Corn Burning Stoves – More Than Just Good for the Environment
What Exactly is a Corn Burning Stove?
As stated before, a corn-burning stove is a stove that burns corn instead of fossil fuels such as wood, coal, or oil. Along with the fact that it uses corn to generate heat, corn does not produce the level of smoke that wood and coal do. Thus, it is a clean burning device. These corn-burning stoves designs are like most stoves that you see in retailers. One glance at them and to the untrained eye, it looks just like a wood burning stove.
How does it compare to traditional heating methods?
In researching the corn-burning stove prior to our purchase, we found that there were many positives in comparing it to other traditional forms of heat. Take for instance electricity, in which we will say costs .07/kilowatt hour, and burns with 100% efficiency, at 215,000 BTUs, has an annual heating cost of about $1500. Fuel oil at a cost of $1.40/gallon, with 80% efficiency, at 144,000 BTUs, has an annual heating cost of $1,000. For natural gas at a cost of $1.00/cubic foot, with 85% efficiency, producing 126,000 BTUs, would cost $884 annually. The cost to us the corn-burning stove is $2.20/bushel of corn, with 85% efficiency, at 55,000 BTUs, would only cost $385 per year. Thus, for a household that uses electricity as a heat source, they would save over $1,100.
How the Stove Works For Us
We live in Texas, which is an area where the winters normally are not too harsh, but we get a few cold stops and spend a few nights every winter in the teens for low temperatures. We normally heat our home with natural gas, but with the rising fuel costs for gas, we have supplemented it by burning our wood burning fireplace, to cut some of our costs. In this our first winter with this heater, we found that we like it much better than using wood. We miss the wood smell a bit, but it is much better on our wallet. It is a good solid burning fire and a hot heat.
Benefits and Drawbacks
Benefits to the corn burning stoves are clean burning, uses a renewable energy source, the cost of the corn is very inexpensive, no more loads of ash, and its better on our environment. Some of the drawbacks of the stove is that the upfront cost for the stove itself is quite expensive, ranging from around $700 on the low end to upwards of $3,000 depending on the hopper size. Another issue is storage of the corn. Since this is a grain, you have to store it in a manner in which does not attract rodents and other critters.
Special Maintenance Tips
There is a requirement that on a yearly basis that the corn-burning stove is services to ensure keeping fire hazards to a minimum. This yearly service costs around $200, depending on where you live.
Where Can I Get Mine?
There are retailers all across the internet that offers these stoves. Be aware that if you wait until wintertime to purchase one, they may not be readily available due to the growing popularity of these stoves. I advise you to call the retailer before you venture out so you are not disappointed. One of the most popular brands is St. Croix High Efficiency Corn Burning Stoves.
Source:
DMC2 Products, http://www.dmc2products.com/corn_stoves.html
