While central heating is efficient and easy, there is something mesmerising about watching the flames in an open fire.
But while it creates a wonderful atmosphere, how does a wood burning fire stack up against efficiency concerns in both your home and the environment?
According to the Australian Home Heating Association, wood heaters deliver low greenhouse emissions and cheapest running costs for domestic heating in Australia.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment’s Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) system was recently revised to set a lower greenhouse gas emission rating for residential wood-fire heating. This improved rating follows the results of research conducted by the CSIRO, which found that firewood produces less greenhouse gas than all other domestic heating options. CSIRO’s finding was backed by accepted national and international protocols for assessing greenhouse gas emissions from biomass.
However what you burn the wood in makes a big difference. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said that open fireplace is much less efficient than an enclosed unit or open heat-circulating fire insert with combustion air control.
Consequently, the fuel consumption of an open fireplace is higher for a given heating need. Because much of the inefficiency is due to incomplete combustion, the air pollution potential is also greater.
And then there is how you operate your slow-combustion heater. Basically, you need to try to minimise smoke. Here’s how:
- burn only dry, seasoned, untreated wood;
- use smaller logs instead of only one large log;
- do not pack the fire box too full as this will starve the fire of oxygen and cause it to smoulder;
- keep the fire burning brightly for the first 20 minutes after lighting and reloading;
- always have a visible flame if you plan to keep the fire going overnight.
When the flue on your heater is not hot enough—and especially when you have been using unseasoned wood—a dark, sticky substance known as creosote attaches to the walls of the flue. Creosote lodges in flues and chimneys, and can cause a chimney fire. It can be minimised by burning at higher temperatures.
