Popularity of pellet stoves drives delivery-system innovation

Sales of pellet stoves continue to sizzle. Through the first six months of 2008, shipments were up 135 percent over 2007, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.

As a result, in New England, where a majority of this country's estimated 800,000 operating pellet stoves have been sold, units are reportedly on back order into 2009. (To learn more about this equipment, read our buyer's guide to pellet- and wood-burning stoves.)

The pellets used in pellet stoves are often made from sawdust recovered from lumber mills, furniture factories, and flooring manufacturers. Pellets are also made from corn, wheat, sunflower seeds, and other biomass ingredients.

Whatever their raw material, pellets have traditionally been sold at home centers, supermarkets, and other retailers in 40- to 50-pound packages. When you consider that an average stove might burn through a couple pounds of pellets every hour during the winter months, loading all those bags into your car and unloading them at home can be a lot of work.

That's why more suppliers have started delivering pellets by the pallet directly to consumers. This shift cuts out the middleman and a lot of the lifting, though you still have to empty the pellets into your stove, which creates plastic debris and a good deal of dust.

Jon Strimling, founder of PelletSales.com in Goffstown, New Hampshire, has recognized the inefficiency of that system. "You wouldn't pour a bucket of oil into your furnace each time you wanted to turn it on," he says. "So why should you have to do it with pellets?"

PelletSales.com has developed a bulk-delivery system in which pellets are shunted from a truck to a large hopper on your property, say in the garage or garden shed. Once the necessary transfer equipment is installed between the stove and hopper, you can in theory fill your stove with the flick a switch. Note that you'll still need to empty the ash by hand every week or so, according to the Pellet Fuels Institute. Premium pellets produce about 1 percent of their weight as ash; standard pellets, about 2 to 4 percent ash.

Besides eliminating the pellet-hauling hassle, the delivery system could also generate savings, since 10 to 15 percent of the cost of pellets goes to packaging, according to Strimling. That should help offset the initial cost of the storage bin and transfer equipment, which can run $1,000 to $5,000. No small chunk of change, sure, especially for a piece of equipment that's essentially a large space heater. If you want a pellet stove but don't have the means or the desire to deal with a hundred 40-pound bags each year, Strimling's bulk-delivery program might be the answer.

The program is still at the pilot stage, but Strimling hopes to have it up and running in time for the 2009-2010 heating season.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: As part of some new federal legislation that covers a wide range of energy incentives, you are entitled to a $300 tax deduction if you purchase a pellet stove after January 1, 2009.

Sears brings back layaway plan for holiday shoppers

Sears has dusted off its layaway program—in storage since 1989—and is reintroducing the plan at all of its mainline and hardware stores throughout the U.S. from November 16 through December 23, 2008. The retailer has also announced that as of November 16, it will sell some merchandise at deeply discounted prices rather than wait until the day after Thanksgiving­—a.k.a. Black Friday.

Sears, which has struggled this year, will hold merchandise like tools, lawn and garden equipment, toys, and clothes for consumers at its more than 1,000 U.S. stores. Electronics, appliances, and doorbusters do not qualify for layaway, says the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company. Visit the Sears Web site for more details on covered products.

The down payment for layaway items is $15 or 20 percent of the full price, whichever is greater, and you must pay for the merchandise in full by this December 23. You’ll pay a $5 nonrefundable service fee (residents of Maryland will pay a $1 fee), and if you cancel, you’ll get your down payment back less $10.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential reading: Learn more about layaway plans by reading “Back to the Future With Layaway Plans.”

Tip of the Day: Time- and money-saving steps for a better Thanksgiving

Now that Halloween and Election Day have come and gone, it's time to think about your Thanksgiving Day feast. Proper planning and innovative cooking appliances can help you save time and even money for the November 27 celebration. (Note to pigskin fans: The Tennessee Titans play the Detroit Lions in the first NFL game this Thanksgiving, the Seattle Seahawks take on the Dallas Cowboys in the second gridiron throwdown, and the Arizona Cardinals visit the Philadelphia Eagles in the nightcap.)

Your first step in planning this holiday meal is to get a head count so that you don't buy too much food. When working up a menu, include a few room-temperature dishes so your range and cooktop aren't overloaded on Thanksgiving Day; also prepare then freeze baked goods like cookies, pound cakes, and other desserts that freeze well.

Before you shop, check for advertised specials, hunt online for coupons, and if you prefer a fresh turkey, order it in advance. And don't be ashamed to ask guests to bring a favorite dish—some folks enjoy sharing their family favorites.

If you need to replace your range, consider one with convection, an oven fan that forces warm around and speeds up cooking for some foods. (Convection ovens cost about $150 more than standard models.)

With some convection ovens you can trim about 25 percent off roasting time. That's fast, but even faster appliances are on the market. In our recent turkey cook-off, an Electrolux Wave-Touch smoothtop convection range served up a 13-pound bird in 98 minutes and the TurboChef Speedcook double-wall oven did it in just 42 minutes; a conventional oven takes about 3 hours. Both turkeys were nicely browned, crispy outside, and juicy inside. Fast cooking doesn't come cheap—the Electrolux costs $2,000; the TurboChef, nearly $8,000. (See video, right.)

As you map out your holiday gathering, consider these tips from the National Turkey Federation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Shopping for a turkey
Choose the right-size bird. Figure on 1 pound of turkey per person if you're buying a whole bird and want some leftovers—that's a 15-pound turkey for a 15-person gathering.

Consider buying only a turkey breast. This could be a good move if you're hosting a small gathering and/or you eat only white meat. If you want leftovers, you'll need 3/4 pound per guest for a bone-in breast or 1/2 pound per person for boneless. (These are uncooked weights.) You could also ask your butcher to halve a whole fresh turkey; roast one half for Thanksgiving and freeze the other.

