Wood stoves can save money

With winter right around the corner and fuel prices still high, home-heating costs have some people worried - so much that some are turning to wood stoves for heat.

"People are definitely going for alternative heat this year, much more so than in the past," John Zimmerman, owner of Zim's Lumber and Stoves Ltd. in Cuba, said. "They're going to make sure they have a means for alternative heat. It's definitely due to a fear of what the heating bill could be. They're concerned."

According to www.hpba.org, as of Aug. 1, the average annual cost to heat a home with fuel oil was $1,444, $1,391 with electricity, $1,165 with propane, and $866 with natural gas. The average cost to heat a home with wood was $520.

"Around here in rural areas, it's propane and fuel oil," said Scott Sisson of Sisson's Chain Saws and Stoves Inc. in Bolivar. "These types went up astronomically. (Converting to wood stoves) would be a way to save a lot of money. You can save hundreds to thousands of dollars a year with wood."

Besides saving money, Mr. Sisson, who estimates a 30 percent increase in people looking at wood stoves this year, said wood is a better form of heat.

"It's a beautiful way to heat your home," he said. "It's excellent heat. It feels warmer at equal temperature because it's a dryer heat. It's just a real nice warm heat."

An abundance of trees in the area also makes wood stoves an appealing choice, according to Mr. Zimmerman.

"In this area, the fuel supply will be, more than likely, forever, because of the amount of trees in the area," he said. "We're not in a metropolitan area where it's more costly. We're lucky. We're never going to run out of wood heat in this area."

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