How You Can Save Money And Use Less Wood This Heater Season

In the past, wooden fireplaces were a common sight in homes. Of course that was before electricity, and before the world wisened up to the fact that wood (and trees) are not an infinite resource. With so many alternatives available most home owners have resigned themselves to the fact that the look, feel and functionality of a traditional wooden fireplace is just not economically or environmentally feasible anymore. But the good news is that these days you actually can enjoy the traditional snap, crackle and spark of a fireplace in a way that works with the environment – and not against it. And you’ll find yourself spending less on wood too!

Current standards for fireplaces in Australia require that all new wooden heaters must not emit more than 2.5 grams of particulate matter for every kilogram of wood burnt, while operating at an energy efficiency requirement of at least 55 percent. But many wooden heaters are not tested or used exactly as specified by manufacturers, and most users don’t use the right kind of wood (dry wood that is seasoned and has not been treated) or use the right size or amount for the wooden heater in question.

With these parameters in place, most wooden heaters only meet the bare minimum of requirements, and this leads to homeowners burning four to six tons of wood every heating season. The Australian Rainforest Centre estimates that over six million tons of wood are used for burning this year, so it is understandable that using less of this resource would be a concern for all owners of wood burning heaters.

Thankfully, homeowners can easily access a heater that requires less wood. With Quadra-Fire wooden burning heaters, energy efficiency increases to 82 percent, which equates to a saving of over two tons of wood per year (at a cash saving of almost $700).

The next step that homeowners can take once they have the right fireplace is to make sure that they are using the right kind of wood. This means selecting residual wood logs from sustainably managed plantations, forests, mills and private properties that have been collected using approved harvesting methods and that conform to environmental guidelines.

With the right wood and a Quadra-Fire heater, you can look forward to years of savings without compromising on performance!