[UI_at_80x24]

When I was young (~10 years old), we installed a wood-burning stove in the family-room of our house. My dad had a lot of family and friends who were farmers and were in constant need for tree removal.

Our heating costs dropped so significantly that the Gas company called, concerned that we weren't running our Natural Gas fired furnace and that we might need financial assistance.

We heated this way for many years after he died. I took up the responsibility of cutting down trees, splitting wood; and keeping the house warm. It is A LOT of work, but worth it if you have access to the trees/woodlots.

In the future (if this housing crisis ever ends), I will be adding a Rocket Mass Heater to my home. There is nothing in the world that compares to the feel of a roaring fire on a cold winter. One year the power went out in a very large geographic region that affected a large portion of the population. No electricity meant that no furnaces were running; so we had some elderly neighbors and family move in with us. They could have easily died without our wood-stove running. We even used it to cook on!

[Rendello]

It's very cool that you will be adding a rocket mass heater. They fascinate me endlessly (I've posted about them here before) and are what led me to read about masonry heaters. It's unfortunate that RMHs are so difficult to insure, but I hope that building one is in my future as well.