NDL Hearth Blog

Between the rising energy prices and the environmental impact of fossil fuels, more people are using wood as a sustainable, affordable source of heat.

Of course firewood can be burned in wood burning stoves, a masonry heater or a basement furnace; you have another option that is rising in popularity, an outdoor wood furnace.

An outdoor wood burning furnace addresses the kind of energy issues that more and more people are concerned about.

Outdoor wood furnaces otherwise known as a wood boiler look like a metal garden shed with a short chimney. Feed firewood into the firebox behind a door on one end and the fire heats water in an insulated tank that's also inside the structure. Pipe this hot water to a building through insulated underground pipes, extract the heat, and then use it for space heating and hot water. This outdoor wood furnace proposition offers unique advantages.

By moving the fire outside, you sidestep the work of bringing firewood inside and the work of hauling ash back out.

Outdoor wood boilers make heating more efficient. Clean burning means the furnace does most of the work. Ash cleanup is virtually non existent with the Empyre Pro Series wood boilers. The built-in cleaning portals makes brushing out fly ash from the gasification chamber and flues a quick and simple process.

The Empyre outdoor wood furnace burns cordwood, a renewable resource which is easily accessible. These wood boilers make splitting wood obsolete. With the newly designed, smaller firebox requiring less wood, it maintains burn times comparable to conventional outdoor furnaces at the same heat output.

Heat output is another feature of outdoor wood boilers. Even the smallest models are capable of heating a full sized home, with larger units capable of heating multiple buildings as well as heating domestic water, all from a single location. Wood boilers make it practical to handle more of your overall energy needs with wood.

An outdoor wood furnace makes direct use of an energy resource that's abundant and renewable across a large part of the Northeast, and the fact that wood is likely to stay that way may be the best benefit of all.

See this video for more information, or contact Northeast Distribution LTD.



Original article Calgary Herald

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No one is excited to see the oil truck pull up to the house to refill the tank these days.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the average cost per gallon of heating oil is $3.93, up 11 cents from the week prior, and more than 60 cents a gallon more than last year at this time.

Like filling the car with gas, home heating is now a primary concern for many families. And it is forcing some to find an alternative way to heat their homes.

Douglas Telepman owns a cape-style home in Northborough that was built in 2005. The house was built with oil heat.

Telepman is a solar consultant and talks to families about energy every day. Several people have told him how they had reduced their home heating bill by installing a pellet stove.

"After about the third or fourth family that raved about their pellet stoves, I decided to look into it," said Telepman.

He bought a pellet stove to heat his home.  He estimates that the stove eats up about a 40-pound bag of pellets each day, which costs about $5.50 a day, a fraction of his wintertime oil consumption. - NorthboroughPatch

Looking to stop spending money on oil? Interested in a new pellet stove? Contact Northeast Distribution LTD to find a pellet stove dealer in your area.

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The Super Bowl is one of the most popular grilling days of the year. 32% of grill owners fire up their grills for the Super Bowl. But with two great playoff games this weekend, why wait? And if you need a grill for Super Sunday, Consumer Reports has some recommendations.

"Grilling and championships go hand in hand," says cookbook author Jamie Purviance in a Weber press release. His latest cookbook, Weber's Time to Grill, has shipped more than 180,000 copies since its release in April 2011. "Grilling for many people is a sport in itself—rather than settling for take-out, dedicated grillers see this game as an opportunity to win big with family and friends."

In Consumer Reports tests of gas grills we’ve found some champs—and some chumps. In the most popular size, the top-performing mid-sized gas grill is the Vermont Castings Signature Series, which scored an 85.

If you need a crowd-pleasing appetizer, try Cheesy Steak Nachos with Black Beans. The steak should be grilled over direct high heat, sliced put atop nacho chips with black beans and cheese and then baked in the grill to melt. After the cheese is melted, top with sour cream, salsa and green onions. 

This top rated gas grill aced our test. - Consumer News Jan 2012.

Looking to buy the top-performing, mid-sized gas grill? Contact Northeast Distribution LTD. And, if you have any favorite grill recipes for the Super Bowl, share them on our facebook page!

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Over the last 4 years as heating prices have been skyrocketing, we have seen homeowners in the Northeast getting rid of their oil furnaces and oil tanks. People began to use wood to heat their homes.

In Maine alone, the number of households using wood as their primary heating source nearly doubled from 2000 to 2010, and that number grew by a third nationwide.

