Jan. 21, 2010 issue: According to the U.S. Department of Energy 90 percent of Americans burned wood to heat their homes before the 20th century. With the discovery and development of inexpensive fossil fuel that number dropped as low as 1 percent in 1970. Recently, pellet stoves have grown in popularity as a bio-fuel powered way to heat homes. More

Jan. 14, 2010 issue: During a cold winter, imagine having a warm, comforting fireplace in any room in your house. According to David Gregg, senior editor of Behind the Buy.com, you can have just that with some eco-friendly fireplaces that are the new rage in interior decorating. More

Football and tailgating are a time-honored tradition in the United States. If you make it to a game here are five essential barbecue foods you should consider for your tailgating feast repertoire. More

Outdoor cooking doesn't have to end with winter. All summer long, the great smells of people grilling in their backyards permeate neighborhoods around Metro Detroit. But just because winter is here, it doesn't mean you need to retire your grill to the storage shed. More

Many people find the beauty of a natural wood fire hard to resist. However, traditional fireplaces are ineffective for home heating, and tests have shown that they draw a large amount of warm air out of the house while delivering little heat. Conventional fireplaces also exhaust particulates and other toxic combustion products to the outdoor air. More

With colder weather taking hold and the official start of winter less than a week away, the Department of Environmental Protection is urging New Jersey's residents to be thoughtful of their neighbors when burning wood for heat. More

At today's fuel prices, burning wood remains a wise and viable option to reduce home-heating bills, according to a forest resources expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Burning firewood for heat is environmentally friendly and economically smart," said Michael Jacobson, extension specialist and associate professor of forest resources, who focuses on socio-economic and policy issues related to forest land. "Unlike coal, oil and gas, which are nonrenewable fossil fuels that contribute greenhouse gas emissions, wood, if sustainably harvested, is a local and renewable energy resource." More

printing company in Pittsfield, Mass., has agreed to pay a penalty of $80,000 and to spend $305,000 to replace old, polluting wood stoves in western Massachusetts with new, cleaner models to settle claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that it violated the federal Clean Air Act. More

Location, location, location. Today's fireplaces fit into virtually every room in the house. Traditionally, fireplaces were focal points in living and family rooms. "The technology is so advanced now that fireplaces can be installed with ease in more non-traditional rooms in the house," said David Coulson with Napoleon Fireplaces & Grills. "Fireplaces are great for the living room or den, but with today's technology there is nothing stopping you from putting them in your bedroom or even bathroom." Electric and ventless gas and liquid gel fireplaces are hot trends. New and improved technology in direct-vent gas fireplaces and stoves, gas inserts and wood-burning fireplaces and stoves make fireplaces practical and energy-efficient. More

Now that all the leaves are changing colors and winter is nipping at our doorsteps many people are turning on the heaters. To save money in the winter many people have turned to wood-burning stoves or burning in their fireplaces to help cut costs. There are many things to consider when choosing firewood such as safety and the amount of heat desired. More