| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Dec 29 2005 : 3:06:04 PM
wasn't sure where to post this .. and surely don't have any 'opinions' on this .. but thought it worthwhile to share this newspaper article that appeared in our local weekly newspaper, The Greensburg Record Herald (Wednesday, December 21, 2005). KENTUCKY
please note that this is information addressed to kentucky residents .. but may apply in your area too. and sounds to me like if this catches on .. it might be a good crop for farmers to grow.
Cold temperatures and rising energy prices prompt renewed interest in heating with corn. by Terri McLean UK Agriculture.
"With temperatures dipping and energy prices soaring, homeowners everywhere are turning to alternative heat sources to keep them warm this winter. Many, it seems, are turning to corn.
Even in Kentucky, where low electric rates make heating with electricity a little easier on the pocketbook, there has been a renewed interest in burning corn as a heating fuel .. a practice that can be traced back at least to the Depression era when farmers couldn't afford coal.
"Corn is not only for home heating. It also has commercial and even industrial applications. Both in Kentucky and nationwide, the grain crop widely grown for food is becoming so popular as a heating fuel that manufacturers of corn-burning stoves and furnaces can't make them fast enough. "It's enormous this year as people look at alternative ways to stay warm.
No doubt, corn's resurgence as a heating fuel is due primiarily to its competitive cost .. currently less than $2. a bushel. If a typical corn-burning furnace uses a bushel and a half a day at $2. a bushel, for instance, it would cost in the neighborhood of $330 to heat a home with a corn furnace this winter. By contrast, the same amount of heat would cost about $1,130 with straight electric resistance heat, $1,000 with natural gas and $628 with a typical heat pump at current prices.
In additon to its affordability people are also discovering that corn is a plentiful and quickly renewable resource. What's more, corn's 70 percent heating efficiency makes it comparable to natural gas and propane and slightly better than wood.
The key to using corn effectively and cost-efficiently .. begins with finding the right corn-burning stove or furnace. Free standing furnaces may range in price from $1,800 to $2,200, while the high-end furnaces could cost as much as $5,000.
Although there are corn furnaces that are designed to distribute heat throughout the house, the most popular corn-burners are conventional stoves that focus their heat on one area of the house. A typical corn-burning stove is similar to a wood-burning stove except that it is designed for a granular fuel, such as dry shelled corn.
The general idea of how it works is no different than a stoker coal furnace was in the late '40's and '50's, so the technology, while it's improved, is not really anything new. Now they're just using wood chips or pellets and corn.
Corn-burning stoves come in a variety of styles, including fireplace inserts and pace heaters. Unlike most wood-burning stoves, corn-burning stoves have a combustion air fan and a fuel stoker. The corn is held in a hopper which can store a one-day supply to a ten day supply.
Another key to using corn efficiiently is making sure there is a plentiful supply of dry, shelled corn on hand. That may be easier said than done in urban areas.
"You're going to somehow have to contract with a supplier, whether it be a farmer or a corn broker or a fuel broker, to bring corn to your house, and then you're going to have to have a place to store it. I assume people wouldn't want a feed-bin-looking structure in a residential area.
Despite the renewed interest in corn as an alternative heating fuel, Kentuckians might be wise to stick with a proven source: electricity. Electricity's heating efficiency is 100 percent or more and Kentucky's electrical rates are consistently amongh the lowest in the nation.
The story in Kentucky is that having the lowest electric rates in the United States make other forms of energy for heating less economical unless the fuel source is free, such as cutting your own wood. While corn furnaces sound interesting, corn will not likely stay under $2 per bushel. And until electric rates increase significanty, it might be marginally economical when compared to a heat pump. It is recommended that Kentuckians who want to be more energy-wise when heating a home consider a geothermal heat pump.
It represents the next increase in efficieency (up to 350 percent) taking into account our really inexpensive electric and how to better use electrical energy.
For those set on buying a corn-burning stove, it's impourtant to consider the intial costs of buying a corn-burning stove and a supply of corn. That is something to consider. Corn is a renewalble resource, like wood, but it is more energy intensive to grow. Consumers intent on saving energy might want to factor that in when deciding whether to heat their homes with corn.
There are plusses and minuses in terms of saving fuel. But you have to ask, "Is corn, the better choice?" It challenges us to really think about a lot of different things rather than what's my heating bill going to be this winter.
