Browse Forums Eco Living 1 Sep 19, 2009 11:04 pm The low cost of wood heating makes it an appealing choice for many households. But the emission rates are not significantly different from many other forms of heating Running costs and Greenhouse emissions Say a typical household might use an average of 2 tonne of wood during the heating season This is equivalent to 36 kWhr/day and would cost the householder maybe around $260/year. ** Substituting this with another fuel source to produce the same heating output the cost would be closer to these figure e.g. ** Natural gas space heater $780/yr Electrical bar radiator (off-peak, late evening/overnight) $900/year LPG space heater $1120/yr Electricity (peak, day/early evening) $1926/yr Yet using gas or LPG still produces similar CO2 emissions to wood. The only exception is electricity. Power plants are only 30% efficient in extracting the energy from burning coal. Hence 3x as much GH emissions are emitted when generate an equivalent amount of electrical energy. Of course switching to wind or solar generated power produces no greenhouse gases. * Heating for 180 days of the year. ** Typical costs for metropolitan area Purchased Wood $130/tonne (4500 kwhr/tonne, 70% efficient wood stove) Electricity (off peak) 10c/kWhr LPG ($70/45kg tank, 590kWh/45kg) Natural gas 2.9 c/MJ = 8.7c/kWhr Electricity (peak) 20c/kWhr excludes supply or delivery charges Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 2Sep 20, 2009 5:15 am Given that wood is around the $250 per tonne in Adelaide at present - the figures get close to doubling - along with allowances for chainsaw emmissions and carting the wood. + proper house design would reduce the amount of heating required to less than 180 days I'd suggest . But you already know that bit Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 3Sep 20, 2009 6:14 am You guys are getting rorted if you paying that sort of money for firewood. I can get a tonne for about $80 Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 4Sep 20, 2009 7:46 am Yak_Chat + proper house design would reduce the amount of heating required to less than 180 days I'd suggest . But 2 tonne burnt in 180 days or in 90 days is still the same 2 tonne. e.g. 17.5 kWh/day average over the year. The heating intensity increases for a shorter period of time. Dukekamaya You guys are getting rorted if you paying that sort of money for firewood. I can get a tonne for about $80 Same GH emission, you just get to do it cheaply. Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 5Sep 20, 2009 9:38 am Our household heating requires the fire to be going only for <90 days. Then consider that we cook off it for those 90 days the spread of emmisions would be more ecconomical and further that we heat our water at the same time as heating the house. Also our fire wood is from fallen timber, so we are not reducing carbon capture by trees and this would have to be burnt to reduce fuel loads during the fire season, we feel we have a good handle on the situation. Though ths has all been said before. Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 6Sep 20, 2009 11:43 am We also use fallen timber destined to be cleared and burn't in the open. We have installed a heat transfere system which is simply ducting heat from the family room where the fire box is located upstairs to the bedrooms. We have also ducted it to a drying cupboard for those cold wetdays. Our house is yet to be completed so the efficency is yet to be proven (fingers crossed) Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 7Sep 20, 2009 12:13 pm Same here Also yet to be completed We are still in the cottage The builder is very slow but methodical to the point of being mad but he is cheap though his better half says he will never get it done Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 8Sep 20, 2009 12:24 pm How much more to go onc_artisan? Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 9Sep 20, 2009 3:00 pm onc_artisan Same here Also yet to be completed We are still in the cottage The builder is very slow but methodical to the point of being mad but he is cheap though his better half says he will never get it done Find a better builder Hmm - easier said than done. Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 10Sep 20, 2009 4:36 pm builder is me Caw thought I gave you guys enough hints Been too busy and too wet down here to make life fun ...so I opted for the keep working while the weather sorts itself out Still just got the sand pad and a few profiles up... Got casting beds to do, stripfootings, temp/perminant powerhub&trench 80mtrs,. So yeh, nothing done yet, as it pours with rain... nah buckets Hmmm now we have thunder and lightning... Might be time to exit stage left Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 11Sep 20, 2009 6:50 pm Well I figured out it was you. No idea why the others didn't. hmm its been pretty wet here but no thunder and lightning. Hopefully there won't be any. frantically doing paperwork for work to get up to date ( 5 min cuppa and a break time atm) Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 12Sep 20, 2009 6:59 pm I said Quote: Find a better builder Hmm - easier said than done. and you are an owner builder - - Which is why I said it Hence - finding another builder is easier said than done re the rain - heard it's been wet over there of late - enjoy it while it happens. Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 13Sep 20, 2009 7:15 pm I don't know much about this topic, but thought I'd mention.... I do water damage restoration. Got called out last Friday to a house where the water heating pipe in their wood burning heater sprung a leak and emptied about 300 litres of water into in and the lounge-room. Was a fun time for the owners! Ash. Re: Wood heaters - running costs and greenhouse emissions 14Sep 20, 2009 8:10 pm I guess it put the fire out Yeh cheers Yak_Chat... 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