Look for product dating. Federal regulations don't require dating on the turkey, but some stores or processors list it. "Sell-by" means you should buy the turkey before the date. "Best if used by" and "use by" give you the last date recommended for getting the most flavor and quality, though this isn't a purchase or safety date. If you'll cook a fresh turkey, pick it up from the store only a day or two before cooking.

Pass on fresh prestuffed turkeys. You can get sick if a turkey hasn't been properly handled and the stuffing isn't fully cooked. The USDA suggests buying only frozen prestuffed turkeys that bear a USDA or state inspection mark.

Storing and thawing the bird
Place a fresh turkey in a pan. The pan will catch juices and keep your refrigerator clean.

Thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator. This method is safest. Keep the bird in its original wrapping and also place it in a pan to catch liquids. Allow about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. You can also thaw a turkey in cold water or in the microwave. But if you microwave it, you have to cook it right away. Follow the USDA's instructions for proper thawing.

Are EdenPure space heaters just a lot of hot air?

Surely you've seen a full-page ad in a major newspaper for EdenPure space heaters, heard veteran radio commentator Paul Harvey tout them on his national radio program, or read the comments—both glowing and negative—from owners of these appliances on Web forums.

The newspaper and radio ads, including one in the October 29, 2008, edition of The Wall Street Journal, promote the EdenPure Model GEN3 500 and the Model GEN3 1000 (shown) as a "new advanced portable heater that can cut your heating bill by up to 50%," promising that you'll "never be cold again." One hype-filled newspaper ad also features a Q&A with Julius Toth, director of product development for BioTech Research, in which Toth espouses the many benefits of these heaters. (BioTech Research, whose slogan is "Better health through technology," offers a slew of other promised-filled products, including the AbGone Pill, Instant Facelift, and the Smellkiller Air Cleanser.)

We have not tested the GEN3 500 or 1000 models, which, according to a customer-service representative at BioTech Research, has seen "major improvements" from the brand's Quartz Infrared 1000, $400, which we tested for our 2007 report on space heaters. Let's just say that our experts were not transported to paradise by the EdenPure we did review.

The unit was the second-lowest-scoring space heater we tested, earning only a 24 out on our 100-point scale. According to the folks in our Tech department who tested space heaters, the EdenPure provided lackluster temperature control and was not particularly easy to use, What's more, it was pricey and lacked an overheat-protection feature (key for safety). The GEN3 models do have this important safety feature, according to BioTech Research.

If you're in the market for a new space heater, be dubious about any heater whose manufacturer claims the appliance will slash your heating bills. Here's why:

For every degree that you lower your home thermostat in the winter, you'll save about 3 percent on heating costs. So the only way to really save with a space heater would be to use the unit in the room you're in and turn down the thermostat elsewhere in the house so that your main heating system would not operate. To save 50 percent on your heating bill, you'd have to lower the home thermostat about 17°F. Also, based on national average fuel prices, using an electric space costs more than twice as much to operate as a natural-gas-fueled central-heating system.

Before you shop for a space heater, read our report, which includes buying advice and ratings of electric convection, electric fan-forced, and electric radiant models. We also tested propane and kerosene models but found a safety risk with that type.

Essential information: Read our recent tip of the day to learn how to save money on heating this winter and, perhaps, boost the value of your home.

Buzzword: Zoning

What it means. Don't confuse this week's Buzzword with school or community zoning. Rather, in the context of heating and cooling, zoning refers to dividing a home into two or more areas where you set different temperatures. Historically, zoning was more common in homes with a hot-water boiler system than in those with a forced-air furnace system. But as houses bulked up in recent years (thanks in part to the McMansion movement), the need to zone even forced-air-heating systems increased. Besides having more interior space to heat and cool, big houses are more likely to have living spaces with different exposures. To keep these rooms from getting too hot or too cold on certain days, multiple distribution systems are needed to control the flow of conditioned air.

Zoning is pitched as a way to not only make your home more comfortable but also to save you money by letting you reduce the heating or cooling to seldom-used spaces. Some manufacturers and retailers also tout zoning by suggesting that you can save by running a space heater or pellet- or wood-burning stove in a frequently occupied room and turning down the heat with your thermostat (see video, right) in other parts of the home.

Why the buzz? Residential heating costs for the 2008-2009 season are projected to be higher than for last season, according to the Energy Information Administration and, says the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the lower 48 states will experience 2.4 percent colder temperatures this winter.

Those figures might make zoning a more tempting proposition. And, in fact, zoning has its place in certain situations, including where one room has very different heating requirements from others in a home. "A room with lots of glass or a bedroom built over a garage could both be candidates for zoning," says Buck Taylor, a heating professional and consultant for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But for retrofit scenarios, the question of whether it pays to implement zoning depends largely on the accessibility of the hot-water pipes (for a hot-water system) or ductwork (for forced-air system). On a forced-air system, if the central air conditioner and furnace share the same distribution system, balancing the airflow correctly can be even trickier and costlier. 

"For homes with a forced-air system, adding zoning is number 11 on the list of things I'd do [to lower energy costs]," says Harvey Sachs, a senior fellow at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. He suggests you put your money into insulation, windows, and other forms of weatherization. (Read our advice for cutting your heating bill and enhancing the value of your home.) Taylor agrees, even for homes with a boiler: "Every dollar should be spent in the shell of the house, reducing how much heat is required in the first place, before you start trying to solve problems with mechanical systems."

