Reply #11: Actually OUTDOOR wood heaters are a very good [View All]

[Bluerthanblue]

alternative heat source. As long as their house is plumbed for a 'boiler' system, it shouldn't be too difficult. Many units come with dual fuel alternatives like gas/wood or oil/wood, and the wood can be very economical- Around here NH there are countless hardwood pallets that go to our transfer station- mills with lots of slab wood etc. The unit i dream of someday having holds 4' pieces of wood, can be filled once, and last for 12+ hrs on one filling, and have the benefit of being NOT attached to the dwelling, so there is very little fire danger, or CO2 threat.
If there is a Community Action Program in your area, there might be some low-income weatherization aid available. Don't be afraid to ask-
Solar heating is great if you live in an area that gets ALOT of sun, (usually those places don't need much heat tho) And are difficult to adapt an existing home to. I have friends that had built their house to be VERY energy efficient, building it tucked into the earth, and putting solar heat exchangers into the roof, which carried heated water into the floor of their home. It was really a work of art, and took several years, and sadly, they had to sell it and move- i don't know what the new folks have done with it.

One thing about using "oil" rather than LP as an alternative, is that there is a chance that it could be made to run on bio-diesel, which IS a renewable, environmentally friendly fuel. There is often lots of wood available, without having to cut down any trees, but that will probably become scarce now.... we've been living on the 'edge' for a long time- i wish you luck- i'm glad you care, and that they have you to help.

blu