Fireside Tech: Innovations in Wood Energy for Modern Heating Solutions
Since ancient times, humans have strived to make their lives comfortable, and the growing technology is helping them do just that. No matter what aspect of life, technology is making our lives easier. Just look at the history of heating systems to heat the houses. Many regions in the world are either cold throughout the winter or are freezing most of the year. So, the people in these regions need to keep their houses warm. Even people living in areas other than these regions must keep their homes warm and warm during winter.
In the past, people used tree branches and wood to light fires to keep themselves and their houses warm. Although this was a cheap solution, as people used to cut wood themselves, traditional wood-burning methods had disadvantages.
- Natural wood or green wood has a high concentration of moisture, so it isn’t easy to burn
- It produces more CO2, soot, smoke, and ashes
- Most of the heat is lost due to the incomplete burning of wood
- The chimneys and ventilation systems also contributed to the loss of heat
- Fires were uncontrolled that could result in setting up a fire
- Smoke from the burning wood would result in suffocation and breathing difficulties
- Cutting off wood would result in the disruption of ecosystems
Innovations in Wood Energy
To counter the problems mentioned above, various innovations have been introduced in wood energy to provide people with modern heating solutions.
i. Fire logs
The fire logs are produced by drying up the natural or green wood. The green wood comes from a living tree and has a lot of water. The water in the wood varies from species to species and can be as low as 55%. Burning such wood produces significant amounts of gases like CO2 and smoke. So, these woods are dried up to reduce the water in them. It is ideal to use wood for burning with a maximum of 20% water as these do not produce smoke, harmful gases, etc.
Fire logs are dried in two ways, which are mentioned below:
- Seasoned wood: The wood is air-dried for a long time to reduce its moisture content. Drying the wood can take six months to 24 months.
- Kiln-dried wood: The wood is dried in kilns at a temperature as high as 70 degrees Celsius. It dries up within 5 to 7 days, and the wood is ready to use.
ii. Night briquettes
Briquettes are made of compressed combustible material and are an excellent alternative to traditional wood. These briquettes are made of either coal or any biomass, reducing the cutting of trees for timber. The biomass used to make briquettes can be any organic combustible material that is dried up and compressed to form the shape of briquettes. The following are materials that can be used to make briquettes:
- Sawmill byproducts include sawdust, wood chips, wood shavings, etc.
- Peat is dried and compressed to make briquettes, and these burn without smoke
- Agricultural byproducts are dried to make briquettes and ultimately reduce waste
- Other materials like charcoal fines, straw and hay, used coffee grounds, etc., are also used to make briquettes
- Hardwood heat logs
Hardwood heat logs are extremely dry wood logs with moisture content as low as 9%. Because of their low moisture content, these logs burn at a higher temperature and are easy to start a fire. As a result, they help heat the house faster than other fuels and keep the house warm for a long time.
Modern Heating Solutions
i. Wood burning stoves
Apart from the innovations in burning wood, wood-burning stoves are designed for modern heating solutions. Traditional stoves could not burn the wood entirely, resulting in less energy efficiency. Moreover, a significant amount of heat would be lost through the chimneys and ventilation. Modern wood-burning stoves are designed to ensure that the wood is burnt completely. This way, modern wood stoves’ energy efficiency is higher than traditional ones.
ii. Heating systems
Modern heating solutions incorporate a central wood-burning stove and heat spreading systems throughout the house or the areas that need more heat. In this way, the heat is not lost and used to heat the house, leading to higher energy efficiency.
Advantages of Wood Energy
Some of the advantages of modern heating solutions and wood energy innovations are mentioned here:
1. Convenience
Modern heating solutions and innovations in wood energy provide effortless convenience to the people. No need to cut the trees or chop the wood. You can get ready to burn fire logs or briquettes and heat up your house without any harmful gasses or smoke.
2. Energy efficiency and automation
Modern wood burning stoves are designed to burn wood completely, leading to high energy efficiency. They also use modern technology, such as temperature control and timers. You can use these options to control the temperature to your liking and set a time to turn off combustion when you do not need it. You can also automate the process and control it through a single touch on the remote or your cell phone.
3. Environment friendly
Since the wood burning stove burns the wood completely, the emission of smoke, CO2, and other harmful gasses is significantly reduced. This fact makes the modern heating solutions quite environment-friendly, reducing the impact of burning on the environment.
4. Adds aesthetics to your house
Lastly, modern wood burning stoves come in various designs and styles. You can choose one that fits your décor to add aesthetic value to your house.
Final Words
Modern heating solutions provide eco-friendly solutions to your heating needs. These not only increase energy efficiency but also reduce waste production. Installing a wood-burning stove can prove to be costly. However, it will benefit you in the long run. Using wood as a heating fuel is much cheaper than using electricity or gas. That is why installing a modern wood-burning stove will be cost-effective, even though it is expensive upfront. You can check the wood burning stove installation costs here.
