These days everything around us reminds us to be conscious of the world we live in. Reports on climate change, diminishing world food supply, and damage to our ozone layer - what more warning signs do we need before we do our part to save the environment.

I say we start at home. Though eco-friendly home heating systems may cost more, they come out cheaper in the long run and definitely more energy-efficient. The biggest plus is you can be a good vanguard of the Earth while enjoying the benefits of the latest home heating systems. You can get started with these earth-friendly home heating ideas.

Adjust or get programmable thermostat. You can set the temperature according to times of the day, so you are not wasting energy when you are not home or you are asleep. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you save a considerable amount of energy use.

Power your home with solar/photovoltaic panels. This may be costly to begin with but is likely to be beneficial in the end. Solar panels can capture sunlight into energy which in turn can heat water. The PV system needs no refueling, does not emit pollution and does not produce noise and is easy to maintain.

Warm your home with biofuels. For going green stalwarts, a perfect alternative to heat the home is through the use of biofuels. Biofuels are derived from recent compost. They reduce pollution from burning.

Install a radiant heating system. Although this may be expensive and involve some home renovations; opting for a radiant heating system is known to cut electricity bills to as much as forty percent. Radiant heating can be placed under carpets or ceramic tiles. Since heat rises, radiant heating adequately warms up an enclosed space without having to adjust the thermostat.

Invest in space heaters. Space heaters surround a room with added warmth at a fraction of the cost of oil or gas. They are recommended for places where central heating is not practical.

Go for double-paned windows. Windows account for much heat loss especially old windows. Upgrade to double-paned windows. They have low emissive coatings on the glass to reduce heat loss. Others help reflect heat back to the room during winter.

Choose wood stove and wood stove alternatives. In early times, a wood burning stove is traditionally used to heat up the home. It is even more effective than a fireplace. Nowadays, the pellet stove is gaining popularity. Pellets which are made from compressed sawdust or wood chips have replaced fossil fuels. Pellets can also be burned to heat water.

Set up a ground source heat system. A ground source heat pump taps water from underground into the home to provide central heating and in some instances heat water too. A heat pump is generally powered by electricity and for every unit of electricity consumed to pump heat, three to four units of heat are produced.

Use the fireplace. Gather wood scraps to make fire or better yet install a fireplace insert made from steel plates, cast iron and glass to make your fireplace airtight and more efficient.

Seal out the cold. Get rid of drafts around the windows, doors, baseboards and outside wall openings. Apply weather stripping, caulk or expanded foam to sea air leaks.

The price of gas going up so high these days people are starting to look into more alternative energy sources to fuel their homes. There are many new fuel sources being talked about these days and with all the talk these days about our global warming crisis people would really like to heat their homes with an environmentally friendly fuel source and one of the more popular upcoming eco-friendly fuel sources are wood pellets.

What are wood pellets you ask? Well what pellets are a form of biomass that are created from renewable wood sources such as small pieces of wood that you cannot use and sawdust. There are millions of tons of wood waste available in our country and in Canada and by turning it into wood pellets you create another viable green friendly energy source. It is now 2009 and we are getting close to approximately 1,000,000 homes in the United States that are currently use and what pellets to heat their homes, and they use these what pellets for their stalls, furnaces and sometimes even fireplaces. Factories are another area in our country that have started to use wood pellet fuel.

Another great benefit of using wood pellets for fuel is that they have a high combustion rate of efficiency which means because of their high density they can burn for a lot longer than traditional wood or gasoline which means if you are using them in your house you can have a saving on your heating bill of up to 45%, and these days with the economy being as bad as it is any kind of cost-cutting would benefit us and their demand will only grow stronger as our gas and electric companies keep their stranglehold on energy prices. This is also a great way to protest sending money overseas to the big oil companies of OPEC. Over the last 10 years the demand for what pellet fuel has grown so strong that there is a very strong niche of companies that produce just wood pellet stoves. Even though wood pellet fuel is very cheap you really don't have to pay for it. There are many videos on YouTube that will show you how to easily create what pellets on your own from any sawdust or extra wood chips that you have lying around the house. Once you have the specialized wood pellet stove getting what pellet fuel will not be a problem.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Randooke

Passive solar is a method of using the energy from the sun to heat a home. It is extremely popular because the process is free once a passive solar home is created.

Passive solar can be used to heat a home in colder areas, but you have to go into it with reasonable expectations. While the cold climate is a hurdle, the real issue is going to be the length of time the sun beats down upon your property. If your home receives only four or five hours of direct sunlight a day, forget it. You will never produce enough energy to keep the home warm for sufficient periods of time.

Passive solar design is very popular in warm to mild climates because it is more or less a free method for warming a home. The manipulation of the position of the home and placement of large windows in the south facing wall is typical strategies for dealing with the issue. Obviously, large windows in a cold climate are going to result in significant heat loss regardless of the quality with which they are built. So, what can you do?

There are two primary approaches to creating a passive solar design that works in the winter. One is the use of a large Trombe Wall and the other is the greenhouse approach. Let's take a look.

Trombe Walls are popular in passive solar designs because they effectively convert sunlight to heat and are interesting from an aesthetic view point. Typically, a Trombe Wall is 8 to 12 feet in length on the south facing wall of a home. In significantly colder areas, the wall is going to need to be much larger, perhaps the full length of the home depending upon energy analysis and the cold weather expected. An energy audit of the home is the only to arrive at a definitive answer.

You are also going to have to incorporate a flip strategy for the heat. As the sun enters the glass plate and heats up the masonry of the wall, you risk losing vast amounts of it through the glass surface. This means you need to create an air circulation method whereby you draw the hot air into a secondary space behind the wall. This can simply be a closed off room or a space intended for the purpose. The circulation should be done on a timer similar to the solar thermostats used on solar hot water panels. The point is to keep the built up heat from escaping back into the environment.

The greenhouse approach simplifies matters. The essential idea is to build an insulated greenhouse to collect and store the heat of the sun during the day. Often called a sunspace, the greenhouse is similar to those used for plants. Even in cold climates, the sun will produce a magnificent amount of heat. Again, the problem is keeping the heat from escaping once it has built up. Since the sun has to come in through a transparent surface, you inevitably have the problem of the heat escaping through the same. The best option is to use a controlled timer to blow the air through to the house once certain temperatures are reached. It is not very efficient, but you have little choice.

An alternative to passive solar heating in very cold areas is biomass. Corn burning furnaces are popular. They are a much cheaper solution as are the corn kernels. This biomass energy is also much more reliable and, personally, it is the way I would go.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo