Wood stoves offer an affordable and aesthetically pleasing way to heat your home while reducing your carbon footprint. They are cleaner to operate, more energy efficient and more environmentally friendly than central heating systems that run on coal, gas or oil. Indeed, faced with stringent energy saving regulations, architects and building contractors are increasingly turning to wood-burning stoves when designing homes that enable sustainable living.

Among other things, the main environmental advantages of wood stoves are, in particular, the reduction of carbon emissions and the use of a renewable energy source.

Significantly reduced carbon emissions

The amount of carbon emitted by wood as it burns is considerably less than other fossil fuels, particularly coal. In fact, the amount of carbon emitted from burning wood is about the same as the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere and stored by a tree during its lifetime.

Furthermore, a tree will produce the same emissions whether it is burned or left to decompose. Therefore, the use of untreated wood, particularly waste wood, as fuel will not produce any additional environmental pollutants.

Wood stoves can be a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint while saving money by burning wood that would otherwise go to waste. For example, you could collect reclaimed wood from construction projects or wood that has been thrown away. But the harvested wood must be untreated and unpainted to prevent the emission of dangerous gases and harmful pollutants as by-products.

renewable energy source

Unlike coal, oil and gas, wood provides a renewable energy source. Most firewood comes from sustainable sources where one tree is planted for every tree felled for use. The carbon produced while burning wood is offset by planting new trees.

But why not just burn wood over a traditional open fire? Wood stoves can produce much more heat and lower emissions than burning wood in a grill. This is because wood stoves are up to three times more efficient in producing heat and therefore consume less fuel. Also, in some models, gases emitted by burning wood can circulate back into the stove and burn.

Wood stoves can heat water through a back boiler, which means less coal, gas, oil, or electricity will be needed to heat water and radiators in the rest of the house.