I heat my house with wood still, like I have ever since BC Hydro started charging too much for me to use the baseboard heaters – about 30 years ago.
Now, there is natural gas available at a reasonable price. I often wondered why firewood is frowned upon as a good heat source for the home.
I have done some research on this subject to make sure I understand the arguments against wood heat. The most common point is that wood smoke you can see is made up of CO2, CO, H2O and minor fine particulate so it is affecting climate change. We all know that the climate is changing like it has for about four billion years or since the earth was formed. Wood smoke has been part of the atmosphere ever since there have been trees on this planet.
There definitely is a concerted effort in B.C. to discourage the use of wood stoves. Firstly, wood is getting harder to get. Logging companies have for the last few years made huge piles of slash and firewood-size pieces and burned them. This removes a large amount of wood that could be used for firewood. This practice must come from the Minister of Forests.
One of the main goals of government in B.C. and Canada is to attach taxes to as many consumer items as possible. Today, we are paying ever more rising raxes on carbon from fossil fuels. What do the governments call firewood? It is definitely not a fossil fuel. How can there be a Carbon Tax applied to what comes out of a wood stove? Most firewood purchases are cash, so there is no way to trace or tax a purchase that is not traceable.
If you heat your home with wood, the insurance companies add a hefty premium to your fire insurance. We are paying large amounts of money to advertise for BC Hydro and Fortis to come to your house to make it more heat efficient. People that heat with wood do not need to be paying the extra costs for BC Hydro or Fortis to come to your home and show you how to save money on heating your home (what a waste of taxpayers’ money). It is advised that heating with wood is not cheaper but at least there is no taxes on it.
I strongly believe that government is the reason for discouraging wood stoves and wood heat because they don’t collect taxes from wood heat.
Are you aware that burning natural gas fills the air with carbonic acid?
Allan Jonsson
Campbell River