As wood gets more popular, and more people see how easy it is, we see them eliminating oil heat entirely. We continue to see more and more homeowners turning to wood stoves and pellet stoves as supplemental heat or to heat their entire homes.

The money homeowners are spending on wood and pellets is at least half of what they would have spent on oil heat.

Oil is the No. 1 heating fuel in Maine and across much of the Northeast. Three out of four households in Maine use oil as their primary heating source. This makes Maine the most oil-dependent state for heat.

Residential heating oil last week was going for $3.97 a gallon on the East Coast, up 58 cents a gallon from a year ago. Ten year ago this week, it was selling for $1.19 a gallon.

Despite these numbers, oil consumption has fallen as homeowners have found other sources of fuel and wood is the fastest-growing alternative.

Nearly 2.4 million households in America used wood as their primary heating fuel in 2010. That was up from just under 1.8 million homes.

Among New England states, the number of homes using wood as a primary heat source went up 122% percent in Connecticut, while nearly doubling in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island. The top wood-burning states per capita in the US are Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.

People are drawn to wood because it is renewable and it is a local product, it is also very inexpensive.

New wood stove models, those made since 1990, have had to meet specified EPA emissions standards.

Wood stoves sales have been brisk at Rocky’s Stove Shoppe in Augusta, said owner Rocky Gaslin. Sales of both wood burning stoves and pellet stoves roughly doubled from 2010 to 2011, he said. A medium-size wood burning stove that can heat up to 2,000 square feet costs from $1,700 to $2,500, plus installation, while a similar-size pellet stove would sell in the $2,500-$4,000 range.

“People are trying to do as much as they can to replace oil,’’ he said. “They don’t want to burn a drop of oil at $3.50 a gallon.’’

Rocky’s Stove Shoppe is one of the many retailers in MA, RI, CT, NH, VT, ME, NY, NJ, and PA that Northeast Distribution LTD can get you in touch with. For more information on using pellets and wood for heat, contact us.

Stats from Boston.com

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In Vermont, the price for home heating oil continues to rise, with the price averaging nearly $3.84 a gallon this month, up 6 cents from December, and 69 cents more than a year ago. Across all of the northeast, oil prices are high.

It’s costing more to fill up the family car as well making household costs higher than we want.

Even with seasonably warm temperatures so far this winter, The EIA said that “average household heating oil expenditures are now expected to increase by 4% this winter (Oct. 1 to March 1) compared to last winter.

While temperatures are more mild than normal, heating oil prices certainly are not going to go down in the coming years. Now is the time to switch and start heating your home with wood.

Wood heat is efficient and inexpensive. Wood fireplaces have long been both the centerpiece of the family living area and a way to increase the ambiance in your home. Take advantage of them. Convert your existing open fireplace into an efficient heat source by adding to it a wood stove or a wood burning fireplace insert.

Wood burning fireplace inserts solve the problems, the burdens and expenses involved in traditional fireplaces.

Wood burning stoves and inserts provide warmth, charm, good looks and efficiency and are a renewable source of energy which can decrease your home heating and energy bills.

For information on how you can save money on wood heat, contact Northeast Distribution LTD.

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You live in a sleek and modern home. Maybe your contemporary room needs a little warmth and coziness. You’d like to add a more efficient fireplace, fireplace insert, or stove but you believe the designs are more rustic and won’t match your decor. Think again. Many fireplaces, inserts and stoves are traditional, but there are many contemporary designs with straight or curved lines and minimal patterns with a lot of glass, which are perfect for modern homes.

While they add ambiance to any room, they also accentuate the rooms’ décor.  Contemporary fireplace and stove designs are perfect for spacious homes or condos.

There are many brands of contemporary stoves and fireplaces including: Town and Country, Majestic, Piazetta, and Kozy Heat; take a look! All have designs for both large and small spaces using many different fuel types.  With contemporary fireplaces and stoves you can choose corner appliances, freestanding, those that sit in the wall, see through options, and much more. For a compete selection of contemporary fireplaces and stoves contact Northeast Distribution LTD.

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Wood burning stoves and inserts are an excellent way to heat your home and save you money. Not only does a wood stove give you a reliable source of heat even when the power goes out, it’s also a green option, because wood is a renewable resource.

Deciding which wood stove to buy can be tough. You’ll find a huge range of options in size, shape, materials and technologies. Also, there are few recognized wood stove experts and no reliable ratings that use consistent criteria to equitably rate and  judge all the options. So how do you choose the best wood stove for your home?