Chandler von Schrader, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Home Improvement with Energy Star program, adds ductwork sealing to the steps you should take before zoning your HVAC system. He notes that duct leakage is in the 30 to 35 percent range for many homes. Correcting the problem can lead to significant savings and enhanced comfort. "Unfortunately, sealing ducts is dirty, nasty work, crawling around attic crawl spaces," Schrader says. As a result, it's a lot easier for contractors to simply zone the system. "But that doesn't correct the root cause of the problem," Schrader adds.

As for zone heating with a fireplace, fireplace insert, or wood or pellet stove, that's a smart move only if your home is buttoned up tight and the fireplace is more efficient than your heating system. If your gas fireplace is 70 percent efficient and your furnace is 85 to 90 percent efficient, you're probably better off running the furnace.

Bottom line, zoning is seldom the cure-all that some heating-equipment manufacturers would have you believe. So work with a trained professional to get a comprehensive home-energy audit, including a residential-load calculation, and determine the best approach to improving the energy efficiency of and comfort level in your home. Find a qualified heating pro by reading this story and visiting the Residential Energy Savings Network.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Learn how to save hundreds on your energy costs, and discover the differences between energy savers and every hogs.

Fall back! Daylight-saving time ends November 2

Throughout most of the United States, daylight-saving time (DST) will end at 2 a.m. (your local time) on Sunday, November. 2. If you're suffering from post-Halloween overindulgence, you might welcome the extra hour of sleep you'll get after turning back the clock on Saturday night/Sunday morning. (Find out when DST will start and end in 2009 and beyond.)

In this previous entry on daylight-saving time, you'll find a list of smart moves that can enhance safety around your house and save you some money. "Is Daylight-Saving Time Costing Us Money?" provides more details on this seasonal time shift.

Essential information: If you're having trouble getting a good night's sleep, read "How Did You Sleep Last Night?" This feature offers expert advice, details on sound machines designed to enhance sleep, an interactive quiz, and much more.

Tip of the Day: Simple ways to save energy and money at home

In "Save Energy, Save Money," we focused on big-ticket efficiency improvements, but there are plenty of lower-cost ways to slash your energy bills at home without becoming an energy anorexic, including these and those that follow:

In the bathroom
• Save hot water by taking a 5-minute shower rather than a deep soak in the tub. Replace standard showerheads with low-flow models and turn off any supplemental showerheads.

In the kitchen
• Reheat dishes in your microwave, which likely consumes only about 20 percent of the energy of a typical full-sized oven. On the cooktop, use pans that are the same size as the burner and keep the lid on the pot when you want to boil water.

• Wipe minor oven spills and splatters regularly with a damp cloth so that you don't have to rely as often on the oven's self-cleaning feature. When you do use the self-cleaning feature, start the cycle right after cooking in the oven to take advantage of the preheated space.

• Get the fridge out of the garage. During summer the unit will have to work extra hard to compensate for the 100-plus degrees that a garage can reach. Better yet, consolidate your refrigerator and freezer items into one unit and turn off other refrigerators and freezers.

Around the house
• Unplug your television(s) and most other electronic devices if you use them infrequently or when you're away from home for an extended period. Even when turned off, electronic devices like TVs continue to draw standby power. Also unplug your computer and scanner if they'll sit idle for an extended period.

• To maximize light output, position lamps in the corner of a room, where their light will bounce off two walls. Painting interiors a bright color will also augment light levels, as will regularly dusting lamp shades and lightbulbs.

• Use LED lights for task lighting. In our test of undercabinet lighting, fixtures with LED bulbs were the most energy efficient, even besting fluorescents in the lumens-per-watt department.

• If your existing exterior door is old but still in good shape, install a storm door. During the summer, replace the glass or Plexiglas panels in the storm door with a screen to improve air circulation in the home and reduce the need for air conditioning.

• Buy a humidifier. During heating season, the colder it gets outside, the lower the relative humidity will be indoors. Providing some humidification will help to improve comfort, but don't overhumidify. Use a model with a humidistat to control indoor moisture levels.—Daniel DiClerico

Tip of the Day: Take the work and injury out of fall cleanup

As I lay in bed last Sunday morning recovering from a day spent removing my air conditioners, my colleague Steven H. Saltzman had already started on his fall yard cleanup and wasted no time blogging about it.

Don't feel guilty if you've yet to start your own seasonal cleanup. In this case, procrastination is not a bad thing--use the time to review our best lawn-care products.

Plus, you'll be able to heed this expert advice from the Consumer Reports Health blog to avoid raking-related and other injuries. And follow these tips from Silvana Fix, D.P.T., a doctor of physical therapy with Spine and Sports Rehab in Fairfield, Connecticut.

• Before you start working, "a brisk walk for about 10 minutes is a good general warm-up," says Fix. To stretch your back, "Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend backward five to 10 times before returning to a full upright position," says Fix.

For your quadriceps, bend your right leg, grab the ankle with your right hand, and gently pull your leg toward your buttocks. Hold that for a count of 10 or 20. Repeat with your left leg. Be sure you're near a wall or tree and on flat ground so you can maintain your balance.

Fix also recommends this easy chest-and-shoulder stretch: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, clasp your hands behind your back and gently bring your hands away from your back. Hold for a count of 10 and repeat two or three times.

• When you rake, "Keep your wrists in a neutral position, with no bending. A rake that has a bent or side-mounted handle can help here," says Fix. She adds that good body mechanics are important: "Place one foot ahead of the other, keep your back straight, and rake the leaves while taking small steps backward and keeping your arms close to our body."

