendly, climate groups argue against burning trees at all. Falmouth, Mass.-based Woodwell Climate Research Center notes that “Overall, for each kilowatt hour of heat or electricity produced, using wood initially is likely to add two to three times as much carbon to the air as using fossil fuels.”
Human instinct may lead people to infer that wood seems “natural,” and is a good way to heat their homes. But, it’s actually less energy efficient than burning natural gas or even coal — and it generates more pollution, too. If you must burn trees, do what you can to source waste wood. A great place to start is finding a local arborist.
Hot Property
You can improve the energy efficiency of your fireplace with an EPA-certified woodstove, which captures roughly 80% of heat energy, or by installing a fireplace insert, which fits into your existing hearth and is fuelled by gas, wood, wood pellets, or electricity. Inserts, which are typically made of steel or cast iron with insulated doors, boost efficiency to 70% or more. Add an electric blower to disperse the warmth and you’ve turned your fireplace into an efficient furnace capable of heating anywhere from 1,000–3,000 square feet.
Faux Pas?
If it’s the ambience and romance of a crackling fire you seek, then faux firewood is the way to go. Most manufactured firelogs are a combination of sawdust and wax and are, environmentally speaking, a better option than tree wood: They emit far fewer particulates (80% less, say manufacturers) and carbon monoxide (75% less, we’re told) than chopped tree wood. They’re also convenient. Firelogs, however, don’t burn as hot as wood, so they don’t provide much warmth. Consequently, if it’s heat you want, they’re not a great source. Looking for a little, ahem, heated rivalry? Check out The Wirecutter’s reviews of firelogs.
Thinking of a gas or electric fireplace? Gas burns more efficiently than wood, but it is a fossil fuel that, through both its extraction and burning, contributes to climate change. And according to the Washington Post’s Climate Coach, gas can’t hold a candle to the energy efficiency of electric heat pumps, “which give you two to four units of energy for every unit you put in. Even at temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, heat pumps can slash hundreds of dollars off the average home’s heating bill in most places in the United States.” Happily, the good news about heat pumps seems to be reaching people; heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces in the U.S. for the past five years.
Dot is loath to rob you of a fireside snuggle with your cat, Sunny. Goodness knows, we need stillness in our world’s chaos, a moment of restorative comfort. Though there is no perfectly virtuous choice, there are better ones: burning firelogs instead of wood, installing a fireplace insert with insulated doors or an EPA-certified woodstove, and, if it’s time to upgrade your overall heating system, seeking out an electric heat pump over a furnace (or fireplace) fuelled by natural gas.
Toastily,
Dot
