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April: Green Your Home

In celebration of Earth Day, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) wants you to know that today’s fireplaces and stoves can provide some quick and easy ways to make our planet AND your wallet green.  Information available as a downloadable PDF.

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GREEN YOUR HOME

1) Clean the Air, Inside and Out

  • All of the newest wood stoves are certified to strict EPA standards that cut emissions, both inside and outside, by more than 70% compared to uncertified stoves. 
  • Natural gas and propane-fueled stoves and fireplaces are also some of the cleanest burning fuel options available.
  • Phase 2 certified outdoor wood hydronic heaters, units that burn wood or pellets to provide heat and hot water to homes, are 90% cleaner than unqualified models.  

2) Purchase the Most Efficient Product

Most fireplace and stove products are efficiency-rated and assigned a score between zero and 100.  Look for the highest efficiency rating -- a higher score means the product can burn less fuel but still heat efficiently and effectively.    

 

 3) Heat in the Zone

People regularly use less than 40% of their home and using a fireplace, stove or insert to warm the rooms used most (zone heating) allows families to heat more efficiently by turning down their central thermostat, which also saves money -- potentially 20-40% of their fuel bill.

4) Explore Renewable Fuels

Many of today’s stoves, fireplaces and inserts are engineered to burn biomass. These fuels are derived from renewable and sustainable sources such as wood, pellets, corn, and other alternatives.

5) Burn Wood Wisely

Although today’s fireplaces and stoves are cleaner than their older counterparts, using a newer product is only half the battle. 
  • Burn Wood Responsibly: Don’t burn trash or plastics, use only the recommended fuel for the product you have.
  • Maintain your properly installed product:  To ensure a product's efficiency, consumers need to have their product properly installed and maintained.

GREEN YOUR WALLET

1) Take Advantage of the Stimulus Package

If you don’t have a fireplace or stove or want to upgrade the one you have, the recently- passed Economic Stimulus bill includes a 30% tax credit (up to $1,500) for the purchase of a 75%-efficient biomass-burning stove (details on which stoves qualify are expected soon from the IRS).    

2) Do the Math and Compare Costs

As the cost of heating oil and natural gas rise, using an energy-efficient wood or pellet stove combined with the tax credit could help you save money. You be the judge: apply our user-friendly calculator to compare the costs of burning different fuels.

 

3) Keep Heat Inside Your Home

No matter the product, it is important to keep heat within your home.  Make sure that seals around windows and doors are tight and that your house is properly insulated. 
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