As you work, avoid stooping or bending forward, twisting your back, and overreaching with your arms, and keep your feet planted firmly in one place on the ground, according to Fix, who notes that you should stretch again when you're done and consult a medical professional if you pain lingers.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Remember, it's important to get rid of leaves, especially under your deck. Piles of leaves are an open invitation to mice, which can carry Lyme disease and hantavirus, and other pests to set up warm winter homes. Our fall lawn-and-yard checklist will help your yard looks its best next spring. Autumn is an especially effective time to fertilize some lawns. Don't hesitate to fall back on mechanical help to get the job done, including the latest leaf-bagging lawn tractors, cordless and gas-powered leaf blowers, and string trimmers.

The leaves on the trees are falling . . .

I just got back in from an early-morning walk with my 17-week-old dog, and one thing's clear here in my Northern New Jersey hometown: Fall-cleanup season has begun in earnest the last couple of days. The weather has been terrific recently, mild days with more of a late-summer everything-is-in-bloom upbeat feel than a winter-is-coming, let's-pack-it-in-for-the-season dread.

This morning, the brass dial thermometer on my deck reads a bracing 41°F; that's not too bad for October 18, but the leaves have taken the autumn chill of the last 48 hours as a sign to release their tree-bound grip and cascade toward the suburban lawns.

For me and countless others, the sudden shift to full-on fall will interrupt our regularly scheduled lineup of relaxing weekend programming and force us to grab rake, mower, leaf blower, collection receptacle, and myriad essential gear as we gather countless leaves from all the ash, locust, maple, sycamore, and oak trees around us.

Fall cleanup is not a terrible hassle for me, and I dig the vibrant splashes of seasonal color, but I am always looking for ways to make the job go faster and more efficiently. (The sooner it's done tomorrow, for instance, the earlier my twins and I can go for a bike ride.) Fortunately, a colleague of mine prepared this "Tip of the Day: Make faster work of leaf removal" last fall. I followed some of the DIY advice then and I'll use it again in the coming weeks. You should, too.

Good luck, all you leaf wranglers out there. If you have some can't-miss suggestions for ways to deal with leaves, add a comment below.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: Read these other smart moves for fall cleanup. And if you're in the market for a new leaf blower, check out our ratings-based report before you buy.

Tip of the Day: Cut your heating bill, boost the value of your home

Combining no- and low-cost weatherizing tactics with government and utility incentives can help raise or at least maintain the value of your home and slash your energy bills. You'll also help protect the environment.

Several energy-saving projects can reduce your heating bills this winter, according to our calculations. For instance, insulating the attic or basement is typically inexpensive and easy to do yourself. Adding attic insulation can lower your heating costs from 5 to 30 percent, according to a U.S. Department of Energy study.

Another simple measure you can implement right now is to drop the temperature setting on your household thermostat(s). For every degree you lower the temperature, you can save about 3 percent on your heating costs. Also consider lowering the setting 5° to 10°F when no one is home and at night.

Weatherizing you home can save you up to 30 percent on heating. And tests performed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the DOE showed that an aggressive weatherization program at your house can provide a 33.5 percent decrease in natural-gas consumption for space heating.

What's more, every dollar you shave off your energy bills with such home improvements can add more than $20 to the resale value of your home, according to a study by the Appraisal Institute. And a recent study by Seattle-based GreenWorks Realty showed that energy-efficient homes spend 18 percent less time on the market and sell for up to 37 percent more per square foot than conventional homes. (Consumer Reports has been leading the way on home-energy savings for decades, as detailed in "How to Cut Your Fuel Bill," from our August 1941 issue. As you'll see in this free PDF download—How to cut your fuel bill 1941.pdf—what's old is new.)

"We call efficiency the 'first fuel' that a homeowner consumes," says Suzanne Watson, policy director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. "Once you get that flowing, it cuts down your use of expensive secondary fossil fuels."

Seal holes
Cracks and crevices at all levels of your home allow expensive heated air to escape from your home; in an older house, those nooks and crannies can be the equivalent of a 2-square-foot hole in the side of the house. (Picture that.) But, estimates the DOE, proper weatherization alone can cut energy bills by at least 30 percent. Some utility companies provide free energy audits to pinpoint problem areas at your home; you can also find certified professionals in your area through the Residential Energy Services Network.

If you want to do the work yourself, look for dirty insulation, a sign of air movement that reveals other gaps you must fill. Also install precut foam pads to insulate electrical outlets, an often-overlooked source of cold-air infiltration and make sure you insulate holes in floors where heating and water pipes emerge. If you have steam radiators, place foil-faced insulation behind them to reflect heat back into the room. If your doors and windows are structurally sound there is no need to replace them. But you should replace any worn weather-stripping around doors and windows to cut drafts, which can make you feel colder and cause you to raise your thermostat setting.

"Add Insulation to Lower Your Heating Bills" and "Stay Warm Without Getting Fleeced" offer additional DIY ways to seal gaps.

Buzzword: Weatherization

What it means. Weatherization is the practice of making a building more energy efficient by sealing its exterior against wind and precipitation and protecting its interior from heat and cold. Buttoning up the envelope of a house with insulation and caulk is the first line of defense. But best weatherization practices treat a building as a single energy-consuming system and might include such whole-house measures as replacing old heating, cooling, and water-heating devices with higher-efficiency models.

Why the buzz? In the presidential debate between candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on October 7, 2008, moderator Tom Brokaw asked the candidates what sacrifices Americans will have to make to get the country's economy back on track. One of Senator Obama's points covered energy use: "Each and every one of us can start thinking about how can we save energy in our homes, in our buildings," he said. "One of the things I want to do is make sure that . . . you are able to weatherize your home or make your business more fuel efficient." (Read the full debate transcript.)

This is not the first time a president or a candidate for that office trumpeted energy efficiency. President Jimmy Carter famously wore a beige cardigan during a 1977 fireside chat in which he talked to the American public about the country's energy crisis. Carter's wardrobe choice is remembered more than his message, made explicit in his 1979 Crisis of Confidence speech, in which he warned: "The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation."

