There are many advantages of using bioethanol as a form of home heating compared to traditional wood, gas and electricity.
One of the primary and obvious advantages of using bioethanol as a fuel source is that it is renewable. Unlike non-renewable sources like electricity producted with coal and gas, bioethanol can be produced from by-products. This makes bioethanol a more sustainable fuel source in the long run. Bioethanol is also biodegradable, and it is produced right here in Australia using products that are not considered food sources. This is an very important factor that is overlooked, bioethanol produced from sources that are not considered a food staple is the key. There is a lot of debate about Food vs Fuel, and this is something we will talk about in an upcoming newsletter.
Another advantage of using bioethanol for home heating compared to electricity or gas is that the environmental impact is significently reduced compared to these forms of energy. Bioethanol produces fewer greenhouse emissions than non-renewable sources of energy. The small amount of carbon dioxide that is released during the combustion of bioethanol is absorbed by the growing of the crops that are used to produce it. This creates a closed carbon cycle, which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide (a gas that is found in nature that helps regulate the earths temperature by reflecting radient heat from the sun), released into the atmosphere. This all sounds complex I know, but basically increasing and higher levels of carbon dioxide in the world stops the suns heat and energy from escaping our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide acts a bit like a blanket, allowing some heat and energy to pass through, but if that blanket is too thick, no heat or energy can pass through creating a heat buildup underneath. Not great for living things on earth. Obviously this is a very simple explanation, but I hope it gives you a better understanding of what a greenhouse gas does.
Also unlike a 'traditional' wood heater or wood burning fireplace, the buring of bioethanol for heating is clean, there is no soot, ash or harmful emissions that need to be extracted through a flue. This means that all the heat produced stays in your room.
Anyone who has purchased or gone looking at buying a fireplace will know that there is a multitude of bioethanol fireplaces on the market today. Beautifully designed to not be a cumbersome chunk of metal in a room. Varying shapes and sizes, inbuilt, hanging, indoor, outdoor, round, square, fully automatic to very basic. Some of the new European design bioethanol fireplaces add a touch of class to any indoor or outdoor area. They also add a beautiful calming ambience when burning. The quiet, dancing flame becomes mesmorising to watch. It gives a feeling of life and also at the sametime a relaxing and calming feel to any room. We have been told by customers who suffer anxiety, watching a fire can help calm a relax a busy mind.