Heating with wood ? In whole or in addition, the wood heating is the most economical and ecological energy which is, provided you are well equipped! Currently, it is an energy which, if the installation is well designed, can prove to be very comfortable while being very interesting financially. In other words: you can combine comfort and financial savings while, of course, preserving planetary resources.
Why choose wood heating?
Here are a few pitches that should hopefully and without any commercial interest convince you to choose firewood. Wood is a real sustainable energy unlike other alternative energies, the worst of which is undoubtedly geothermal sold as green energy when it is not. It is however widely defended by EDF… and other sellers of electricity.
But beware, wood heating also has some drawbacks that you should be aware of. Yesterday, the log was the only way to heat with wood, but today there are many forms of wood, some of which, like wood pellets or wood pellets, have the level of comfort equal to oil or gas.
Is heating with wood a good choice? Without a doubt !
The advantages of heating with wood
- Can be used in addition to heating an oil or gas boiler. For example for the inter-seasons where the classic boiler has a poor performance and could be cut (at least for heating).
- Zero or almost zero CO2 balance
- Inexpensive wood fuel compared to the price of fossil fuels (see comparative prices of heating fuels)
- Very low wood price if you do it entirely yourself. It will cost you time, sweat and some expense
- Completely renewable source of energy on condition that the forest is managed in a sustainable way (which is the case in the majority of Western European countries).
- Play sports for those who split their wood or even chop down their wood themselves!
- Varied choice of fuels of different shapes and origins: from traditional logs to pellets from sawmill waste, including shredded wood! See the types of firewood that exist
- Development or maintenance of the local economy! By heating with wood at home, you create sustainable and local jobs in your region!
- Development of new econological sectors: more sharing of renewable wealth, more local players, less power for the big energy lobbies ...
- Valorization of wood by-products (cutting waste, sawdust, etc.): 2nd economic development.
- Low price fluctuation (although wood prices are aligned to some extent with oil).
- Morally, this makes you less responsible and dependent on oil and gas conflicts and international geopolitics.
- Beauty of a flame visible in the living room, stove or fireplace can add an important "cachet" to your home.
- Anti-depression and relaxing psychological function of stoves or inserts with visible flame. In addition, the beneficial effect on morale of infrared radiation (which all stoves emit) has been known and recognized by medicine since the 60s (research carried out by NASA during the Apollo program in particular).
The disadvantages of heating with wood
- Binding if you use 100% wood (DHW and heating included).
- Service and maintenance generally higher than fuel oil or gas.
- Requires constant attention (ie periodic reloading) except for automatic feed devices (chipped wood, pellets).
- The prices are not regulated: they vary from one region to another.
- Low power regulation (except pellets) and therefore requires a much larger storage volume than fuel oil. Example: it takes 3,5 times more volume with pellets than with fuel and almost 10 times more with chipped wood.
- Requires a dry and ventilated storage place.
- Fouling the chimney more quickly, especially if the fuel wood is of poor quality. Read the article on different types of firewood.
- Can pollute heavily on CO (deadly!), Particles and soot with an improperly adjusted heater or poor quality fuel (see analyzes of the combustion of wood)