But it is not just about saving money. We all have been too reckless about using nature’s resources. We have to consider several factors here. We cannot take from nature without a limit. Unfortunately, the natural resources are not bottomless – the oil and coal will come to an end some time in the future.

Much have been done during the recent years to tackle the problems, new technologies are being developed, ecological heating systems devised, alternative transportation solutions found. Nothing of it will prove worthwhile unless the consumer shows a motivation to go out and start using the new technology.

Grow your Own Fuel

Let’s see what ecological heating options are available in the current market? The most obvious choice is pellets and other types of biomass. Here we talk about corn stoves, wood pellet burners and straw burners. With wood pellets it depends on how are the pellets produced – if the factory specializes in just producing them, you cannot call it ecological heating. The only way pellets worked for environment would be that they were made from by-products (saw-dust) at a joinery. Dedicated factories just produce extra CO2 making it even worse for environment.

Corn stoves are the most affordable way to ecological heating. They burn shelled corn which is nothing more than maize seeds. In the process of growth corn plants consume CO2 from the air and when burnt they release less CO2 than they’ve consumed, thus making environment cleaner. Corn stoves are usually priced from $800 to $2000 and pay off within the first or second year of using (compared with fossil fuel burners).

Living in a Cave?

Sod houses is another way to cut consumption big time. Sod is not meant as an insult, it means a house which has the majority of its body (including the roof) covered in soil. Some people achieve similar result by building their houses into a hill side. Soil provides perfect insulation during winter and great cooling during summer. Coupled with solar panels on the roof, a sod house can make you almost independent from energy suppliers.

Heat from Down Below

Another popular yet expensive way to heat your house is to use heat pumps, scientifically known as ground source heat pumps. It uses an idea that the earth accumulates loads of ambient energy (from the sun and from its hot core). It works almost like a refrigerator by accumulating the scarce heat that there is down the earth under your house. Using a series of pressure cycles, it can put up to 60 degrees Celsius into your heating system. It is expensive to install but saves you up to 70% off your fuel bill. It means that you still need an alternative source of heating but you can offset the installation costs in 10 years time.

Although some eco-designs are expensive, the truth is that sooner or later they do pay off. So, calling green energy “too expensive to be afforded” is actually wrong. You can save money in the long run and save the planet for the next generations.

Have you considered saving money by installing a green heating system? The easiest way to get your foot on the eco-ladder is to choose one of the Corn Stoves available. It will provide heat for your house and put a stop on being dependent on fossil fuel supply. Are you ready to take that step?

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