True Friends, Frannie |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 09:48:18 AM
I wish we could use an alternative heat source but because we live in a manufactured home we can't. We had really cold weather in December and our electric bill was $200! That's the highest bill I have ever had since I've lived in this area. And that didn't even include all the really cold days or the Christmas lights. I'm at least going to see about putting a ceiling fan up because we have vaulted ceilings in the living and dining room. I think that would help circulate the warm air.
http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 07:30:34 AM
great info jenny ... hope that was real helpful to lyn and any of the other girls interested in alternative heating. we have a 'heat pump' .. but it think, it too, is run by electricity .. but our electric bill is low (yeah! kentucky!) well, except for January 2004 when i left the front door of one of the cabins ALL DAY LONG! Didn't know it .. cuz' the cabins have big doors where each can be shut like a separate house!
I think our 'alternative' heat plan is to 'head further south' when it gets reeeeeeeeely cold here in kentucky. xo
True Friends, Frannie |
| jenny louise |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 07:06:47 AM
Hi everyone! Jenny here, and I just want to let you know that after much research, my husband and i purchased a corn stove last year. We did have a wonderful woodstove that also was a cookstove and due to allergies, we had to replace it.
Because we live in a farm area, and the low cost of corn, we decided to go in that direction; we could always grow our own fuel on about five acres that we have fallow at the time.
There are pros and cons, as in anything else. One of the major draw-backs that we see is the electricity it takes to run the corn stove, not that it is expensive but that if we were to lose power in a winter storm, we would also lose heat.To prevent being left without heat, we installed a small back-up propane wall unit, that we keep off until needed. The difference on our electric bill has been about 15 dollars more per month, but the wattage work-up in the manual indicates it could be as much as $30 per month.
Also, the corn prices fluctuate, because believe me, the chain farm stores have noticed the increased demand on corn, and prices have risen. A friend that lives outside a big city pays about $1.50 more per bag than we do. The dig there is that the farmers aren't making anymore, just the middle men. We purchase all of our corn directly from the farmers elevator for 2.65 for 50 pounds or if you have the storage you can get it for 68.00 per ton.
Stay away from pellet stoves because you are really beholding to the pellet manufacturers, and the supply has dwindled around here so much that it is all being imported from canada, and the cost has become prohibitive, you might just as well be using electric heat. When they came out, you could get a bag of pellets for about $3 something a bag and now it is almost $6 a bag, which lasts for less than a day. Pellets burn faster than corn, and when it is freezing or below we go through about a bag(50 lbs.)of corn per day or a bag and a half if it is really frigid.
The good aspect of burning corn is that if push came to shove, one could grow their own fuel pretty easily, given access to land. Also, it is really clean, the creosote build up is very minimal, although no matter what you use, chimney maintenance is a must. The heat is pretty constant, not as bone warming as wood though. The creosote factor alone sold us on the corn stove, as we live in an old farmhouse and the chimney isn't as sound as it should be. You can always stack a corn stove right out the side of your home also, which is a plus.
I should also point out that i find a fine black dust on the sill of the window that is opposite the corn stove and the same fine film on my kitchen stove, not too much, but for a neat-freak, it might be bothersome.
All in all we have been happy with performance of the wood stove, there are alot of makers out there and it is a matter of research to find what suits you best. We have a Harman in our kitchen and because we lived off the grid for awhile, we had no heat ducts in our house, just the old openings in the ceilings for the heat to rise to the upper floor. For us, this works, but I know there are corn furnaces that can take the place of a fuel furnace and utilize the duct system in place.
Lynn, to be safe, my husband says the rule of thumb is about one and a half tons of corn a month. But then again he is 'Mr.Prepared at all times for anything'. It is actually closer to a ton, but he figures in the half so that he has early and late cold snaps covered.
Hope this helps anyone interested in changing to a corn stove! Jenny |
| greyghost |
Posted - Dec 30 2005 : 09:13:28 AM
This is a very interesting article, Frannie. My husband and I have been discussing options for heating our home (we're in the early stages of a complete remodel, and currently there is no heat in that house!). We've used electric so far this year, but my electric bill for a 400 sq. ft place was $150 this month. No I didn't hang Christmas lights either!
We were looking at wood stoves, now we can look at corn stoves - but I wonder how much corn you would have to grow in order to heat your home all winter? |
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