Fireplaces, Stoves & Furnaces

Natural gas for heating & cooking in homes is so convenient & relatively affordable - so why have governments & local cities across North America & Europe taken the radical decision to phase it out, & when is natural gas going to be banned. So why is natural gas being phased out? Natural gas is being phased out of…

Smart door locks offer convenience & security, especially when teamed with an optional camera & smart doorbell with siren. Like screening calls on your mobile, unwanted visitors can be filtered out - or open the door remotely. What is a smart lock for a home? Smart door locks are deadbolt front door locks that can…

Wood Combustion – How Firewood Burns, the stages and processes, & how to get the best heat for your $ while being eco-friendly. Understanding how firewood burns, the technical details Stage 1: The Evaporation of Moisture – otherwise known as “getting the[email protected]thing going” If you’ve ever tried to burn wet or…

Making sense of the best wood burning fireplace inserts and wood stove specifications and knowing how to choose the best one for you if you're looking to burn wood for minimum environmental impact & maximum heat output is easy with our guide. Wood Burning Inserts & Stoves - which are best & which burn…

Short of a wood stove, pretty much all heating systems require power to operate. So in the event of an apocalypse (zombie, climate, asteroid, etc) these two pellet stoves can keep you warm when the power goes out. These Wood Pellet Stoves need no electric! Burning wood to heat a home does not make you an…

During the combustion process, natural gas is the most efficient and least harmful of fossil fuels. How affordable or ecologically responsible it will be in the future depends largely on supply, sourcing and the supply network. The cleaner burning process (than diesel fuel) and price has made heating and cooking…

像枫木、橡树、桦树和樱桃这样的浓密的硬木是较好的取暖和燃烧最热的木材。不同的地区有不同种类的木材，因此最佳的柴火将因地点而异，见下文。选择最热柴火的第一准则?Before we get into which wood is best for…

Improvements in stove technology have made wood and biomass fuel a more popular and efficient heat source. There has been an increase in the use of wood and other biomass fuel for heating homes across the colder parts of North America & Canada for the last decade. In Eastern Canada and the USA in particular this…

Heating a Swimming Pool - Top 10 Tips for Cost-Efficient & Eco-friendly ways to heat a pool including planning & building a pool for energy efficiency. Happiness is a warm pool - but how to heat it? Swimming in a warm pool is a wonderful feeling, and while we hear from many pool owners in the cooler states &…

When building a new home, especially sustainable high-performance eco homes like Passive House or Zero Net Energy in a cold climate, some heat is still necessary. Is the greenest option Electric Heating? Read on to find out. More and more homebuyers are starting to demand energy-efficient new homes and are pushing…

Some techniques that will help you reduce your A/C needs, and certainly help you stay cool in the absence of having one. How to cool a home without AC While it's true that no matter where you live, be it urban, suburban or rural, the hottest days and nights of summer may have you dreaming of coolers climates…

From December 2021, Quebec banned oil heating in new homes, and as of 2023 it will even be prohibited to replace or repair oil furnaces. Looked at in detail the new provincial regulations potentially also go for gas heating. Adopted on November 17, 2021 in Quebec, the regulations for banning oil-fired heating…

Raising taxes is usually something that dips into all wallets - but the Carbon tax, applied correctly to target consumption, may be the best thing that ever happened for the North American construction industry and homeowners. I was a carpenter/contractor for decades, during and in between university. In 2008 an old…

Water efficiency is the smart use of our water resources through water-saving technologies and simple steps we can all take to Green up our homes. Using water efficiently will help ensure reliable water supplies today and for future generations. We were pleased to hear this week that the Department of Energy in the…

In a landmark appeal case Ontario BCC has clarified building-code for laneway homes making it easier to get a permit for legal Tiny Houses in Toronto from May 2020 with shared access & sprinklers legally accepted. Toronto’s New Laneway Suite Program bylaw gives hope for Tiny Homes After buying a home on Manning Ave…