[Greenbuilding] Fireplace options

[Jason Holstine]

>From a true-sustainable emboddied energy perspective, I would submit that a
wood burning stove is likely superior to a gas insert. If you are burning
local woods‹especially from urban surplus (storm damaged trees,
deconstruction, etc.)--then it is effectively carbon neutral and doesn¹t
have the ghosts of the fossil gas. There have to be some good sources of
local surplus woods in the Berkeley area, Sausalito, Napa, etc, etc.

There are a couple of European brands, such as RAIS from Norway, that are
very efficient and thus burn clean‹they minimize the PM emissions. However,
they create a TON of BTUs (heat). Maybe they would be overkill if she really
doesn¹t want heat as much as prettiness. Or, maybe she¹d see how effective
and efficient it is at keeping them cozy without their ³other² heating
source and would switch to use it as their primary or more-often heat
source.


On 10/2/12 2:49 PM, "Kirsten Flynn" <kf at declan.com> wrote:

> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I have mostly been lurking on the list, I am a green interior designer, so
> don't always come across issues of building science.   Now I do have a
> question I think the combined wisdom of this list could help me with.
> 
> In my region, most municipalities ban wood fireplaces in new construction. I
> usually recommend that folks that have an existing convert to a good quality
> gas insert, they burn cleaner and give the hearth feeling in the winter.  In
> our climate (SF bay area) we are very temperate, and don't need heating.  I
> live on the San Francisco Peninsula, which is very population dense, and does
> have air pollution issues on occasion.
> 
> I have a client that has a 1950's house, and wants to keep her fireplace.  She
> is very green, but is very opposed to fossil fuel use.  She would like a
> solution for occasional heating that is not dependent on natural gas, but she
> IS concerned about particulate pollution.  What should I tell her, I am not as
> up on EPA rated wood burning inserts as I should be.
> 
> If I need to convince her not to be so attached to the wood burning option,
> she is intelligent and interested, I am happy to do so, but I want to know
> what the best options are.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your answers.
> 
> Kirsten Flynn
> Designer
> Sustainable Home
> Sustainablehome.com <http://sustainablehome.com/>
> 650-855-9476
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Greenbuilding mailing list
> to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
> Greenbuilding at bioenergylists.org
> 
> to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
> http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergy
> lists.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org/attachments/20121002/844a7b9b/attachment.html>