You can’t turn on a television, read a newspaper, or surf the Internet without running into buzz words like LEED and GREEN. While “green” has already worked its way into our daily lives and conversations, some people are left puzzled by the term ”LEED.”

What does LEED mean for the alternative heat industry?

The question of LEED certification is popping up in our industry too. According to the US Green Building Council,  “LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.”

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Depending on the manufacturers models, corn burning appliances can and do qualify for LEED certified buildings. The National Hearth Products Association,  HPBA.org is very busy moving codes forward to include renewable energy appliances into GREEN homes.

photo credit: tacker

Have you heard of American Energy Systems, the name behind the Magnum Countryside and Country Flame products?

If you’ve ever wondered about the history of corn stove and flex-fuel burning appliances, then welcome to American Energy Systems, or AES as some of our fans like to call us.

A Kernel of History: The Corn Stove

American Energy Systems Inc. of Hutchinson, Minnesota, is regarded in the industry as the leading designer and expert in the corn burning field.

I’m Mike Haefner, the president and founder of American Energy Systems Inc., and I designed and built the first certified corn burning appliance in the industry. I am a contributing author to the NFI training and installation manual on pellet and corn appliances and have conducted numerous training seminars on proper installation and operation of corn burning appliances.

Is there a topic you’d like to see addressed or a question you’d like answered here on our blog? Please post your comment. You can also join me on Facebook and Twitter to talk more about the exciting news in the alternative energy field.

photo credit: The-Lane-Team

Help! My stove is blowing up in my face, what causes that?

Signed, Singed and Smoking

With the design of the combustion system in a MagnuM stove, it is nearly impossible for the appliance to puff back, flare up and out the door, or “blow up in your face”.  If you are experiencing this with your stove, here is some information that will be sure to help.

Happening When You Light the Stove?

If this is happening when you light the stove then it is the starter fluid that you are using. Do not use gas, charcoal lighter or any other highly flammable liquid to start your stove. Only use approved starter for your appliance. This can be purchased at any good retail specialty shop.

If the fire is already lit do not add any fire starter. This is sure to give you a surprise. Fire starter gel is not intended to add to the fire once it is lit and burning.

Happening When You Open the Door?

If the appliance puffs out the door when opened or the fire flares up when you open the door then the appliance is either installed incorrectly, you have negative pressure in the home, or the unit is plugged and needs servicing. In all of these cases it is important that you follow the manufacturer’s recommended daily, weekly and monthly maintenance guidelines and consult with a trained service tech to get your stove back in perfect operating condition.

We have a GREAT online resource for technical questions on our forum, which you can visit and find expert help.

To access the manual for your heating appliance, you can visit our Technical Documents and Owner’s Manual section of our website.

photo credit: quinn.anya

Everywhere you look and read, someone is talking about “going green”.

Most traditional methods of heating homes and offices rely on fossil fuels, which has garnered attention in the “green movement”. As we all start to focus our attention on alternative energy options…

…there has been a lot of discussion about using corn as a fuel.

Universities across the nation have done studies along with environmental groups, and the consensus is that the life cycle of corn burning results in a neutral or slightly positive effect on our environment.

What does that mean? It means that the emissions are very low compared with wood burning, and it also means that the end cost to our environment and to our economy is positive.

There is a high cost associated with our traditional ways of heating. Political, social, environmental impact are only a few ways we pay the price for sticking with “tradition”. When we take a look at the cost of war associated with protecting our traditional fossil fuels alone, using renewable energy right here at home takes on a broader meaning.

Have you considered using a corn stove to heat your home or business?  What is stopping you?

photo credit: jessicareeder

Many people who own corn stoves or who are considering buying a corn stove ask this question:

Can I buy corn directly, in bulk, from a farmer?

Farming is the backbone of America, and many people view buying corn directly from farmers as a way to support the industry, spend money locally, and save money by buying fuel in bulk.

The answer is yes, you can buy corn directly from farmers to fuel your corn stove. Farmers are a great source for getting corn directly. Many farmers have turned this opportunity into a business and sell corn and appliances.

I have not met a farmer yet who does not like to have someone stop by for a visit. Be prepared though for about two hours of great stories, hot cider, and oh yes, taller stories.

photo credit: Martin Pettitt

photo credit: Waypoint-zero

Furnaces have been around a long, long time. We all have stories of furnaces going out, having to replace a furnace, or moving into a house with an ancient furnace that is far from heat efficient and economical to run.

While corn and flex-fuel stoves have been around for quite sometime, we have yet to experience an average life expectancy for a flex-fuel stove.

You ask the question, “What is the life expectancy of a multi-fuel (flex fuel) stove?”

Well, I don’t really know yet! My MagnuM corn stove has been going for over 27 years and is still operating. There are several hundred thousand appliances in operation today that have been out for 10 plus years and are still going.

The serviceable parts can be replaced and reputable manufacturers like American Energy Systems Inc. have been around for more than 37 years.

