Issues → July/August 2007 → Home & Garden →
Energy Efficient: Vermont Five-Star Home
(page 3 of 3)
Best Wood Heater You'll Find Anywhere
For efficient, comfortable, and clean-burning wood heat, a masonry heater is the answer. The concept's not new -- Romans heated their baths this way, and Scandinavians have been using this method for hundreds of years. It was Frieda's husband, Alan, who really pushed for a masonry heater. They chose craftsman Rod Zander to design and build theirs. Here's how it works: A wood fire burns rapidly, and hot gases from the fire flow back and forth through a network of channels built inside the heater. The resulting heat transfers to the masonry mass -- in this case, soapstone -- which radiates the stored heat into the room for 12 to 24 hours. Like many homeowners, Frieda likes the low-tech simplicity and reliability of a masonry heater: There are no fans, pipes, burners, or boilers to crack or fail when the power goes out. Theirs has a built-in bench and a bake oven, which turns out everything from pizza with a perfect crust to delicious slow-cooked soups and stews.
Rod Zander has custom- built nearly 200 masonry heaters. Prices start at about $12,000 for a soapstone model that will heat 500 to 900 square feet.
Rod Zander, New England Hearth & Soapstone, Goshen, CT. 877-491-3091, 860-491-3091; rodzander.com
Resources
Builder: Art Carlucci Construction, Inc., Shaftsbury, VT. 802-442-2307; accbuilders.net
Architect: David Shaughnessy, North Bennington, VT. 802-447-0970.
Heating systems:
Buderus, Londonderry, NH. 800-283-3787, 603-552-1100; buderus.net
HS Tarm, Lyme NH. 800-782-9927, 603-795-4740; woodboilers.com
Windows: Marvin Windows. marvin.com
Insulation: Corbond. corbond.com
Foundation: Reward Wall Systems. 800-468-6344; rewardwalls.com
Vermont Energy Star Homes, Rochester, VT. 800-893-1997; efficiencyvermont.com
U.S. Department of Energy energystar.gov, eere.energy.gov
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