I realize it’s a little late in the year to be talking about how to save on your heating bill, but it’s the perfect time to consider making a purchase that could save you tons of money in the long run.
I’ve developed quite a respect for farm fields throughout my 20 years living in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend community.
One of my favorite crops is soybeans. Every fall they cover endless acres with a blanket yellow, a sight that always brings a smile to my face.
And I have always loved cornfields, especially when the stalks stand tall over the streets below. But this winter I developed a new affection for this crop.
When I drive around the area each fall as the soybean leaves change and the corn stalks sprout, it’s no longer the beauty of hard work I admire. It’s the warmth those fields produce.
While many complain of spending upward of $500 or $600 a month to heat their homes, I tell them about my $90-a-month heating bill.
It’s all thanks to my lovely, flat black, cast iron, corn-burning pellet stove, and my good friends the Clay family.
Before the winter hit, I began to contemplate buying a wood pellet stove with a price tag of $1,500. I soon found out I’d be spending more like $3,000 and considered settling on a regular wood burning stove because I have unlimited access to free wood.
But in that idea rose a problem – space. I just don’t have it. Wood stoves need to be a good distance away from any walls or furniture.
So it was back to the pellet stove idea, which landed me the Home Comfort Store in the Dutch Country Farmers Market.
After speaking with a very nice and very helpful salesman there, I quickly realized two things:
1. For what I wanted – black, cast iron and attractive-ish, $1,500 just wasn’t possible.
2. I could save a lot of money with a stove that burns whole-shelled corn (it also burns wood pellets, wheat and rye) because it just so happens we have a gem in this area – farms.
I jumped on the phone and quickly found out I could get the corn I needed right here in town from the Clays for much, much cheaper than the store rate.
Pellets and corn for stoves are sold in 50-pound bags or by the ton. One ton of pellets runs around $290 in the winter and lasts about six weeks. One ton of corn runs about $390 and lasts as long as pellets, if not longer, and burns hotter.
Corn and pellets from a store are cheaper during the off-season, but getting corn right from the supplier can save hundreds per ton.
Corn straight from the farm is sold by the bushel, or 56 pounds.
Six 35-gallon Rubbermaid trashcans full of corn later and my price tag was $90. And those six trashcans heat my 1,800-square-foot home for four weeks.
There are several local suppliers who sell corn-burning pellet stoves, which also are cheaper in the off-season. So now is a good time to start thinking about making the switch for next winter.
You might wonder, does corn really heat the whole house? I can honestly say it does, although I needed back up heat when it gets into the teens outside.
For most of the winter, the first floor stayed in the upper 70s and the air easily circulated upstairs, where it was a little cooler.
Sometimes the stove had to be turned off because the house got pretty hot, even on the lowest setting.
We chucked the old underground propane tank for a smaller, above-ground tank to use for cooking and occasional (as in once a month) heat. My propane bill was just above $30 every two months.
My stove cost about $3,100, with piping included, which definitely put a dent in my bank account. But it paid for itself by March.
We loaded up a trailer every few weeks with the trashcans and hauled them over to the Clay farm on U.S. 301, where they helped us scoop out bucket after bucket of our soon-to-be heat. We settled the tab and we were good to go.
Before I left for work in the morning and before I went to bed at night, I checked to make sure the 50-pound hopper in the back of the stove was full of the little, dry kernels.
Sure, it’s not as instant as pressing a button on a thermostat, but it’s not nearly as expensive, either.
I’ve heard some say they aren’t comfortable with is having a constant burning flame, but it really is safe. And it adds a nice ambience to the main room of my house with its glass window.
I am still amazed a 50-pound hopper of corn can keep me warm, and for just $90 a month.
Corn is also much, much cleaner for the environment.
Now I’m saving money, reducing my carbon footprint and supporting local agriculture … a few kernels at a time.
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I realize it’s a little late in the year to be talking about how to save on your heating bill, but it’s the perfect time to consider making a purchase that could save you tons of money in the long run.
I’ve developed quite a respect for farm fields throughout my 20 years living in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend community.
One of my favorite crops is soybeans. Every fall they cover endless acres with a blanket yellow, a sight that always brings a smile to my face.
And I have always loved cornfields, especially when the stalks stand tall over the streets below. But this winter I developed a new affection for this crop.
When I drive around the area each fall as the soybean leaves change and the corn stalks sprout, it’s no longer the beauty of hard work I admire. It’s the warmth those fields produce.
While many complain of spending upward of $500 or $600 a month to heat their homes, I tell them about my $90-a-month heating bill.
It’s all thanks to my lovely, flat black, cast iron, corn-burning pellet stove, and my good friends the Clay family.
Before the winter hit, I began to contemplate buying a wood pellet stove with a price tag of $1,500. I soon found out I’d be spending more like $3,000 and considered settling on a regular wood burning stove because I have unlimited access to free wood.
But in that idea rose a problem – space. I just don’t have it. Wood stoves need to be a good distance away from any walls or furniture.
So it was back to the pellet stove idea, which landed me the Home Comfort Store in the Dutch Country Farmers Market.
After speaking with a very nice and very helpful salesman there, I quickly realized two things:
1. For what I wanted – black, cast iron and attractive-ish, $1,500 just wasn’t possible.
2. I could save a lot of money with a stove that burns whole-shelled corn (it also burns wood pellets, wheat and rye) because it just so happens we have a gem in this area – farms.
I jumped on the phone and quickly found out I could get the corn I needed right here in town from the Clays for much, much cheaper than the store rate.
Pellets and corn for stoves are sold in 50-pound bags or by the ton. One ton of pellets runs around $290 in the winter and lasts about six weeks. One ton of corn runs about $390 and lasts as long as pellets, if not longer, and burns hotter.
Corn and pellets from a store are cheaper during the off-season, but getting corn right from the supplier can save hundreds per ton.
Corn straight from the farm is sold by the bushel, or 56 pounds.
Six 35-gallon Rubbermaid trashcans full of corn later and my price tag was $90. And those six trashcans heat my 1,800-square-foot home for four weeks.
There are several local suppliers who sell corn-burning pellet stoves, which also are cheaper in the off-season. So now is a good time to start thinking about making the switch for next winter.
You might wonder, does corn really heat the whole house? I can honestly say it does, although I needed back up heat when it gets into the teens outside.
For most of the winter, the first floor stayed in the upper 70s and the air easily circulated upstairs, where it was a little cooler.
Sometimes the stove had to be turned off because the house got pretty hot, even on the lowest setting.
We chucked the old underground propane tank for a smaller, above-ground tank to use for cooking and occasional (as in once a month) heat. My propane bill was just above $30 every two months.
My stove cost about $3,100, with piping included, which definitely put a dent in my bank account. But it paid for itself by March.
We loaded up a trailer every few weeks with the trashcans and hauled them over to the Clay farm on U.S. 301, where they helped us scoop out bucket after bucket of our soon-to-be heat. We settled the tab and we were good to go.
Before I left for work in the morning and before I went to bed at night, I checked to make sure the 50-pound hopper in the back of the stove was full of the little, dry kernels.
Sure, it’s not as instant as pressing a button on a thermostat, but it’s not nearly as expensive, either.
I’ve heard some say they aren’t comfortable with is having a constant burning flame, but it really is safe. And it adds a nice ambience to the main room of my house with its glass window.
I am still amazed a 50-pound hopper of corn can keep me warm, and for just $90 a month.
Corn is also much, much cleaner for the environment.
Now I’m saving money, reducing my carbon footprint and supporting local agriculture … a few kernels at a time.
