Alternative Home Heating Sources Basics There are many alternative home heating sources that are out there for you to consider. Many people are looking for cheaper alternatives to natural gas as well as electricity, and there are many available. Some of them are more feasible than others, but they do take into account the environmental ramifications as well as personal cost savings that these alternatives may provide in the long run.
Solar heating panels as alternative home heating sources can be very efficient and very environmentally friendly. In most cases these do need to be replaced about every 20 years and can be very effective depending on the style and the materials that they are made of when it comes to home heating efficiency. Make sure that you look into the manufacturing as well as consider getting a sun tracker that will move the panels so that are at maximum absorption when considering this alternative to fill your needs.
Wood pellet stoves make excellent alternative home heating sources as they are able to provide heat at a much lower cost. These are also more environmentally friendly as they primarily use wood waste as opposed to needing new wood to work. Make sure to analyze the safety as well as the in home needs when looking into pellet stoves. However you must take into consideration how efficiently that they will heat as well as if your home will be able to accommodate them easily.
Geothermal may be one of the alternative home heating sources that you are considering, but this is easier said than done. This alternative does seem to work best when it used in conjunction of another heat source in order to maintain its efficiency. It is much easier to start a home with this type of heating than it is to add it on as the installation of pipes 6-9 feet below the ground and under your home will need to take place for this type of heating to work best.
Wood burning stoves as alternative home heating sources have one major drawback and that is that they are not very environmentally friendly. Otherwise, they do not have to take up a lot of room and in most cases these stoves can use the existing chimney that is for the furnace if there is one. These stoves work very efficiently and can produce a lot of heat, however they are in constant need of fresh wood and this is somewhat damaging to the environment.
These are just some of the various types of alternative home heating sources that are out there. In most cases these sources are more environmentally friendly and cost effective than the two predominant ones that are currently being used. Remember to look at the overall savings that switching to an alternative heat source will provide, not just looking at what it will cost to switch and making a determination based on that. Not all alternative home heating sources are going to be more cost effective, however for the most part they will be less dependent on our fossil fuels and more dependent on renewable resources.