In today's world, weatherization should remain relevant beyond Election Day. With that, we've pulled together steps you can take to weatherize your home, helping you to save yourself money and reduce your energy use. If your more motivated by money than by patriotism, note that on average, weatherization reduces heating bills by 32 percent and overall energy bills by $358 per year at current prices, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Plug the big leaks first. Start in the basement and attic and seal any gaps around your plumbing pipes, ductwork, light fixtures, and electric wiring that allow air to flow out of your house. Also seal around your chimney and flue pipes, being sure to use products suitable for high temperatures. Lay insulation between attic-floor joists and on the hatch or door, or add more if it's already there. Also look for dirty insulation, a sign of air movement that reveals other gaps you must fill. Insulate ducts running through the attic, basement, or other unheated spaces.

Stop air infiltration. Insulate the ceilings in an unheated basement or crawl space or around the exterior walls if they are heated. Also be sure to insulate ducts and hot-water pipes.

Program thermostats for savings. Lower your heating-system thermostat 5° F at night and 10° F during the day if no one is home, a move that will shave up to 20 percent off your heating costs. Many electronic setback thermostats let you set a different schedule for each day. Many automatically switch from heating to cooling, and some tell you when it's time to change your furnace or air-conditioner filters. (Read more about air purifiers.)

Firewood and wood pellets become a hot commodity

As stock indices worldwide declined this fall, prices for firewood and wood pellets climbed. So too is the number of reported incidents of stolen wood in central Maine. In 2008, according to the Kennebec Journal, there have been seven reported thefts of wood, up from two in 2006. The thieves take trees awaiting shipment to mills and cut it into firewood for eventual sale to consumers.

Throughout the Northeast, skyrocketing fuel costs have lit a fire under the firewood business. The demand is sparking severe shortages ahead of the home-heating season, says Sarah Smith, forest-industry specialist at the University of New Hampshire cooperative extension. "If I called up 10 folks in the firewood business and asked them for a cord of dry wood, they'd all laugh," she says.

The firewood shortage started this summer, when soaring oil prices motivated more people to consider heating their homes—€”or supplementing their oil, natural-gas, electric, or propane heat—€”with wood. "The loggers and firewood producers who were predicting and processing wood based on their usual demand couldn't accommodate all these people, many of whom hadn't burned wood in the past," says Smith.

Dwindling supplies have led to higher prices. Customers are paying up to $250 for a cord of green wood, material that hasn't been sufficiently dried for burning. Two years ago, the same cords were going for as little as $100. Those lucky enough to find seasoned dry wood can expect to pay at least $350 for a cord, says Smith.

A similar trend is affecting the cost of wood pellets used in pellet-burning stoves. "Prices are definitely higher," says Leslie Wheeler, director of communications for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. Although actual costs vary by region, she says the average is $250 to $260 per ton of pellets. An October 1 article in the Bangor News put the average price per ton at $300. Two years ago, the United States Department of Energy listed the average price as $190.

There are ways to try to save on wood and pellets. Buy wood pellets in bulk, for instance. For cordwood, Smith advises checking the local papers and sites like Craigslist for deals. But, remember, the short supply of firewood provides an opportunity for shifty suppliers. To keep yourself from getting burned, follow these tips:

• Request the right wood. Maple, oak, cherry, and other hardwoods burn longer and cleaner than softwoods like pine, aspen, and poplar. Softwoods tend to create more creosote in the chimney; if you don't eliminate the creosote regularly, it can become a fire hazard. The Wood Heat Organization's Web site includes a list of the best-burning species and helpful tips for building and maintaining wood fires. Tip: Don't get ripped off by a scamming chimney sweep.

• Get what you pay for. A full cord measures 128 cubic feet, or a stack roughly 4 feet high x 8 feet long x 4 feet deep. A face cord is 4 feet high x 8 feet long and as deep as the individual logs—typically 16, 20, or 24 inches, depending on the dimensions of the fireplace or stove. Be home when the wood is delivered and have the vendor identify in writing the type of wood you're getting. Wood species can be difficult to identify. Hardwoods tend to be denser than softwoods, so a simple heft test can provide a helpful clue. Also, many softwoods have a telltale piney scent. Well-cured wood is grayish on the end, with radial cracks.

• Have the vendor stack the logs. You'll pay more for the service, but you will be able verify how much wood got delivered before the delivery guy drives away. Be on the lookout for loose stacking, which is a trick crooked vendors use to short-change unsuspecting customers. If you've ordered a face cord, check that the logs have been cut to the specified length. To prevent termites and other insects from invading your home, stack firewood away from the structure, preferably in a sunny, exposed spot; you can use a plastic tarp to keep the top layer dry.

• Obtain a receipt. The bill of sale should include the vendor's contact information, the sale date, the type and quantity of wood, and the purchase price. A reputable vendor won't object to the request.—”Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Before you light a fire or turn up the thermostat, read these tips for locking in the heat.

Effikal gas Vent dampers recalled

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on October 9, 2008, announced the recall of 45,000 automatic gas-vent dampers manufactured by Effikal LLC, of Orion, Michigan, that could fail and cause gas boilers to emit carbon monoxide if the blocked vent switch does not activate.

For full details—including a list of the 14 different brands of gas boilers that could be affected—visit the CPSC recall page and the manufacturer's own Web site.

Essential information: With winter heating season upon us, read about carbon-monoxide detectors  and smoke alarms. You can also review our guides to buying a new gas furnace or wood- or pellet-burning stove and brand-history repair for gas furnaces. You'll also find advice on maintaining your heating systems and head-to-head efficiency comparisons of major appliances.

