(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
