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Updated: February 2, 2009, 4:10 pm	Share    Print    Email

Burning wood for heat does not add to your individual carbon footprint, as wood gives off the same amount of carbon whether it is burned up or decays naturally. Photos by Aaron Boyd

Sag Harbor - The inconsistencies and drastic swings in the oil market has led homeowners to seek out renewable, environmentally-friendly energy options, even considering more archaic methods such as wood heat. Yet is burning wood a greener way of heating your home, or is it all just smoke?

Dick Leland sells face cords of two-foot logs for $200 from his place on Sagg Road.

According to Sag Harbor architect Bill Chaleff, who has been designing green, energy efficient buildings for over 30 years, burning firewood gives off the same carbon emissions as would the natural decay of a fallen tree in the forest. Both wood and oil release carbon gas into the air when burned, however "if a tree is never burned it will give off the same amount of CO2," Chaleff explained, whereas "oil left in the ground will not." Burning wood does not add to an individual's carbon footprint, the measure of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere through a single person's energy consumption, as wood dispenses an equal amount of carbon no matter how it is destroyed or consumed.

Crude oil is also pumped from the ground and processed through a system that relies on oil as a base fuel, giving off more of the harmful emissions that have been widely theorized as the cause of global warming. Wood heat is less efficient than burning oil, Chaleff admitted, however the process involved in procuring and manufacturing usable oil more than makes up for the difference in efficiency, he argued. The process of attaining usable firewood may involve simply a man with an axe, where the only CO2 released into the atmosphere is the heavy breathing of the lumberjack, or it may involve trucks and chain saws, though even the total carbon footprint of such an automated process would still be far less than with oil, Chaleff maintained.

An oil burner can heat a home at approximately 85 percent efficiency, at best, according to Chaleff, whereas a homeowner can generally expect to get close to 75 percent efficiency with a wood burning stove, though great strides have been made in the industry.

In order to mitigate the emissions given off by a fireplace or wood stove, Chaleff suggested purchasing a unit with a catalytic combustion system installed within, a device used to reduce the toxins emanating from the process. While catalytic combustors will work well enough, Michael Scanlon, owner of Sag Harbor Fireplace on Sag Harbor Turnpike, recommends a baffle system that rolls the smoke over and introduces oxygen as it attempts to rise up through the chimney, burning up the carbon and any particles lingering in the fumes. Well-crafted baffle systems can be more effective than combustion, but more importantly the series of corridors will never need to be replaced.

The staff at Sag Harbor Fireplace recommended the Fireplace Xtrordinair, pictured above in their showroom on Sag Harbor Turnpike, as an efficient home heating unit.

High-efficiency fireplaces start at $6,000 and up (including basic installation), according to Scanlon, though any additional façade or mantle work will come at an additional cost. Standard pre-fabricated units cost around $3,000, however the heat lost through these less efficient systems make them far less cost-effective, even across the short-run. Scanlon's showroom features two high-end efficient and environmentally conscious units: the Optifire Wood Fireplace, designed by Bodart and Gonay, and the Fireplace Xtrordinair, both of which utilize baffle systems.

While the initial installation may seem expensive, many new homes being built on the South Fork are including fireplaces in their blueprints. "People tend to spend a little more in the beginning to save the environment and save themselves some money in the long-run," Scanlon maintained. "The more people who burn wood it's like the more people who drive electric cars," he claimed, every little bit helps.

Adding Fuel To The Fire
Bundles of firewood are measured in cords, or stacks of cut wood piled four feet high, eight feet long and four feet deep. Firewood is usually sold in face cords or ricks, which have the same height and breadth as a full cord, however the stack is only as deep as the length of a single piece of wood, generally anywhere from 16 inches to two feet.

A stack of 18-inch firewood from Reutershan Firewood in Amagansett measures four feet tall by eight feet long costs $325. The stack is a mid-range face cord, however the size is more in keeping with what most of Reutershan's customers are looking to purchase. The landscapers at Reutershan Firewood have had a "super busy" season, according to one employee, receiving more than 20 calls on a given day for firewood deliveries. They have already run out of their own personal stock for the season and are currently running shipments from a supplier in Riverhead.

The amount of wood necessary to make it through the winter varies greatly depending on how often the fireplace is used and how frigid the season gets, though Chaleff claimed that he didn't know "anyone who can get through the winter on less than two cords," adding that some go through more than eight in a season.

Fireplaces are only efficient heating sources if the unit is enclosed, like the Optifire shown above, otherwise the heat within your home will be sucked up through the chimney.

Burning firewood for heat also supports the local economy, as homeowners are "using local people to supply [their] heat," compared with purchasing petroleum from foreign sources, Scanlon offered. "You're putting the money back into the local economy," Scanlon asserted.

Much of the wood is cut locally and delivered by local residents, such as Dick Leland, who delivers two-foot-wide cords for $200 from his place on Sagg Road in Southampton. Leland's fields of timber are made up entirely of oak, he explained, which is a particularly efficient burning wood according to Chaleff.

Yet keeping costs down is more a matter of practice than manufacturing. "User patterns trump engineering," Chaleff explained. Many homeowners who use fireplaces get the flame started after dinner and let it settle and eventually burn itself out over time, though this is in fact the least efficient way in which to provide good heat to your home. "Fire is most efficient when it is running hot and long," Chaleff asserted, comparing the energy use to the difference in miles per gallon between city and highway driving.

A fireplace will "be as efficient as the homeowner using it," Scanlon agreed, stating that an enclosed unit is the best way to ensure minimum heat-loss. While an open fireplace will exude more heat directly in front of the hearth, all the heat within the home is drawn up the chimney and out of the house. An enclosed unit with a glass screen will disburse heat throughout the home without sucking any out.

Also important in maintaining high efficiency is how the fire is laid out. Chaleff warned against tossing fresh logs on the front of the fire, as they will shadow the flame before fully igniting, dampening the heat emitted from the fireplace. Better to place new wood in the rear of the fire where it will eventually add to the total heat being produced without interfering with logs that are burning strong.

A felled forest: most of the wood cut and sold on the East End is oak, as is Leland's stockpile shown above. Oak burns at a particularly high efficiency level and gives off a good amount of heat.

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