By Greg Pahl
Natural Home Heating is a comprehensive guide to heating your home with renewable energy sources. Greg Pahl offers a well-organized easy-to-understand tour of all available renewable home-heating options including: wood, pellet, corn and grain-fired stoves, fireplaces, furnaces and boilers as well as masonry heaters, active and passive solar systems and heat pumps. Learn how to burn environmentally friendly biodiesel fuels, not just in your car, but in your furnace or boiler. Included is everything you need to know about the fuels, systems, technologies, costs and advantages and disadvantages of each option. Pahl teaches homeowners how to retrofit existing heating systems and choose renewable replacements, or design an entirely new house that can be heated comfortably with minimal environmental and financial impact. Consider:
- 95 percent of American homes are heated with fossil fuels or electricity (which is generated mainly by fossil fuels).
- Oil and gas prices will continue to rise as supplies dwindle and sources become less reliable.
- Home heating costs could double or even triple in the event of a fuel crisis.
- The use of fossil fuels is the primary contributor to global warming.
- There are viable, clean, healthy and affordable home heating alternatives!
Learn how to burn environmentally friendly biodiesel fuels, not just in your car, but in your furnace. Find out how a ground-source heat pump works and why it can achieve 400 percent heating efficiency. Discover what it takes to make burning wood truly sustainable. Natural Home Heating explains all these details and more, making it unique in the marketplace.
About the Author
Greg Pahl is a journalist and author of several books who has been involved in environmental issues for more than 20 years. In the 1980s he lived "off the grid" in a wind-powered home. He has written about wind power, solar energy, electric cars, sustainable forestry management and home building materials. He and his wife heat their home with a biodiesel blend.
304 pages, 2003
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Part One Heating Basics
Chapter 1 Heating 101
It’s All about Comfort
Energy Units
Heat Loss
Heat Gain
Nonmechanical Heating
Mechanical Heating
Chapter 2 Types of Heating Systems
Choosing a System
Two Common Choices
Chapter 3 Heat Sources
The Sun
Stoves
Hot-Air Furnaces
Boilers
Fireplaces
Masonry Heaters
Outdoor Boilers
Heat Pumps
Fuel Cells
Chapter 4 Fuels
The Problems with Fossil Fuels
Renewable Energy for Home Heating
Fuel Cost Comparison
Part Two Heating with the Sun
Chapter 5 Passive Solar
The Potential of Solar
Passive Solar Design
Backup
Other Passive Strategies
Chapter 6 Active Solar
History of Active Solar
Active Solar Design
Sizing the System
Collectors
Types of Active Systems
Hot-Air Systems
Solar Room Systems
Other Systems
Chapter 7 Active Liquid Solar Heating Systems
How Liquid Systems Work
Solar Domestic-Hot-Water Systems
Solar Space Heating
Hybrid Systems
Maintenance
Backup
Costs
Part Three Heating With Wood
Chapter 8 Working with Firewood
A Recent History
Types of Firewood
Sources of Firewood
Splitting Logs
Drying Wood
Handling Wood
Burning Wood
Dealing with Ashes
Chapter 9 Woodstoves
Catalytic Stoves
Noncatalytic Stoves
Choosing the Correct Stove
Warranties
Price Range
Which Woodstove Is Best?
Chapter 10 Woodstove Installation
Stove Placement
Clearance Requirements
Hearthpads
Chimneys
Stovepipe
Chapter 11 Woodstove Operation
Seasoning Your New Stove
Starting a Fire
Maintaining a Fire
The Overnight Fire
Effects of the Weather
Chimney Cleaning
Chimney Fires
Maintenance
Chapter 12 Wood Furnaces and Boilers
Wood-Fired Central Heat
Choosing Your System
Installation
Operation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Price Range
Chapter 13 Wood Fireplaces
Brief History of the Fireplace
Types of Fireplaces
Location
Improving the Traditional Fireplace
Warranties
Where to Buy
Price Range
Chapter 14 Masonry Heaters
Masonry Heaters in North America
How They Work
Design and Construction Consideration
Kits
Safety
Environmental Issues
Solar Compatibility
Choosing Your Heater
Installation
Operation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Where and What to Buy
Price Range
Part Four Heating with Biomass
Chapter 15 Biomass Basics
History of Corn and Pellet Heating
Pellets
Corn and Other Biomass Fuels
Chapter 16 Pellet Stoves
How They Work
Types
Burner Design
Convenience Features
Other Features
Sizing a Stove
Installation
Operation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Where and What to Buy
Price Range
Chapter 17 Pellet Furnaces and Boilers
Pellet-Fired Central Heat
How They Work
Sizing a Furnace or Boiler
Important Features
Installation
Operation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Where and What to Buy
Price Range
Chapter 18 Corn- and Grain-Burning Appliances
Corn Power
How They Work
Types
Burner Design
Important Features
Sizing the System
Installation
Operation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Where and What to Buy
Price Range
Part Five Geothermal
Chapter 19 Geothermal Home Heating and Cooling
Types of Heat Pumps
How Heat Pumps Work
Environmental Considerations
Heat Pump Systems
Heat Pump Components
Capacity Rating
The Distribution System
Heat Pump Contractors
Which Heat Pump Is Best?
Chapter 20 Air-Source Heat Pumps
Types of Air-Source Heat Pumps
Choosing the Correct Heat Pump
Sizing Your Heat Pump
Installation
Operation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Where and What to Buy
Price Range
Chapter 21 Ground-Source Heat Pumps
Savings from the Ground Up
Types of Ground-Source Heat Pumps
Operation
Choosing the Correct Heat Pump
Sizing Your Heat Pump
Installation
Maintenance
Backup
Warranties
Where and What to Buy
Price Range
Solar-Assisted Heat Pumps
Notes from the Field
Epilogue
Organizations and On-Line Resources
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
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