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Saturday, December 10, 2005

Environment - Pros and cons of wood-fired (or corn-fired) outdoor boilers [Updated]

Monday the South Bend Tribune had a story titled "Wood-burning outdoor boiler catching heat: Citing health, environmental concerns, neighbors object to resident's heat source." See the ILB entry here, which also links to the IDEM proposal to do a rulemaking limting such boilers.

Today the Indianapolis Star as a story, originally in the Vincennes Sun-Commercial, on how these boilers are the greatest thing since canned heat (was that STERNO?). All pros, no cons -- such as how does the smoke affect your neighbors? A few quotes:

BICKNELL, Ind. -- There's more to corn than just eating it. How about heating with it?

Although the idea sounds far-fetched, the concept of heating a home by using one of Indiana's most abundant crops has become more popular, especially with the expected rises in heating and electric bills.

Chuck Borgmeier, who lives just north of Bicknell, has been heating his home and water with corn for two years.

Borgmeier has cut his winter electric bills by more than 35 percent. Gas bills are a thing of the past. The price to heat his 1,500-square-foot home and water throughout the home: around $40 per month. "I'm in love with it," he said. * * *

Using a grain bin to hold cob-free seed corn, the burner operates by auguring the corn from the bin into a forge inside the burner, which is constantly burning. Even when not heating the home, the fire remains lit. "It's like a natural pilot light," Howder said.

Borgmeier's corn burner is outside in an old smoke house that provides shelter for the grain bin and 850-pound burner, which resembles a large water heater. This allows the home to be heated without having a live fire burning inside, Borgmeier said.

[Updated 12/11/05] Today's NY Times has a story about indoor wood stoves - it is titled "Finding savings around the fire." Indoor wood stoves are regulated by the EPA, as explained in the Times article (unlike the outdoor boilers, which are typically many times larger than indoor wood stoves and with higher emissions of particulate matter). Re the indoor wood stove, the Times reports:
A good overview can be found on the Environmental Protection Agency site, at epa .gov/woodstoves. It offers a list of 623 stoves certified as meeting E.P.A. emissions standards.

The E.P.A. site is also a good place to start because wood stoves have environmental issues. Some communities ban wood-burning altogether at various points in the winter, and many places require permits to use a wood stove, partly because their smoke represents the largest source of winter air pollution in some areas. Retailers typically know the local requirements.

The E.P.A. toughened standards for new stoves in 1992, cutting typical emissions levels by two-thirds. But it estimates that of roughly 10 million stoves in use, 7 million to 8 million do not comply because they were sold before 1992. In partnership with the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, a trade group based in Arlington, Va., the E.P.A. has sponsored "change-outs" like one earlier this year in which the industry gave free E.P.A.-compliant stoves to residents of Libby, Mont., where wood stoves are the biggest reason that its winter air pollution is among the nation's worst.

Even smoke from stoves that comply with E.P.A. requirements can be bad for some people, like those with chronic conditions, the elderly and small children. And some organizations, like Clean Air Revival Inc., in Point Arena, Calif., have opposed the use of wood stoves. * * * Even E.P.A.-compliant wood stoves will generate much higher levels of emissions than other forms of fuel.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 10, 2005 12:47 PM
Posted to Environment