Many Mainers are now splitting and stacking wood to burn in their fireplaces and wood stoves this winter. In some residences, wood is the primary source of heat, and the number of such homes reportedly has been expanding in Northern New England. The increasing costs of heating oil and heating gas are a big part of that story. Split wood and wood pellets are relatively inexpensive, especially if you do your own splitting.
Another reason for the increase in wood heating is that modern wood stoves must have federally-regulated emission controls, which considerably lessens the guilt factor of burning wood. These stoves also come in a variety of modern and traditional styles. Here’s an example from the Leighton Archives:
Leighton Archive Image
The latest Census data that I could find, as analyzed by the Alliance for Green Heat, show that, as of 2019, Vermont was the state that had the largest percentage of homes heated primarily from wood. Maine was second, followed, in order, by New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, and New Hampshire. (Primary image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on November 6, 2022.)