Cozy wood heat seen as a cost-saver, too

Peek into the 1830 Unitarian Meeting House just off the Mohawk Trail in Charlemont, and you just might see Chris Burke sitting by his wood-burning cast iron stove. Twenty years ago, Burke converted the 5,000-square-foot church into living and studio space, heating much of the old Federal building with a Norwegian-designed woodstove. He used five cords of wood last year, and enjoys gathering the kindling, splitting wood, and stoking the fire. The task of tending to the stove and suffering the occasional splinter or two "keeps me a step closer to the earth we live on," said Burke.

With the uncertain rise and fall in winter heating bill costs, EPA-certified stoves - which burn about 75 percent cleaner than in the past - are making wood burning an economical alternative. According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, an Arlington, Va., trade group, over half of stove owners use their stoves to save on heating costs.

"Any Yankee looks at ways to keep expenses down," said Burke. "While I find there is a wild ride on the cost of heating fuels, the cost of wood hasn't gone up that fast."

Although it may seem early to be thinking about the cold, dark season ahead, Leslie Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, said it can be more economical to get a stove installed now rather than in mid-fall or the dead of winter.

Freestanding stoves - whether fed by gas, wood, pellets, electricity, oil, coal, or even corn - have come a long way from the black potbelly appliance of the past. Today's stoves are often the focal point of a living or family room, and can even be found in kitchens and bedrooms, acting both as a decorative piece and a functional zone heater.

"Manufacturers are coming out with a more contemporary look, appealing to Generation X and first-time home buyers," said Wheeler. "You can find a stove to fit any home decor."

Installing a stove with a new chimney typically costs between $3,000 and $4,500. They can be inserted into an existing fireplace with a new liner for about the same price.

Determining the proper stove size is crucial, since most homeowners make the mistake of buying one that is too large, "blasting themselves with heat" which can lead to creosote buildup and increase the risk of chimney fires, said Royal Edwards, technical director of the National Chimney Sweep Guild in Plainfield, Ind.

Edwards, like many chimney sweeps, can give advice on installation and venting. "Since chimneys are an essential part of the system, we encourage people to get the whole picture before they buy a stove and then find out later they have serious chimney issues," said Edwards.

Wood-burning stoves use either catalytic or noncatalytic combustors to control smoke emissions, with catalytic stoves using a long, slow controlled combustion to burn off dirty smoke, while noncatalytic ones recirculate the air and reburn it. These advanced stoves produce about 90 percent less pollutant than older stoves.

In the foothills of the Berkshires, Burke is about to give up his backyard woodpile and red-enamel noncatalytic stove, which heats a grand open space with 16-foot ceiling. His beloved sanctuary - converted choir loft, bell tower included - is on the market, as he plans a move to the not-so-rustic suburbs.

He'll miss bringing in the armloads of light maple, cherry, and ash in the autumn, and the denser hickory, oak, and black birch, fuel for a long-burning midwinter fire. "A wood stove provides an evenness of heating, and it's very pleasing," said Burke, describing how he builds a fire with kindling, and then hardwood chunks.

"For me," he said, "the realities of moving wood around is a kind of profession."