Use your sewing machine to make a Halloween costume

Batman, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, and Tina Fey, er, Sarah Palin are some of the popular picks for Halloween costume themes this year, according to the Sewing & Craft Alliance. Chances are you'll see a few McCains and Obamas, too, in search of candy if not votes around your neighborhood on Friday, October 31. (The costume shown is a monster from the organization's Web site.) 

If you're hoping to save a few bucks by making your own costume or want the challenge of creating a DIY design, know that you don't have to be a sewing expert to design a good-looking getup. "Many patterns are for beginners, and the instructions are clearly written and generally not complicated," says Linda Griepentrog, a spokeswoman for the Sewing & Craft Alliance.

To keep what should be a fun project from fraying your nerves, look for a costume that's easy and inexpensive to make—your kid will likely wear it only once. A historical-reproduction costume, for instance, might win praise from friends or a prize at a school or town contest, but it could be a lot of work.

No matter the outfit you pick, follow this advice from Griepentrog, who's been sewing costumes for decades:

* Factor in the weather. Don't choose a skimpy costume if the Halloween weather tends to be chilly in your town. Allow enough room for your child to wear clothes under the costume or consider making it out of an insulating fabric, like fleece.

* Design for safety. Avoid using dark materials and add reflective ribbon to the costume, especially important if your child will be trick-or-treating at night. Hem the costume short enough to prevent tripping and don't sew on a long tail for, say, an animal-themed costume.

Make large eyeholes in the mask. Or use face paint instead of a mask. If the costume material is flammable, remind your princess or pirate to be careful when near lit jack-o-lanterns. (Note: The labels on the ends of bolts of fabric might have information about flammability, especially if the fabric could be used for children's sleepwear. Unless it is specifically stated that a fabric can be used for children's sleepwear, you can generally assume that a fabric is flammable.) You'll find more safety advice for costumes in this post from the Consumer Reports Safety blog.

Look for more good costume tips on the Sewing & Craft Alliance Web site. And share your ideas for creative costume ideas by posting a comment below.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: We're working on a report on sewing machines for the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports. Step into our labs to learn more about our ongoing testing of sewing machines and read our buying advice for these appliances.

Fire Prevention Week is October 5 -11

While it’s essential to always think about fire safety, Fire Prevention Week­—October 5-11—is a good time to make sure you and your family prevent a tragedy from happening at your home.

A 2006 fire in my suburban New York town illustrates just how quickly disaster can strike: A local family had gone out to dinner, leaving behind a teenaged houseguest. After the kid started to heat up some food in a skillet, he went upstairs to take a shower. The teenager forgot about the food, and within minutes, the charming Arts & Craft home was in flames. The house and everything in it were destroyed; luckily the teenager escaped uninjured.

Last year, fires in homes across the United States killed about 2,900 people and injured 14,000 others, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Cooking fires are the leading cause of fires in the home and fire injuries, according to the NFPA.

About one-third of cooking fires happen because nobody is keeping an eye on the stove. So stay in the kitchen whenever you fry, grill, or broil food, and when you leave the room, even briefly, turn off the stove. In other words, to quote from the NFPA’s current fire-safety campaign, “don’t be a doofus.”
Fire Prevention Week is a good time to develop a fire escape plan and practice it with your family. Also follow our basic safety tips for smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and the advice on the NFPA site.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Read our buyer’s guide to smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.

10 Questions for . . . Robert Lenney, Gutter Expert

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Associate Editor Gian Trotta talks with Robert Lenney, a cofounder of California-based Gutterglove and a former certified arborist. In December 2007,  Lenney and partner John Lewis received a patent for their Gutterglove gutter-guard system, which uses a fine stainless-steel mesh stretched across anodized aluminum panels.

You've cleaned many gutters in your time. How should a homeowner start planning the task?
Always think about safety first; don't just go jump on the roof and start tossing out handfuls of gunk. Pick a day when it hasn't rained for a few days; if that's not possible, wait until midmorning, after the sun has dried out the roof.

Do you recommend any special clothing?
I recommend wearing durable pants like jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. Tuck your shirt into your pants—when you're up on a ladder or on a roof, balance is everything, and if a loose end of clothing catches on something, it can cause a fall. Tucking the bottom of your pants into your socks also protects against wasps crawling up your pants leg.

I certainly agree about the wasp hazard; I got stung on my last gutter-cleaning foray. What about gloves?
Leather rather than cotton or rubber gloves give better protection—there are a lot of sharp edges in a gutter. Also, you might encounter some very distasteful substances—pigeon droppings are a prime example—that can cause bacterial infections or leave a lingering smell on your hands. I also recommend some kind of eye protection, either goggles or safety glasses.

When it comes to ladder safety, what precautions do you observe?
There are some precautions to observe with all ladders. Try to set an extension ladder so about 3 feet of it extends above the roofline. While the ladder might feel secure when you step on it, there might be a gopher hole or loose soil under the leg and it could cave in as you climb up. So very lightly jump up and down a few times on the first rung to seat the ladder well before climbing up. If the ladder has a shelf, you can keep a five-gallon bucket on it, securing the bucket with a lanyard.

Inspect the ladder carefully to make sure it's working properly. Be sure the hinge arms on a stepladder and spring hooks on an extension ladder are fully locked. Check that the ladder's rungs and sides aren't  split or bent or loose and that screws and bolts are secure—ladders held together with rivets are usually better in this regard.

