Log fires and co2?

Question

Some of my friends tell me that I should find better ways to heat my house with the environment in mind. I heat my house with a log fire. I only need the fire on at night as I live in a temperate climate. I have no central heating and I have solar panels to heat a small swimming pool. Who is correct, my friends or does it matter what fuel I use.

Answer 1

all fuels emit some type of 'waste' product.

logs are a renewable fuel source you must weigh the use verses the cost of a retrofit application.  of course you could just plug in a small space heater on those occasions.  but fire is so primal and romantic.

but like i said it is a renewable source and fairly inexpensive, the emissions are negligible for the amount that you are using,  and this is fairly safe assuming that you keep your fire box and chimney in good repair and swept for obstructions and build up of flammables.

from the sounds of things your are doing just fine to lessen your footprint on the environment.  so many people are so quick to criticize.  i say enjoy your fire.

Answer 2

wildfires occur in nature, so burning wood is completely natural. If you use central heat, you're getting energy from pollution-creating power plants. See the difference? You're doing fine.

Answer 3

It matters both what you use and how you use the fuel.  An efficient word burning system  doesn't produce all that much CO2.  A traditional fireplace does.  The fact that you only heat one room vs. central heat suggests to me that you already have a much smaller CO2 footprint than most households, at least when it comes to heating.

Answer 4

As long as the wood you burn is sustainable it is ok.

It is sustainable if the forest from which it is taken from is not cut faster than it grows back.

If the forest and trees on average stay at the same coverage, the CO2 impact is zero.... since the CO2 you release in the atmosphere is being absorbed back by the trees growing. In this case, your heating is environmentally sound.

In countries where more trees are cut than they grow back (Brazil, Indonesia, etc..) the reduced forest coverage increases the CO2 in the atmosphere as less carbon is stored in the trees.