More Homes are Using Wood Stoves and Pellet Stoves

Winter officially may officially start on Dec. 21, but those of us in Worcester know that winter weather is already here. For many of us, the cold weather not only marks the unofficial start to the holiday season, it also means high home heating bills are on the way.

It is expected that household expenditures for heating oil will increase 19% this year. If that estimate turns out to be accurate, it will mean households that burn heating oil will face expenditures higher than any previous winter on record.

Part of this increase is due to weather. The actual price increases of heating fuels are also a factor.

This year, the number of households nationwide that heat with wood is expected to reach more than 2.6 million, a 3% increase over last year.

There is a steady increase in the number of homes that use wood burning stoves and inserts as their primary heating source.

Storms and power outages caused by weather have a significant impact on the number of households exploring the use of wood or wood pellet stoves as their primary heating source, along with more people who want to take serious action to reduce their use of fossil fuels.

Wood pellets are easy and safe to store, and neither wood nor wood pellets are impacted by downed power lines or other short-term fuel delivery problems.

Of course, price will always be a factor in driving more use of wood and pellet heat. For information on decreasing your heating bills this winter through wood or pellet stoves, contact Custom Insulation.

Biomass Magazine