The Hidden Costs of Wood Heat

I LOVE wood heat. The warmth, the smell, the energy savings... but there are hidden costs that will eat into your bottom line, as a first time buyer. After you've invested in a wood stove, installation, chimney liner, wood, fireplace tools, fire extinguisher, fire grate, ash bucket, etc. you're done right? Wrong. Apart from the time and effort (hard to quantify) of cleaning out ash on a daily basis and finding a suitable disposal location (I suggest your composite pile), you should budget $100-$150 a year for a chimney cleaner. You can purchase your own tools inexpensively, but I say, let the experts do their job. Chimney-sweep's are typically fast, clean and will eliminate the dangerous creosote that's formed from previous fires. An unclean chimney can not only cause house fires, but they can also impact the airflow thus causing backdrafts and a living room full of smoke! You've been warned!

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