How
to Pick
the Best Wood
Stoves
This wood stoves guide will help you pick the best wood stoves that will meet your needs, but first..
How hard can it be to pick the best wood burning stove?
Pretty hard if your thought process is to look for the
best looking wood burning stove. From what I've seen lately the best looking stoves are
not the most efficient stoves on the market.
Here are the top 5 Questions you need answered before you can decide on
the best wood burning stove for your home.
- How many square feet do I want to keep warm?
- Does the wood stove meet federal tax credit specs?
- What is the efficiency rating of the wood stove?
- What
is the emmissions rating of the wood stove?
- How long will it burn on low settings?
How many square feet do I want to heat?
If you have a two story home or a home that has the wood stove at one end
of the house you will find it really hard to heat the entire home. The
back end (usually bedrooms) do not receive much of the heat.
Depending on
your second story you will either get all the heat upstairs or very little
heat. Determine the rooms you want to heat and then multiple each room
(12 x 12 room = 144 sq. ft)
Does the wood stove meet federal tax credit specs?
During the 2009-10 year, the federal government will give you a 30% tax
credit on select models of wood stoves. These stoves have met their
guidelines for air quality and safety. If you purchase a $2000 wood
burning stove you will receive a $600 tax credit on your income tax. The
government will give you 30% or up to $1500 tax rebate.
What is the efficiency rating?
This boils down to the specs that are offered by the manufacturer. Some
wood stoves will burn at 75% efficiency and others will approach the 80%
range. Obviously the higher the number the better your stove will
operate.
What
is the emmissions rating of the wood stove?
HEmmission
ratings are measured in grams per hour. The lower
the number the better your wood stove will burn. The
manufacturer will give you their emission ratings on
all wood stoves. Pay attention to these ratings because
if it is to high, that stove will not qualify for the
federal tax credit.
How long will it burn on low settings?
This is a number that is critical to wood stove users who use
wood heat as their primary heat source. We are primary wood burners which means
our home will be cool in the morning because our stove does not burn wood
for more than 8 hours. The newer stoves will burn up to 20 hours on one
load.
If you do not use your wood stove as a primary heat source then it's not
that important to you. You will be able to find wood stoves that burn
from 6 hours up to 20 hours. This is a primary concern for us, but not
for those who enjoy an occasional fire.
And
finally......
After
you find the wood burning stove that meets this criteria
then you can select the best looking stove. However,
if your wife gets involved then good luck and that is
why we are looking for a new stove this coming year.
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Use this wood stove guide to help you determine the order of importance
when purchasing a wood stove. By no means is the order above set in
stone.
As you have learned we are primary wood burners therefore how long
a stove will burn on one filling is of the upmost importance to us.
Therefore it will be on the top of our list.
Make sense?
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