| Consuming less energy has become some sort of | | | | and when burnt they release less CO2 than |
| a sporting activity across the globe. Countries and | | | | they've consumed, thus making environment |
| individuals are competing, who will manage to | | | | cleaner. Corn stoves are usually priced from $800 |
| save more. It is especially actual in the times of | | | | to $2000 and pay off within the first or second |
| fuel crisis with more and more people entering so | | | | year of using (compared with fossil fuel burners). |
| called fuel poverty. | | | | Living in a Cave? |
| But it is not just about saving money. We all have | | | | Sod houses is another way to cut consumption |
| been too reckless about using nature's resources. | | | | big time. Sod is not meant as an insult, it means a |
| We have to consider several factors here. We | | | | house which has the majority of its body |
| cannot take from nature without a limit. | | | | (including the roof) covered in soil. Some people |
| Unfortunately, the natural resources are not | | | | achieve similar result by building their houses into a |
| bottomless - the oil and coal will come to an end | | | | hill side. Soil provides perfect insulation during |
| some time in the future. | | | | winter and great cooling during summer. Coupled |
| Much have been done during the recent years to | | | | with solar panels on the roof, a sod house can |
| tackle the problems, new technologies are being | | | | make you almost independent from energy |
| developed, ecological heating systems devised, | | | | suppliers. |
| alternative transportation solutions found. Nothing | | | | Heat from Down Below |
| of it will prove worthwhile unless the consumer | | | | Another popular yet expensive way to heat your |
| shows a motivation to go out and start using the | | | | house is to use heat pumps, scientifically known |
| new technology. | | | | as ground source heat pumps. It uses an idea |
| Grow your Own Fuel | | | | that the earth accumulates loads of ambient |
| Let's see what ecological heating options are | | | | energy (from the sun and from its hot core). It |
| available in the current market? The most obvious | | | | works almost like a refrigerator by accumulating |
| choice is pellets and other types of biomass. Here | | | | the scarce heat that there is down the earth |
| we talk about corn stoves, wood pellet burners | | | | under your house. Using a series of pressure |
| and straw burners. With wood pellets it depends | | | | cycles, it can put up to 60 degrees Celsius into |
| on how are the pellets produced - if the factory | | | | your heating system. It is expensive to install but |
| specializes in just producing them, you cannot call | | | | saves you up to 70% off your fuel bill. It means |
| it ecological heating. The only way pellets worked | | | | that you still need an alternative source of heating |
| for environment would be that they were made | | | | but you can offset the installation costs in 10 |
| from by-products (saw-dust) at a joinery. | | | | years time. |
| Dedicated factories just produce extra CO2 | | | | Although some eco-designs are expensive, the |
| making it even worse for environment. | | | | truth is that sooner or later they do pay off. So, |
| Corn stoves are the most affordable way to | | | | calling green energy "too expensive to be |
| ecological heating. They burn shelled corn which is | | | | afforded" is actually wrong. You can save money |
| nothing more than maize seeds. In the process of | | | | in the long run and save the planet for the next |
| growth corn plants consume CO2 from the air | | | | generations. |