Heating in the northeastern USA with a biomass pellet stove: Lessons learned in a rural residential setting

Abstract

The chapter provides an overview of the carbon-neutral biomass-based alternatives for residential heating in rural areas. As with all alternatives, there are trade-offs. For example, biomass pellet stoves and gasifiers provide heat at a lower cost compared to fuel oil, but using a pellet stove or gasifier requires the installation of new equipment and often daily filling and cleaning that is not required by oil or natural gas furnaces/boilers. An overview of existing technologies for the conversion of biomass to heat and methods for preparing the biomass are discussed. The impacts to air quality differ greatly with each technology. More research is necessary to determine how to best prepare the biomass, which equipment is most efficient for burning biomass, and which combination of biomass and equipment is best at reducing negative impacts to air quality.