Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Searches
February 15, 2007
Pellet Heating Trends
Keeping Warm with Corn
CNN
February 14, 2007
Cool corn stove sales
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier - Waterloo, IA
February 13, 2007
Matthew Wilde
Fireplaces a hot business for growing Clive store
The Des Moines Register- Des Moines, IA
February 15, 2007
Joanne Boeckman
Woodstove Safety
Burning wood safely indoors
KHQA - Quincy, IL
February 14, 2007
Melissa Shriver
Keeping Warm with Corn
CNN
February 14, 2007
LLOYD: From the cold to the heat. You've heard of alternative energy sources, like
ethanol or solar panels -- we've even seen a story on an electric "digester" that can turn
cow manure, into electricity! But when you think of corn, you probably think of the
microwave you need to pop it. Unless, of course, you're the couple that Ali Velshi spoke
to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRENDA OSTREICHER: A fifty pound bag of corn, easy to carry, lift it.
ALI VELSHI, CNN REPORTER: She's not a farmer.
BRENDA OSTREICHER: When I go down to buy the corn the man says to me, 'oh the
animals are going to eat good tonight.' And I go yup.
VELSHI: And the corn's not for animals. It's to heat Brenda and David Ostreicher's home
on Long Island, New York.
DAVID OSTREICHER: I wanted to look at another way of saving energy and helping
the planet, not creating as much carbon dioxide.
VELSHI: So they bought a corn-burning stove to heat part of their 8,000 square foot
house. The "Bixby" Stove was designed by Bob Walker. He says the savings from
heating with corn quickly makes-up for the four thousand dollar cost of the stove itself.
BOB WALKER: It could be two and half to three and a half years, and there are people
who are looking at that as a very practical return on their investment.
VELSHI: Burning corn costs less than burning oil. It's cleaner than oil, and it's appealing
to the Ostreichers in other ways too.
DAVID OSTREICHER: I felt I'd be giving my hard earned dollars to American farmers
rather than to people in other parts of the world that don't like us.
VELSHI: When it's cold outside, the Ostreichers can burn through about fifty pounds of
corn a day. The house doesn't smell like popcorn, but it does heat up - sometimes too
much for the Ostreicher kids.
BRENDA OSTREICHER: I said close your window it's an embarrassment. I said the
neighbors are driving by, and we have the windows open like we don't care.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Cool corn stove sales
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier - Waterloo, IA
February 13, 2007
Matthew Wilde
WATERLOO --- Livestock farmers aren't the only ones getting squeezed by high corn
prices.
Corn stove and furnace sales have cooled off dramatically this winter, dealers say. Corn
prices have more than doubled since the fall of 2005 due to demand for ethanol, making
customers leery of investing thousands of dollars in the alternative heating source.
Cheap corn and high fossil fuel prices made corn stoves and furnaces a hot item in
Northeast Iowa heading into last winter. Dealers could hardly keep them in stock, and
manufacturers had a hard time keeping up with demand.
Now, burning corn worth more than $3.60 per bushel isn't as appealing as when it was
$1.50, especially to farmers who raise it. Some manufacturers have even resorted to
offering rebates on units to boost sales.
"It's more cost effective to burn LP (liquid propane) and sell my corn," Jonathan Zeissler,
owner of Hearth Pro in Waterloo, said he's heard customers say. "People are always
bringing that up."
Zeissler, who sells Magnum and Golden Grain corn stoves and furnaces, said sales have
plummeted by half. Hearth Pro sold a dozen units last year, though Zeissler said he could
have moved many more if the supply was available.
Not wanting to be caught with limited supplies again, Zeissler ordered extra in the spring
--- when corn prices were still low --- for this heating season.
"Then corn prices went up, and we saw a major drop off in (interest)," Zeissler said.
There's still a dozen or so corn stoves and furnaces in stock, he added.
Dealers agree people won't save as much burning corn now than in the past, but the
perception that it's a losing proposition or the savings aren't worth the extra work
involved feeding and maintaining corn stoves aren't necessarily true.
Last year, a Northeast Iowa farmer burning corn to heat his home instead of LP reported
saving about $2,000. Typically, corn stoves and furnaces use between 2 to 3 bushels per
day, depending on how hot people like their homes.
Using a 151-day heating season --- November through March --- and $3.60 per bushel
corn, it would cost $1,630.80 using three bushels per day and $1,087.20 using two.
LP dealers say homeowners usually buy between 900 to 1,200 gallons of propane to stay
cozy and warm. Amerigas in Evansdale recently sold LP for $1.50 per gallon, about 15
cents cheaper than last year. The season's heating bill could cost anywhere from $1,350
to $1,800.
WSC Distributing of Strawberry Points sells Country Flame corn heating products. It also
recruits dealers throughout the upper Midwest. WSC owner Dana Rowcliffe said about
100 corn furnaces were sold last year compared to an estimated 50 this year.
"People are still saving money, just not as much. Our sales are off," Rowcliffe said.
"There seems to be more interest with the cold, but still the price of corn is the biggest
driver. That's what customers are asking, what's the savings with corn prices now
compared to gas."
Larry Duff of Waterloo bucked the trend and spent about $3,000 for a biomass stove that
burns both corn and wood pellets from Hearth Pro. Making his basement more hospitable
in the winter was more important than the price of corn.
The John Deere employee figures farmers will plant more corn, the supply will increase
and the price will moderate. But if it doesn't, Duff has a plan, too.
"If corn costs too much, I'll think about wood pellets," he said.
