US homeowners look for new heat sources

Kyrgyzstan News.Net
Monday 14th July, 2008

As heating oil approaches US$5 a gallon, consumers in the US are finding new uses for heat pumps, firewood and even geothermal systems to alleviate high oil prices.

About 8 million households in the US use heating oil as their primary heating source, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

With the price of heating oil almost doubling in the past year and going up nearly fivefold since 2003, homeowners are becoming frightened about heating affordability.

Oil used to be a cheap heating source, with prices around US$1 a gallon as recently as five years ago.

Wood pellet heating has become a big favourite for homeowners, with pellets being made out of compacted sawdust, wood chips or other wood material.

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