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Outdoor wood furnaces offer users tremendous benefits compared to other heating appliances, including:
• Affordability-Most owners live in rural areas and have access to supplies of either free or low-cost wood.
• Renewable Energy-Unlike fossil fuels, wood is a renewable, biomass resource. Burning wood does not increase greenhouse gas emissions.
• Safety-Units are located outside, reducing the risk associated with combustion.
• Convenience-Depending on the size of the unit, most outdoor wood furnaces need to be loaded only once or twice a day.
Outdoor wood furnaces were first popularized in agricultural communities and still require sufficient land and chimney height to operate properly. Manufacturers and distributors support reasonable siting requirements designed to ensure newly purchased units are properly located and installed.
Outdoor wood furnaces should be at least 100 feet away from the nearest residential building not served by the unit, taking into consideration the prevailing wind direction. If the unit is located within 100 feet to 300 feet of any residence not served by the furnace, the smokestack should be at least 2 feet higher than the peak of that residence.
Because there are no uniform testing procedures for measuring the emissions and efficiency of outdoor wood furnaces, manufacturers have been working with federal and state air-quality agencies for nearly two years to develop a universally accepted testing protocol that will result in cleaner-burning furnaces. Meanwhile, manufacturers are investing in research and development of next-generation outdoor furnaces with improved efficiency and emissions.
For more information about outdoor wood furnaces, visit www.hpba.org. Outdoor wood furnaces offer a safe, reliable and affordable heating option for people in rural areas.
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