Author’s note: the following article on home heating is the first in an eight-part series. The series specifically targets climate found in the San Francisco Bay Area, but has applicability elsewhere.According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling amounts to 46% of all energy consumed by our homes. Water heating uses another 14%. In coastal California, where extreme heat is rare and winters are mild, a properly sited, well designed passive solar home can generate its own heat and hot water, and do without air conditioning.
Historically, few homes are so well sited or built. Since our area has more heating days than cooling days, most homeowners need a heating system. What few know is that many indoor air quality problems can be by-products of forced air heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems installed in their homes.
Too often, homeowners are unaware that they have better options. Radiant heat delivery is more efficient than forced air and has the potential to solve a number of indoor air quality (IAQ) problems. Fewer still know that wood-based radiant heat, besides avoiding these IAQ issues, has even more benefits. Significantly:
- wood heat is usually less expensive than fossil fuel
- heat produced from wood is carbon-neutral
- with the right equipment, wood will burn cleanly enough to meet stringent air quality standards
Some municipalities also are unaware that wood can be burned cleanly, and prohibit wood burning appliances in new homes. If we don’t take the time to educate others about the benefits of wood heat, one of the next best alternatives to solar heating is in danger of being banned everywhere.
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