Wood stove Dealers
We recommend finding a good wood stove dealer. No one can tell you exactly what wood stove to buy, because all kinds of personal preferences influence the final choice. However, the right  stove dealer is your best resource. One that has been in business for a number of years, heats their home with wood, and has burning models in the showroom.

Your wood stove dealer will be your resource for years to come. Replacement parts, cleaning and maintenance supplies and advice on new products will all come from your wood stove dealer. Find a dealer with a good reputation and who you feel is someone you can trust. When you converse with them, be sure they listen to your needs, but can also guide you in functionality, material and designs of the wood stoves you are considering.

Lastly, buy a wood stove from a manufacturer that has been in business for at least 20 years. These manufacturers are more likely to honor the warranty and continue to carry replacement parts.

To find the most reputable dealer in your area (MA, CT, RI, ME, VT, NH, NY, NJ, or PA) contact Northeast Distribution LTD.

Mother Earth News

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We have always loved the allure of the fire, people have been gathering around them for centuries. For many homeowners in and around the Northeast the pull of a fire is as strong as every no matter if it is a wood, gas or pellet stove, insert or fireplace.

Of course there is something to be said for a real wood burning fire, but there are plenty of homeowners who are opting for the ease and convenience of a gas fireplace insert or gas fireplace.

Gas fireplace inserts and gas fireplaces look realistic, require very little maintenance, can be controlled remotely and can heat entire rooms; these conveniences make gas fireplaces and inserts very attractive for many people’s lifestyles.

Gas fireplace inserts can be fitted into an existing wood burning fireplace making use of your existing chimney and making your fireplace a warm hearth for gathering.  A gas fireplace is a completely self-contained unit that can be installed against or into a wall.  They can be installed virtually anywhere in a home and would then be vented to the outside.  They are smoke free, dust free and many units use outside air for combustion thereby never effecting in-house air quality.
 
They give you a clean, low-maintenance fire that very closely mimics a wood fire. Gas fireplaces can be controlled with a wall thermostat, remote control or a wireless thermostatic remote.  Have fire, get heat all with the touch of a button.  Contact Northeast Distribution LTD for more information.

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Every year at the holidays Northeast Distribution LTD collects generous donations from their retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for Toys for Tots or different charities they have chosen for that year. Northeast Distribution LTD then matches the amount collected. This year the total amount of donations amounted to $3000.

In 2009 NDL bought $1,700 worth of toys for toys-for-tots, and in 2010 donated 220 hams and 800lbs of potatoes for the food pantry – all with the help of our generous retailers throughout the Northeast.

Last weekend, the Northeast Distribution crew took a morning ride to Walmart in New Hampshire and purchased $3000 worth of toys: bikes, Nerf guns, dolls, Legos and much more. The Marines were waiting for us – they were having their annual STUFF THE BUS TOY DRIVE. We arrived with blazing horn and a truck load of toys to a pile of smiles. WHEB & WERZ were broadcasting live and we were excited to have some fun with them and talk about the generosity of the Stove and Hearth retailers in the Northeast. ”They always answer the call for help and this year was no different. $3000 dollars worth of Toys is huge!” Dale said.

Happy Holidays from Northeast Distribution LTD. See more pictures on our Facebook page, like us while you are there.

(click images to enlarge)

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Wood burning inserts are ideal for people who do not have time to fix or renovate their existing fireplace and for homeowners that do not have the time to maximize its use. Essentially, a wood burning insert is a wood stove that is installed inside an open fireplace. They allow you to maximize heating efficiency and really benefit from the full potential of your fireplace.
 
In terms of home heating needs, a wood burning fireplace insert has many advantages.  They are an excellent way to save on energy since, compared to other heating appliances and systems, they significantly lessen the costs related to heating. Also, they significantly increase the efficiency of your old, open fireplace; by allowing the fire to burn hotter and sending the hot air out into your home rather than up the chimney.  Fireplace Inserts keep much of the heated air inside the room and they add more heat than a fireplace to circulate throughout the entire room. Keep in mind that a fire needs warm air to be fed into it for a better burn. For these two reasons alone, many homeowners have found a wood burning fireplace insert to be appropriate for their homes during the cold months or cool evenings.

But even better, wood stove inserts are beautifully made with great artistic care. They add a nice finished, decorative look to your living room and provide warmth and coziness to every home.  For information on which wood burning fireplace insert would be best for your home, contact Northeast Distribution LTD today.

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