Fireplaces a hot business for growing Clive store
The Des Moines Register- Des Moines, IA
February 15, 2007
Joanne Boeckman
Like many businesses, The Fireplace & BBQ Center in Clive grew from simpler
beginnings.
Owner Bob Schockemoehl, 54, began manufacturing custom fire screens in his basement
in 1977. It was a side business, as he was also an industrial arts teacher in Des Moines.
Schockemoehl took the plunge and left teaching in 1980 to focus on growing his
manufacturing plant, Custom Firescreen Co., at 108 Jefferson St. in Des Moines. That
business has 13 employees.
He saw a store that sold products and services as a complement to the fire screen sales,
and he opened the Clive shop in 1993. It's products are fireplaces and fireplace inserts;
gas-, wood- and corn-burning stoves; grills; fire pits; and awnings; supplies related to
those; and installation and servicing of its products. It has six full-time employees.
Schockemoehl answered these questions.
Q. What are some examples of the fire screens manufactured at Custom Firescreen Co.?
A. All kinds - arches, odd-sizes, some as big as garage doors. Many metals and glass.
There's a synergy between that business and this (store). We share warehouse space. (The
Fireplace & BBQ Center) can do custom construction of any fireplace due to (Custom
Firescreen Co.'s) metal forming.
Q. Will you talk about some of the fireplace inserts you sell?
A. Sure. We have Mendota (brand) fireplace inserts. They are high-efficiency gas
fireplaces that are direct vent. They can be used for zoned heating. Basically, it takes the
place of the furnace while you're sitting in that room.
We have corn stoves and inserts. It's an alternative fuel. Even with higher corn prices,
they are 30 percent cheaper than natural gas.
We also have pellet stoves and inserts. They burn wood pellets, so it's another alternative
fuel. That helps people stay away from the utility companies and it's a renewable fuel.
Q. Where do people buy corn and wood pellets to burn?
A. They buy corn locally at elevators, such as Des Moines Feed Co. or make
arrangements to buy from a local farmer. They use shelled corn - it burns clean and hot.
Wood pellets are sold at five or six places in town, including Wal-Mart, Sam's, Tractor
Supply, some lumber yards, Lowe's and Home Depot.
Q. What are the advantages of fireplace inserts?
A. A lot of people have drafty fireplaces and they are looking at what to do about that.
High-efficiency gas inserts stop that problem. The inserts are doing exactly what a
fireplace is supposed to do - warming the home. A lot of people experience up to a $100
decrease in their energy bill because of the zone heating.
They are direct vented up through the existing flue with a special conversion kit. The nice
thing about that is that they're closing off the top of the chimney and we never have to
clean the chimney again, and nothing can get in.
Q. What do they cost?
A. $2,000 to $3,000 installed. It depends on whether people have gas lines or not, what
kind of fireplace front they want and so on. Using a stock surround, it's $2,000 for the
insert and $399 to install if they already have a gas line. That's also using a switch, not a
remote (starter).
Q. Do the inserts require servicing?
A. We send a notice out every three years. Just like a furnace, they need to be cleaned
and inspected and have parts replaced. That keeps them safe and running.
We also service grills. We go to the site.
Q. I see you also have awnings?
A. We recently got into power awnings for shading decks and patios. We have 200 colors
and the awnings can be up to 40-feet wide and extend out 14 feet. The cost is about
$1,200 up to $3,500, depending on the size.
Q. What are some of your other products?
A. We have fire tables with solid granite tops and a fire pit in the center. They come in
dining, bar and fire pit heights and a choice of logs or reflective glass fire pits. You can
also take out the center and drop in a barbecue. They're all aluminum, so they won't rust.
We sell a lot of smokers - gas, charcoal and electric.
Q. What cycles does your business run in?
A. The wood stoves will go out and we'll be rolling in grills soon. We'll have about 12
different (grills) on display. The grill business starts about March and peaks right before
Father's Day. As the summer heat comes on, the awnings get more hits.
Q. What do you do for fun?
A. I'm in an old band, called Ziegfried Underground. I'm lead guitar. There are six of us.
We're all originally from Dubuque.
We get together about once a year and play for charity. Last year we played to 1,200
people in Dyersville and raised about $15,000 for people with severe illnesses.
Q. What would you like people to know about your business?
A. One of the most important things about our products is that we bring them in with the
thought that we will always be here to service them. We stand behind them so we want
quality products. In today's world, that's the difference between us and the big box stores.
Burning wood safely indoors
KHQA - Quincy, IL
February 14, 2007
Melissa Shriver
The bitterly cold weather conditions as well as the large increase in utility bills have a lot
of folks lighting up their wood stoves and fireplaces for heat.
Bruce Bruening owns Bruening Heating and Air Conditioning. He says a wood stove
could save you up to 80 percent on your electric bills during the winter, but to get the
most out of it you need to use it safely. First, make sure you have a metal chimney liner
in your existing chimney.
Also, make sure your fireplace or stove is airtight; that way you can regulate the burning
properly and prevent creosote from building up inside your chimney.
Creosote is residue from tree sap--and if it's not burned off, it could collect on the inside
of your chimney and cause a fire.
"Have a Carbon Monoxide alarm because most people don't know wood stoves put off
carbon monoxide,'' said Bruening. "If you have all those things in place, the good wood,
the good stove, once you get those things mastered, you should have a good, safe stove
and save a lot of money."
Bruening adds it's also important to use seasoned wood or wood that has been dried out
for a year or more. Drying the wood eliminates the sap that creates creosote.