If you’re heating your home with a woodstove that is more than 25 years old, you’re wasting your energy and your money, as well as having a negative environmental impact. Old wood stoves are incredibly inefficient, turning less of their fires into heat for your home, and pumping more fine particles into the atmosphere. In fact, groups like the American Cancer Society have warned against outdated wood-burning stoves and open-hearth fireplaces because of the fine particles they release into the atmosphere. The good news is that there are options out there if you want to replace your old stove for something more energy efficient.
EPA-certified wood-burning stoves
If you love your wood-burning stove for its traditional flames, its woodsy smell, and inexpensive and renewable fuel, 
there are EPA-certified wood-burning stoves available that would allow you to continue to burn wood while producing more heat and having less of an environmental impact. EPA-certified woodstoves are 50 percent more energy efficient than outdated woodstoves, and 70 percent more efficient than traditional, open-hearth, wood-burning fireplaces. That means you would release fewer air pollutants and provide more heat for your home while burning less wood!
EPA-certified pellet stoves
Again, if you prefer the look and feel of a wood-burning fire, an EPA-certified pellet stove could be the perfect upgrade for your outdated wood-burning stove. Pellet stoves burn compressed, dehydrated pellets made from sawdust or wood shavings. Some stoves even burn biofuel, such as corn, cherry pits, or wheat hulls. Because their fuel is so dry, pellet stove fires burn hotter, releasing less smoke and particulate matter and more heat. For environmentalists, pellet stoves are ideal because they burn efficiently, burn byproducts that otherwise would have gone to landfills, and are carbon neutral because the carbon released during burning would have been released when the materials decomposed naturally.
Gas stove
The EPA promotes gas stoves as the cleanest burning of all types of stoves. They produce the most heat with the least amount of pollution released. If you’re cringing thinking about the fake blue flames that were on the market when you purchased your current wood-burning stove, gas stoves have come a long way! They’ve been redesigned to burn in a realistic looking way, with glowing embers and yellow flames flickering around natural looking wooden logs. Gas stoves also come with a great deal of convenience: You can enjoy a fire at the flip of a switch or the push of a remote control button! Many gas stoves also are wired to a thermostat, so the flames will adjust to create the desired temperature in your room.
Discover what option is best for your home!
If you know your outdated wood stove needs to go because it’s no longer the best heating option for your home, consult the experts at The Cozy Flame. We can help you select the stove or fireplace insert that best suits your home-heating needs.