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As energy costs soar, more Americans are turning to wood heat

wood demand
Posted at 9:24 AM, Nov 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-15 11:24:35-05

SEABROOK, N.H. — As colder temperatures set in across most of the country, many Americans are turning to wood stoves and pellet stoves to heat their homes this winter and energy costs continue to climb nationwide.

Will Lago's family owns a firewood delivery company in Seabrook, New Hampshire. They can barely keep up with demand.

"We're busy as a beaver," Lago jokingly said.

Across the country, more Americans are turning to wood heat this winter as an alternative to gas, electric and propane, as energy costs in some states are expected to rise by as much as 60%.

Wood delivery services nationwide are seeing an uptick in the number of new customers. Heating your house with firewood is typically cheaper than gas or oil.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 1% of U.S. households use firewood or wood pellets as their primary source of heat in the winter, which equates to about 1.7 million homes. There are homes in every continental U.S. state using wood heat in some form.

Experts also say more Americans working from home is driving up demand. As many people who spend part or all of their time in a home office are around to tend to fire throughout the workday.