It is important to maintain your appliance, have it installed correctly and follow the manufacturers suggestions on how to operate and maintain your unit.

We’ve posted dozens of helpful videos on correct installation and maintainace of your Magnum Countryside or Country Flame heating appliance on YouTube, such as the one featured below.

You should expect a lot of years of toasty evenings without wrapping up in layers of clothes. You can also expect your flex-fuel stove to give your furnace a run for the money both in heat efficiency and longevity!

photo credit: barockschloss

One of the most talked about questions in the alternative energy and renewable heating fields is:

“How much can I expect to save if I switch to an alternative heat source like a corn or pellet stove?”

Everyone’s story will be different but you can expect to save 60% or more on your heating expenses. I look at it two different ways.

1. If I took a couple thousand dollars and invested it in savings I would make maybe 3-5 percent on my money.
2. If I take that same money and invest in a corn stove or furnace I will get a 40-60 percent return on my money every year.

The frosting on the cake is that while saving money my home will be warmer than when my primary unit was heating my home, and I get the added benefit of the ROMANCE that a fire creates. We have story after story about how the corn stove became the focal point of the home bringing families together.

Do you have a story to share about your corn stove? We’d love to hear from you.

photo credit: Casey Serin photo

photo credit: norwichnuts

Frugal living at our home?

Absolutely!

We live frugally at our house, or at least, we try to. I love finding a good deal, shopping the sales rack, saving money, and having a coupon when I go out to eat. It is very, very seldom that I pay full price for anything.

We have a sun-room addition on our home that is our “family room” and pretty much the hub of our house. We added a Magnum Baby Countryside stove to the corner a few years and just love it. It helps to extremely reduce our heating bill.

How a Corn Stove Figures in to Our Frugal Mix

We purchase corn in the fall from a local farmer that is dried to the optimum level for our stove. He pulls the gravity box into our driveway late each fall, and we use a 5 gallon bucket, wheelbarrow and lots of arm power to put the corn into a hand made wooden box in our garage. This year we briefly used wood pellets in our stove, until our corn arrived. That is the beauty of a flex-fuel stove!

Last year, we spent about $400.00 to purchase enough corn to last us all winter. It even got us through October and November this past year (2009).

Minimum Maintenance

We pretty much run our corn stove day and night, shutting it down every other day to clean it out briefly. Maybe once a week we shut it down for a more thorough clean.

Heat Distribution Through-Out Our Home

We have ceiling fans in the sun-room, adjoining kitchen, and then above our stairway which rotates the warm air and keeps the main level of our home warm. On a really windy, cold day, our furnace might kick-in a tiny bit, otherwise, our corn stove keeps us toasty warm.

Guest Post: The author of this post is Cindy Haugland, a frugal Minnesota Mom who is known by her friends as a tightwad. She started her own business, aptly called TidyTightwads, to help other people save money and live with less clutter and stress. She recommends a Magnum corn stove to those who want to save money on heating costs.

Are you sold on alternative heating and ready to throw your furnace out the window?

Wait.

Even though heating with renewable energy such as corn or wood pellets is a cost effective and fantastic method of heating your home, you don’t want to throw your furnace out the window just yet.

Do I need to keep my furnace if I install a Magnum stove?

The answer is yes you do. There are code compliance issues that require a primary heating system to be installed in your home. Today, there are no insurance or building codes that will allow a solid fuel device to be considered as primary.

This does not mean, however, that your corn/flex-fuel appliance will not heat your entire home.

The best advice is to let your renewable energy appliance do the bulk of the heating, and when you go away on vacation, etc. allow your primary furnace to take over.

There are plenty of design solutions; your corn burning appliance can complement your entire system so that you can stay toasty warm.

Many corn/flex-fuel customers report that their primary furnace runs very little, if at all, even on the coldest of days. So while we do not recommend you throw your furnace out the window, we are excited for you to experience the wonderful heat and savings associated with corn and pellet stoves!

One of our raving fans share how well their corn stove heats their entire home in this video:

photo credit: Keith Williamson

You hear so much today about biomass and flex-fuel stoves that are able to burn a variety of renewable fuel sources, but have you ever wondered how wood pellets fit into this mix?

Maybe you are wondering

• What wood pellets are made out of?
• Where the wood comes from?
• Does the formation of wood pellets harm trees or our environment?

Wood Pellets have been made primarily out of saw dust created in the millwork of lumber. This has been expanded into pellets made from waste paper, garbage and other waste products.

Wood Pellets help clean up the decaying of scrap and downed wood that actually helps clean the environment by controlling the combustion of the wood rather than just letting it sit out in the weather and rot.

There is research being done today on numerous agri-fuel waste products such as the distillers grain left over from the production of ethanol, waste from the harvesting of agri-crops and even things like coffee husks, etc.

More agri-fuel waste research? Now, that’s something our kids can cheer about!

Want to know what it will cost you to heat with wood pellets? Here’s a great fuel calculator and fuel comparison chart to help. 

 photo credit: Joyseph