With colder temperatures on the way, many people are considering more efficient and more economical ways to heat their homes. The roller coaster of energy prices combined with the strain on the planet’s energy sources and the increased pollution can leave homeowners wondering what is the best heating option.

Tapping into renewable energy sources, such as wood heat, is an important step toward reducing people’s dependence on petroleum while also minimizing pollution levels.

“One of the best renewable energy sources is wood,” according to Tom Morrissey, president of Woodstock Soapstone Company, Inc. Increased interest in renewable energy has brought about a revival in wood burning for home heating.

In the 1970s wood burning got a bad rap from the pollution associated with it, but new technology is now allowing wood to burn cleaner, more efficiently and in an environmentally conscious way.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency regulated and approved of wood burning stoves in 1990. If the stove is certified by the federal agency, or is a clean combustion stove, it is considered carbon neutral and a good alternative source of heat.

What does carbon neutral mean? It means that no more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere than if the wood were decomposing on the forest floor.

“Our wood stoves meet the new EPA regulations for clean burning – which means you can barely see any smoke coming out of the chimney,” Morrissey said of wood stoves offered by Woodstock Soapstone Company.

The modern wood stoves made by Woodstock are exceptionally clean burning. Using catalytic combustors, the stoves work to burn the smoke too, so fewer particles are released into the air. You also burn less wood with a catalytic combustor and the efficiency of the wood stove is increased by 25 percent. For example, if you burned four cords of wood before, you would only burn three cords with an efficient catalytic stove.

Soapstone stoves also have a large capacity for heat retention that enables it to absorb and retain heat from the fire, then radiate the heat evenly for many hours after the fire has cooled. The stove is also able to withstands fluctuations in temperature with little expansion or contraction, so it won’t crack and stove fittings stay tight.

“The soapstone is very dense. It holds two times more heat per pound than steel or cast iron and it’s really beautiful – in grays, blues and greens,” Morrissey said. “Soapstone has been quarried right here in New Hampshire since 1797. Some of the first stoves made from soapstone are still in service today,” he added.

And there is another bonus to burning wood for heat – heat from a wood stove provides comfortable, radiant warmth. The ambiance of a beautiful fire is unsurpassed and the radiant warmth eliminates cold spots.

Wood is a good choice for home heating because it can be grown and harvested iin a sustainable manner. A new tree can be planted every time one is harvested. Wood also provides a local energy source.

In addition, wood heat is one of the least expensive ways to heat your home. The cost to heat a 2,000 square-foot home with 64.5 million BTUs of heat would be an average of $682 for a wood stove and $1,941 for electric, according to a 2007 survey of fuel suppliers by the United States Department of Energy.

Most importantly, wood stoves work in a power outage. You can even cook on the surface of a wood stove if it becomes necessary.

Call (800) 866-4344, or go online to www.woodstove.com, for more information about the Woodstock Soapstone Company.