Which heating source is better to save energy?

Question

I was thinking about this yesterday as I started a fire in our fireplace. Which is better:

Running the heat to warm your home, or turning it off and starting a fire with wood?

Answer 1

wood burning

Answer 2

I formerly burned with wood for 20 plus years but have gradually moved away from it because when I really sat down and figured it out it was more hassle than it was worth.

The energy it takes to drop, chop, split, stack and cure the wood, maintaining the saw, blade, fuel, axe, wedges plus all the storage space it takes...then there is the burning of wood in a home, the dust, soot, and general crud you track in not to mention the frequent slivers from handling the wood then cleaning the stove and chimney then when you are not using the stove it acts like a refrigerator unless you cover it with an insulated blanket, more soot and ash and dust...I have been using high efficiency electric heaters that I designed and built myself and this is the first season of their full time use and now that I am into the cold part of the season here in Washington, the bill is hovering around 79 cents a day.

The bottom line, the wood stove is coming out as we speak...it is no longer cost effective or simply worth the bother.

Answer 3

spiral radiant heaters are the best and the most economic

you only have to burn branches instead of logs

And the heat radiates out heating the objects it reaches

Such as bodies ,or furnitures and walls

so that when a door opens the heat is not instantly lost

The Tzar's had their palaces heated in this way ,and you can still find some in Northern Europe .

It is a large spiral made of bricks ,that is boxed in and is part of the room and it can partly be part of the furniture

small twigs are burned in an opening on the side and the heat radiates out.

Answer 4

In all likelyhood, burning a fire in your fireplace will actually cause your central heating to consume MORE fuel.  If by 'fireplace', you mean the typical open pit stone fireplace with no heat exchangers this is probably true.

Answer 5

Wood burning is way cheaper. I dont know how much the going price for a cord of wood goes for these days, and depending where you live, heating prices vary.  Consider a buck wood burning stove. It blows the hot air from the fire throughout your home. Good investment.

Answer 6

Thermodynamically it is cheaper to use a heat pump. These are essentially refrigerators in reverse. The evaporator is outside in the cold while the condenser is inside. In effect you pump heat from the colder outside to the warmer inside, rather than creating heat which any fire (electric, gas, or wood does).

Answer 7

We have heated with wood for years. However, we use an air-starvation wood stove, not a fireplace. Fireplaces are, at best, about 10% efficient. If they carry warm air from the room up the chimney, allowing it to be replaced by outside air, they can even have negative efficiency.

Answer 8

Like oikos said, a lot depends on the design of your fireplace and chimney, some experimentation might be an order, like watching your gas or electric meter as you burn and don't burn firewood.  Also factor in the cost of purchased firewood, if applicable.

Answer 9

ground source heat pumps are very green friendly they can be used to heat a home and to cool it in the summer so that is the answer to your question about a heating source to save energy. when burning wood always make sure the wood is dry and never burn painted or stained or pressure treated wood it will release toxins into the air a fire place doesn't generate enough heat to make these chemicals inert

Answer 10

We used to have wood fires or coal but mains gas is cheaper.

Years ago people would also burn any rubbish so it was less for bin man to take away.

Always use fireguard if you have open fire.

Not much difference these days in price of electric or gas.

My sister had oil burner, or was it diesel oil.

While a coal fire bis good for heating back boiler, a lot of the heat can go up the chimney.

In our first home we did not have electric, gas or running water, we lived by a near by stream, and our home was surrounded by fruit trees.

But we did all right, our dad would hunt and fish for food. And we used the stream to do our washing.

Or carried water in a bucket to our home.

There was seven of us altogether with Mum and Dad, it was a one up and one down country cottage.

We lived only two miles from a beautiful waterfall, at 240ft is the highest in Wales.

A place of outstanding beauty.

I have a picture of it on my Yahoo 360 page.

Answer 11

i would say solar panels or keep your window curtins open to let the heat come in to your home it works

Answer 12

It depends on the climate you live in, the prices for traditional heat in your area, and how energy efficient your home is.  If you live in a cold climate where fire wood is free and your home is extremely energy efficient, wood is obviously cheaper.  However, if you live in a cold climate where wood is not free - a radiant floor, solar heating system might be best.  The upfront cost is more, but a solar radiant hot water system pays for itself pretty quickly - much more quickly that solar electric systems.  

Sorry to be vague, but we need more info about your location to best answer your quesiton.  Better yet - consult a local sustainable architect - I am in Ohio so I can only speak about my own region in definite terms, although I'd be happy to make "best-guess" estimates for you based on other locations.  Thanks!