(Here are some additional guidelines from the experts at Consumer Reports: Ladders are categorized by weight ratings; we recommend that you get a heavy-duty type 1A. For gutters above 17 feet you should use a conventional extension ladder. Choose a fiberglass or wooden ladder where electricity is a factor, and remember that any ladder can conduct electricity when it’s wet. Extension ladders should be set up with the base 1 foot away from the wall for every 4 feet the ladder reaches up—that's 3 feet at the base for a 12-foot ladder, or roughly a 75-degree angle. For lower gutters, you can use a stepladder or multiuse ladder. No matter which ladder you have, always follow manufacturers directions for setup. For more ladder-safety advice, read our safety tips.) 

What other specialized tools should be used?
Don't use that heavy metal planter scoop from your garden kit or an old spatula. They can scratch steel gutters and give rust and opportunity to form. They can also damage the caulking used on seams of other types of metal gutters.

Those plastic orange gutter scoops sold in stores have one nice quality: Their tips are thin and flexible, so they conform to the contours of your particular gutter style. The downside is they're not as strong as a metal tool, so we go through a lot of them in a season. But the average homeowner should get a few years out of a scoop.

Tip of the Day: Fertilize your lawn this fall

After months of planting, fertilizing, mowing, and other chores, you might be ready to take a break from all the yard work.

But you shouldn't. Fertilizing your yard during the fall can be essential to maintaining a healthy lawn, especially if you have cool-season turfgrasses like bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass.

"Autumn is the optimum growth period," says Martin Petrovic, Ph.D., a turf expert in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University. "The temperatures favor a balanced growth of roots and shoots, so the nutrients in the fertilizer have the best chance of doing their job." Petrovic recommends two fall applications based on the acronym SON, for September, October, and November: Do the first feeding in late September to early October, the second in November, around your final mow of the season.

Another helpful fertilizing mnemonic is "up, down, all around." That indicates the action of the three main ingredients in lawn fertilizer. Nitrogen promotes growth and greening ("up"), phosphorous aids root development ("down"), and potassium fortifies the grass against disease, cold, insects, and the like ("all around").

The numbers on a fertilizer bag, in N-P-K order, indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, respectively, on a weight basis. For example, a 100-pound bag labeled 20-0-0 has 20 pounds of nitrogen but no phosphorus or potassium.

"Unfortunately, there's no magic formula for fall fertilizer," says Petrovic. You'll likely see 20-5-15 mix sold at home and garden centers, but the only sure way to determine your lawn needs is to test the soil. Private labs and cooperative extensions perform the service, including specific nutrient recommendations in their report.

Fertilizer bags should also indicate the nitrogen's release characteristic. Slow-release fertilizers contain water-insoluble nitrogen, making them suitable for early-fall applications. Later in the season, a water-soluble fast-release fertilizer is necessary, says Petrovic.

Recommendations for lawn fertilizers are usually given in actual nitrogen over a given area. As a general rule, you should apply no more than 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn if it's thin and weedy. "If the turf looks dense, you don't need to put down as much nitrogen," says Petrovic.

It's always better to use too little fertilizer rather than too much, since nitrogen and phosphorous not absorbed by your lawn can get washed into storm drains and watersheds. Known as nutrient pollution, this phenomenon is particularly problematic in coastal regions with loose, sandy soil. For more information, download the Environmental Protection Agency's June 2008 "Sowing the Seeds for Healthy Waterways" report.

Use the Purdue University Turf Fertilizer Calculator to figure out how much fertilizer you'll need based on the nitrogen concentration. Also, be sure to calibrate your drop spreader to make sure you don't overfertilize. And remember that using your mower's mulch setting can reduce fertilizer needs by a third since the soil-enriching nitrogen from decomposing clippings promote turf growth naturally.

Take care of your yard this fall, and you'll have less lawn maintenance to deal with come spring.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: See our fall lawn-and-yard checklist for advice on trees and shrubs, flowers and gardens, and how to use herbicides safely.

Q&A: Are propane space heaters safe?

I'm considering getting a propane or kerosene space heater to try to save on heating costs this winter. Any concerns about these heaters?

Propane and kerosene heaters produce a lot of heat, but there are safety issues associated with these units, as we found during our lab tests of two propane and two kerosene last year. For more details, read this story on the safety risks.

If you're in the market for a space heater, read our latest report and refer to our ratings (available to subscribers).

Essential information: Discover easy ways to save energy in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, which also features an in-depth look at the Energy Star program and a review of tankless water heaters.

Protect Your Investment: A generator can provide power during an emergency

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, say along the East Coast or Gulf Coast, you might want to consider getting a portable or stationary power generator.

Before you head to the store, determine how many watts of power you’ll need by using our free calculator. Then see the Ratings to find the right model for your home. Also consider installing a transfer switch, which will eliminate having to run extension cords into and out of the house and make it easier to power your refrigerator, air conditioner, and lights.

Don’t neglect to maintain your generator—this will ensure that you’ll have power when you need it. And be sure to use your generator safely:

• Prevent carbon-monoxide poisoning by always running your generator outdoors and at least 15 feet away from the house. Never run it in the basement or garage or other enclosed space.
• Install a transfer switch to connect the unit to your home's wiring system. Never connect a generator directly to your home.
• Reduce fire risk by turning off a gasoline-powered generator before refueling.
• Store gasoline in an ANSI-approved container and in a cool, well-ventilated area.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Refer to our free Storm & Emergency Guide for expert advice on dealing with a range of storm-related topics. And check out the NOAA's hurricane tracker.

Tip of the Day: Use a string trimmer for late-summer and fall yard care

String trimmers are handy for cutting grass, weeds, and brush in areas your mower or tractor can’t reach, helping to keep your property looking its best and eliminating habitats for insects and rodents, and other critters. As fall approaches, you’ll want to be sure you don’t to provide overwintering abodes for pests.

