Wood-burning furnace trims heating bill

摘要

FOR Don Cummings, only one source of heat makes sense for his house and shop: hot-water heat powered by an outdoor, commercially available, wood-burning furnace. It's a comfortable type of heat, plus it uses wood from trees grown on his farm, says Cummings of Jackson County, Ind. "The beauty is having the wood outside, so there's no mess in the house or shop," he says. You don't have to worry about chimney fires, either. Cummings and his father, Jim, cut wood from trees on their own property well inadvance of when it will be burned. The secret to simplifying the process, Cummings says, is to stack the wood directly on wagons in the woods and then pull it to the furnace. His furnace is located behind his shop, out of sight.