Whats the difference between wood stoves made of cast iron and of steel?
Cast iron holds heat better than steel and is sealed at its joints with bolts and caulk. Steel stoves compensate for this by having welded joints and heat-retaining firebrick inside. How much will I save if I heat with wood or wood pellets instead of gas? There are so many variables in answering this question that formulas have been developed, comparing the BTU (the standard measure of heat called British Thermal Units) given off by a variety of fuels. Homeowners can use these formulas to calculate what their savings would be. For firewood comparisons, we recommend either of the following: NASD’s article, “Home Heating With Wood (see our “Helpful Links” page) or Woodheat.orgs version in Chapter 14 of their online book: “A Guide To Residential Wood Heating.” Of particular interest, according to the Smithers method for estimating the amount of wood needed to heat a house, one cord of average dry hardwood is equivalent to 150 gallons No. 2 fuel oil, 230 gallons LP gas, 21,000 cubic feet n