With prices of the string trimmers in our ratings (available to subscribers) ranging from $20 to $370, we can help you weed out some choices and find the best model for your home. Read our latest report on string trimmers and watch the video at right, in which our garden-equipment guru Peter Sawchuk details the pros and cons and costs of gas and electric (corded and cordless) models.

Essential information: Get ready for autumn with our guide to fall yard care. And find the best leaf blower to make easier work of yard cleanup.

NOAA hurricane tracker undergoes update

With four hurricanes occurring in the last two weeks, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Historical Hurricane Tracks tool has been flooded by users.

"The last six days in August, we had 52,430 unique visitors to the site—that's close to our total traffic during July and August of 2006 and 2007," says Jennifer Boulware, a program manager with Rockville, Maryland-based IM Systems Group who helped develop the application. The tracker, which launched in 2002 but was recently updated, allows you to quickly find out how many major storms have hit a particular location from 1851 through 2007; storms in the Eastern North Pacific are tracked for the last 60 years.

"We saw this great mass data sitting out there and we decided, 'Let's find a away to make it accessible to the general public,' " says Ethan Gibney, a senior geospatial analyst at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, and the lead programmer for the tracker. "The data is historical, but it can give you a insights into the pattern of tropical cyclone and hurricane climatology in your area."

Wanting to run the tracker through its paces, I decided to check out storm activity for Miami. That is, Miami, Florida; Miami, Oklahoma; and Miami University in Oxford Ohio. (From top to bottom, the images at right show storm activity in Florida, Oklahoma, and Ohio.)

The search for the fun-in-the-sun Miami yielded a map overlaid with a spaghetti-tangle of 353 storm tracks. These include two unnamed Category 5 storms that hit in 1935 and 1947, 28 Category 4 storm tracks (including Hurricane Donna in 1960 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992) and 32 Category 3 storms (the most recent were Hurricane King in 1950, Hurricane Isbell in 1964, and Hurricane Wilma in 2005).

While Miami, Oklahoma, hasn't seen the same activity as the Florida city, residents there aren't necessarily safe from storms. "It turns out that inland flooding is now the major cause of deaths from hurricanes," noted Gerry Bell, Ph.D., the NOAA's lead seasonal-hurricane forecaster, in an earlier blog entry on the updated Atlantic-storm forecast for 2008.

The storm tracker shows that from 1902 to 1921, three tropical storms came within 30 miles of this Oklahoma city. Unnamed tropical depressions also hit Miami in 1931 an 1955, others followed in the wakes of hurricanes Carla (1961), Candy (1968), Claudette (1979), and Gilbert (1988).

Moving north to Miami (University ), the RedHawks' hometown was hit by an unnamed tropical storm in 1892 and tropical depressions in 1896, 1901, 1915, and 1926. Tropical depressions also followed hurricanes Betsy (1965), Claudette and Bob (1979), Erin (1995) and the double-whammy of Dennis and Katrina (1995).

Don't be surprised it takes a while find your home's hurricane history—the site has proved so popular that it can slow to a near crawl at peak usage times.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Our Storm & Emergency Guide includes printable checklists to help you prepare for and deal with storms and natural disasters. See our video on flood insurance.

Home-heating costs projected to rise this winter

While you might be relieved to see prices at the pump drop in recent weeks, your energy-cost euphoria will likely be short-lived.

Not to be a bummer, but home-heating bills are expected to soar during the 2008-2009 heating season, which runs from October 1 to March 31. The average American household will pay $1,182, up 19.8 percent from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. That's a 65 percent increase from 2003-2004, says the EIA. (All figures here are from the EIA, which revises them every month. You'll find updated information on the EIA site.) It's no wonder one of the most common searches on ConsumerReports.org is for wood- and pellet-burning stoves.

Some regions will be harder hit than others:

People who live in the Northeast and heat with oil are facing the biggest price increase—they'll pay on average $2,725 this winter, up 37.1 percent over 2007-2008. The national average price for heating with oil has grown more than 198 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

Southerners who heat with propane will pay on average $1,578, an 18.7 percent increase over 2003-2004. The national average price for heating with propane has soared just over 100 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

Residents of the West who heat with gas will pay on average $684, the lowest regional cost in the country. Nonetheless, that's a 23.8 percent increase, even with the stepped-up production of natural gas. The national average price for heating with natural gas has climbed almost 61 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

And Midwesterners who heat with electricity will see the smallest hike. It will cost them on average $1,051 to heat their homes, a 4.7 percent climb. The national average price for heating with electricity is up almost 34 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

Regardless of where you live or what type of fuel you use, get your heating system checked before the cold weather comes. It's also a good idea to insulate the attic, install a programmable thermostat, and seal leaks and cracks throughout your home. Read more about keeping your energy costs down in "Heating: Stay Warm Without Getting Fleeced."—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Learn more about energy efficiency by reading our "Save Energy, Save Money" feature in the October 2008 Consumer Reports. The issue also contains a review of tankless water heaters, an update on our testing of compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and an investigative piece on the federal government's Energy Star program. Finally, learn about heating safety.

How to make the perfect steak

While many folks do less outdoor grilling once  Labor Day has passed, I refuse to let the calendar influence my cooking habits. I'll happily grill away year-round and will fire up my Vermont Castings cooker in pretty much any weather.

But if Labor Day does signal your last hurrah for outdoor cooking this year, go out like a pro by following our expert advice for grilling the perfect steak (video, right). A number of my coworkers have tried the tips and report that they've never turned out better beef.

Don't miss our easy-to-make recipes for the grill.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: If you're looking for a good deal on a gas grill, you might find lower prices in stores as the end of summer approaches. But before you shop, read our latest report and visit