Alternative Heating Sources Save Money on Heat Bills

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(ARA) - While "The Old Farmer's Almanac" is predicting a variety of winter weather depending on where you live, one thing everyone seems to be agreeing on is that it will cost people more to heat their homes this winter.

The price consumers pay for heating oil and gas often varies due to seasonality in the demand, changes in the cost of crude, market competition, and operating costs. With the global markets remaining unsettled and production levels down for much of the year, companies were slow to build up reserves.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) sees residential consumers experiencing price increases this fall, which will mean a national average 36 percent increase in natural gas bills.

The expected rise in heating costs will drive many people to find ways in which they can save on energy bills. Everyone can benefit from improving insulating and weatherproofing, however more and more people are looking for alternative forms of home heating including stoves that burn wood, corn or pellets. Many of these alternative options make use of biomass.

Biomass is stored solar energy that can be converted to electricity or fuel. It is found in all nonfossil organic materials including vegetation and trees, and all waste such as municipal solid waste and sewage and animal wastes, forestry and agricultural residues, and certain types of industrial wastes. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is renewable in the sense that only a short period of time is needed to replace what is used as an energy resource.

Bixby Energy Systems, a Minnesota-based leader in biomass technology, has made it easy for consumers to adopt biomass as a practical energy alternative with its biomass stove. "The stoves are clean-burning and effortless to operate, environmentally sensitive and very dependable," says president and CEO Bob Walker.

Jerry Bushaw, owner of Corn Burners Inc., in Clearwater, Minn., a retailer of a variety of alternative energy stoves, says customers are impressed with the Bixby Stove. "Customers marvel when they see the flames and feel the heat output from the stoves, they think its natural gas," said Bushaw. "People like the fact that this stove operates with a push of a button and has a self-cleaning feature," he says.

The stoves are multi-fuel, meaning they can burn corn, biomass or wood pellets. The key to the system's high-energy performance is simple oxygen. "Burning fuel of any kind in normal air has its limitations," Walker explains. "By compressing the air and driving it separately into the burn pots, we can supply additional oxygen to get a better, more efficient heat output. This creates an environment that develops higher temperatures and a more efficient burn, which yields more energy from the fuel it burns," he says.

This technology translates into cost savings for consumers. The cost of operating a biomass stove is approximately $6 per million Btu. For propane, the cost is about $13 per million Btu, while heating oil costs around $18 per million Btu. And while you're saving money, the biomass industry opens up a new market for farmers and their crops, while also decreasing America's dependence on foreign fossil fuel sources.

In addition to providing economical, clean-burning energy, the stoves also provide a focal point for your home. They are available in black, burgundy, blushtone, hunter green and regal blue. Stoves are also available with optional 24 karat gold-plated or chrome doors, vents and trim.

Soon people will be able to burn a variety of biomass materials including grasses and plant parts such as leaves and agricultural waste products. More than any other resource, biomass is capable of simultaneously addressing the nation's energy, environmental, and economic needs.

For more information on the Bixby Energy System, call (877) 500- 2800 or visit www.bixbyenergy.com

Courtesy of ARA Content

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