• Wood stoves can be a fit in a contemporary or traditional space.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Home heating is a major source of energy usage and expense in most temperate climates. Indoor wood stoves are an alternative or additional option for home heating that reduces the need for heat from a gas or electric furnace. Wood stoves burn whole logs as opposed to the wood pellets and other prefabricated materials that a pellet stove uses for fuel.
  
  

Ambiance

• Wood stoves provide an ambiance that many homeowners enjoy. The image, sound and even smell of a burning fire can evoke the outdoors or a bygone era. A wood stove may provide a centerpiece in a large room where guests or family members can gather. Wood stoves also provide heat and light in the event of a power outage or in a space such as a rural cabin that lacks electrical service.
  
  

Installation

• Wood stoves are relatively simple to install; they simply need an exhaust line to an existing chimney but don't require any electrical or gas hookups. They also come in a wide range of styles, which means it's easy to find a wood stove that fits with your room's decor, whether it is modern or traditional. According to the Hearth, Pario & Barbecue Association, modern wood stoves use insulating materials that allow homeowners to install them as close as six inches from a wall, meaning there's no need for a wood stove to dominate the room or encroach on your living space.
  
  

Fuel Cost

• Depending on your location and the availability of wood, wood stoves can cost less than electric, gas or oil heat. These costs are even lower if you live in a wooded area and can harvest your own fire wood. Even if you require shipments of precut logs, the cost of a wood stove is competitive with other forms of heat.
  
  

Environmental Impact

• Modern wood stoves operate efficiently and produce very little smoke. The ash they do produce makes an effective fertilizer for house plants or an outdoor garden. In addition, the logs that a wood stove burns are renewable since new trees can grow where the logs were harvested. A sustainable practice of replacing trees cut down for firewood with new trees each year can continue to provide a steady supply of fuel without contributing to deforestation.
  
  

Maintenance

• Unlike gas, electric and oil furnaces, which feature complex mechanisms for producing heat and distributing it throughout a house, wood stoves are very simple. Most consist of a simple metal box with a door that seals tightly to keep the fire contained. Very few opportunities exist for mechanical failure, and wood stoves feature durable construction for safety that also gives them long lifespans.