Using the latest technologies to stay warm safely, cleanly and efficiently.

Wood Heat is a comprehensive and practical homeowner's guide to using wood as a reliable source of heat with the latest wood stoves and traditional fireplaces. The book explores the efficiency of wood compared to other fuels, the environmental impacts of various fuel types as well as sustainability issues that have led to so many adopting a wood-burning lifestyle.

Heating with wood does more than keep a house warm. Though it can be a hands-on expression of self-reliance, it does bring us closer to the land by using fuel that is renewable and sustainably harvested, and renews our wonder in the cycle of the seasons. And the biggest benefit is that wood heat saves money in the long run.

There are four ways that wood can be used to heat a home or cottage: wood stoves (the most popular), fireplace inserts, pellet stoves and masonry heaters. Wood Heat explains the pros and cons of each.

The book provides all of the information and advice needed to convert to a wood-heated life. How-to topics include step by step directions. They include:

• The comparative advantages of heating with wood
• Buying, cutting, splitting, stacking, storing and moving firewood
• Building the perfect woodpile
• Varieties of wood and their burning characteristics
• The latest technology for burning wood efficiently and cleanly
• Energy content of wood varieties per air-dried cord (BTUs)
• Catalytic and non-catalytic stoves
• Cooking with a wood stove
• How to make a good fire
• Essential hearth and fireplace tools
• Sizing wood-burning appliances
• A chimney maintenance checklist.

Currently, over 10 million U.S. households use wood as their main heating fuel or to supplement other forms of heating. Unstable, increasing fuel costs and the desire of many people to move toward self-sufficiency will only increase the numbers of those choosing to burn wood for heat. Wood Heat is the ideal guide for all.

As an editor for St. Remy Press and Reader's Digest, Andrew Jones has worked on a wide variety of books, from Time-Life's Art of Woodworking series to several editions of The Top 10 of Everything, The Complete Road Atlas of Canada and True North Strange and Free. He lives in Oakville, Ontario.

Andrew Jones' profile page

Wood Heat is a great introduction to this venerable tradition that has recently experienced a renaissance, thanks to increasing energy costs associated with other forms of heating... Jones outlines the comparative advantages of heating with wood versus other energy sources like oil, electricity and propane in terms of cost and overall efficiency, giving tools on how to calculate and compare your annual heating costs should you choose to make the switch. Jones also addresses the complex question of whether burning wood is sustainable... Packed full of information and tips for the greenhorn... Overall, it's an excellent overview of the ins and outs, and various techniques behind burning wood for heat, offering the novice a treasure trove of tools and tips on how to burn it right.

treehugger.com

Whether you use wood as a major source of heat or as a supplement to other heating systems you should know about the do's and don'ts of heating with wood and Wood Heat: A Practical Guide to Heating Your Home with Wood offers considerable information. The book is divided into chapters on: Who Burns Wood?; Wood; Appliances; The Chimney; Installing a Wood-Burning Appliance; Fire; Product Guide. Each chapter contains sections on the topic being addressed. For example, in the chapter on wood the author looks at buying wood, seasoning wood, splitting wood and stacking and storing wood. Burning with wood is still popular in Canada. According to the author, "Over 25 percent of Canadian households -- that's one in four -- still burn wood." To help ensure that your wood is efficiently and safely acquired and burned, you may want to read Wood Heat.

Simcoe.com, DurhamRegion.com, MuskokaRegion.com, ParrySound.com, NorthBayNipissingNews.com

Want to heat your rural home without gas or coal? Author Andrew Jones provides a useful guide to using wood to heat your home. Jones dissects the environmental and economical upsides and downsides of heating with wood while providing advice and instructions that are necessary to help you successfully produce enough energy to keep your home warm during the winter.

Mother Earth News

Nothing beats a warm fire on a cold night. How about heating your entire home with a wood-burning heater? Jones, an experienced editor and author of Fireplaces, extols the virtues of a wood-burning fire in this well-written book. The author leads the reader through practical matters, such as what tree species make the best firewood, the types of heaters and what they do, and installation and maintenance of heating appliances and chimneys. A primer on the properties of fire is an interesting addition. Special sections are peppered throughout, including how to deal with creosote, a by-product of wood burning, and how a cord of wood is measured. Finally, a list of manufacturers from the United States and Canada are given, with useful evaluations of different wood-heating appliances. VERDICT The author does point out the limitations of this energy source--wood burning for heat is not for everyone. Newer wood heat appliances have become more efficient, so this up-to-date information is important for those considering this method. Jones's highly informative, specialized book is recommended for libraries in Canada and the northern United States.

Library Journal