firewood / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...firewood correctly. Stacking firewood properly: Stacked firewood ready for a nice hot fire at home © Ecohome Keep your firewood high enough off the ground to avoid absorbing moisture. Protect firewood from rain, but keep the sides open so air can flow through and dry it. Avoid stacking your wood against the hous...

...firewood yourself or buying it in - because if you're buying wood in then check in your local area what size of wood is most common in terms of length - usually 16". Some of the smaller high efficiency wood burning stoves from European manufacturers only take a 12" log, and in certain areas because of the extra cutting...

...firewood and how it has been seasoned or dried and stored is also a big factor in the potential heat output. Read a guide here on choosing the best firewood for the highest heat output, or see our guide on choosing the best wood-buring stoves or fireplace inserts here, both from the EcoHome Green Building Guides  

Understanding how firewood burns, the technical details Stage 1: The Evaporation of Moisture – otherwise known as “getting the d@mn thing going” If you’ve ever tried to burn wet or unseasoned wood in your fireplace you’ll know how very frustrating this stage can be. Gathering crumpled paper, kindling, an armful of smal...

...firewood isn't easily available, then that likely isn't the best choice of backup heat. I'm also both fortunate and unfortunate when it comes to wood burning fireplaces, as the area where I live (Vancouver BC) is in the process of regulating them (see here). Although the luck comes into play as our wood burning firepla...