Heating
Assess your heating system
Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings by Alex Wilson and John Morrill
This comprehensive, easy-to-read guide covers everything from light bulbs to furnaces, air conditioners to washing machines. It's a must-have reference for all green—and budget-conscious—consumers.
Buy an EPA-certified woodstove
BioPellet LLC BioBricks
BioBricks are made of highly compressed, recycled sawdust from New England sawmills and can be burned in any woodstove just like regular cordwood. Designed to excel in woodstoves, one 4'x4'x3' pallet of BioBricks(TM) produces as much heat as one 4'x4'x8' cord of wood. Like wood pellets, BioBricks are cheaper and less polluting than fuel oil, and carbon neutral.HearthStone Woodstoves
HearthStone builds non-catalytic woodstoves with soapstone to provide slow-burning, even, radiant heat that continues to warm your home long after the fire cools. The company selects soapstone for its distinct grains and nuances of color. The stoves are efficient, functional, and durable, with beautiful fire views.Lennox Hearth Products
Choose from a selection of non-catalytic woodstoves from Lennox Hearth Products, with distinctive designs that combine superior craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.Napoleon Wood Burning Products
Napoleon's patented wood burning technology exceeds EPA standards substantially, making a difference in keeping the environment clean. The company's non-catalytic products include woodstoves, wood-burning inserts, fireplaces, and even a gourmet cook stove.Vermont Castings woodstoves
Vermont Castings woodstoves come in catalytic and non-catalytic models with a number of Vermont Castings wood stove accessories styled to match.
Choose the right type of central heating
Climate Energy freewatt system
The freewatt system uses proven Micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) technology to generate heat and electricity, by combining a high-efficiency gas furnace or boiler with a natural gas engine/generator module manufactured by Honda of Japan. The system transforms 83 to 93 percent of the energy content of the fuel consumed into heat and electric power (compared to conventional central power plants that typically operate at about 30 to 40 percent).Hallowell International Acadia heat pump
The Acadia heat pump provides heat and air conditioning in a single unit. It uses a patented method for boosted compression, allowing it to continue to draw heat from the outside air even if temperatures dip down to 30 below. In the past, air-to-air heat pumps haven’t been practical in northern North America, since they couldn’t operate at low temperatures. The Acadia has been tested in Maine, northern Canada, and Alaska. The company claims you do not need a backup system with its product.Natural Home Heating by Greg Pahl
This complete guide to renewable energy options for home heating discusses all types of options, including wood and pellet furnaces and boilers, passive and active solar, woodstoves, biodiesel, and heat pumps. The author describes the fuels, systems, technologies, costs, and advantages and disadvantages of each heating option, as well as retrofitting heating systems and designing affordable and environmentally friendly homes.
Improve the performance of your heating system
Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings by Alex Wilson and John Morrill
This comprehensive, easy-to-read guide covers everything from light bulbs to furnaces, air conditioners to washing machines. It's a must-have reference for all green—and budget-conscious—consumers.
Heat with biodiesel
Biodiesel : Growing a New Energy Economy by Greg Pahl
Author Greg Pahl tracks the history of biodiesel from its first use by inventor Rudolph Diesel to its current state. Along the way he describes biodiesel production, explores its environmental impact, looks at biodiesel fuels in the US and Europe, and explains the industry’s complex politics.BioEquipment Home Biodiesel Kits
The Freedom Fueler makes 40 gallons of washed biodiesel in 24 hours for about 70 cents per gallon, and can convert even heavily used oils and fats. An added bonus: for every Freedom Fueler purchased, the company plants 50 trees to combat CO2 in the atmosphere!Bioheat Fuel Companies
Eco-friendly Bioheat home heating fuel is domestically produced from US feedstocks. Although not comprehensive, this site lists over 40 Bioheat dealers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, and Indiana. Locate a Bioheat dealer near you.
Use passive solar
Enertia Building Systems passive solar home kits
Enertia homes are available nationwide as pre-cut, numbered kits. From the outside the homes look like traditional wood-sided homes, constructed on a full basement with lots of windows on the south side. The pre-cut kits save on construction costs as well. Package prices start at $62,645.Patio Enclosures Earth Smart Sunrooms
Patio Enclosures’ Earth Smart™ sunrooms feature green, eco-friendly products and sunroom features. The sunrooms use ENERGY STAR-certified low-e windows filled with argon gas, and all materials used in the sunrooms are 98 percent recyclable.The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for Your Home
See the light! This installment of the popular series offers a comprehensive, easy-to-understand introduction to all types of solar options including active and passive solar heating, hot water systems, backup generators, grid-tied, off-grid, even portable power systems for remote cabins or city apartments.The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling by Daniel D. Chiras
This comprehensive guide will teach you the tools for successful solar design, including: how to select eco-friendly backup heat, how to preserve good indoor air quality in an airtight home, and how to use green building materials. It also highlights the biggest passive solar mistakes and how to avoid them.
Install a programmable thermostat
Honeywell TH8110 VisionPro Programmable Thermostat
This ENERGY STAR-qualified programmable thermostat features a touchscreen.Hunter Fan Company 44360 7-Day Energy Star Programmable Thermostat
This inexpensive programmable thermostat is ENERGY STAR compliant.
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