E. Practical Limitations of Widespread Wood and Pellet Stove Adoption

There is a common perception that using wood for heating is simply an unrealistic amount of work for most modern Americans. The vast majority of Americans may not be willing to do the extra work to heat with wood or pellets, but millions remain committed to it and their ranks appear to be growing. For every solar thermal installation installed in 2009, there were four pellet stoves installed, and thirteen EPA certified cordwood stoves. 1 Residential pellet boilers have become so automated that there are now models that are as simple to operate as the traditional oil boiler. Areas of the country with bulk pellet delivery routes can have bulk pellet bins or silos filled twice a year with pellets, which are then automatically fed into the boiler/furnace to achieve a pre-programmed temperature. In parts of Europe, installation of these units far outstrips installations of fossil fuel furnaces due to higher fossil fuel prices and more generous incentives. In Austria, for instance, pellet boilers are being installed in thousands of homes each year, while the number of oil furnaces installed is approaching zero. As wood and pellet heat becomes more automated, cleaner and more economical, there is little reason that the number of families heating with wood could not double or triple in the next decade.