As oil prices soar, wood becomes hot commodity for heating homes

With heating costs on the rise, many rural residents are turning to cheaper alternatives to keep warm this winter. In New England, wood has made a comeback with many homeowners who are put off by the rising cost of oil, reports Katie Zezima of The New York Times.

"After years of steep decline, wood heat is back, with people flocking to dealers to buy new wood stoves, wood boilers and stoves that burn pellets made of wood byproducts.," Zezima writes. "Others ... to the dismay of environmentalists, are dusting off old wood-burning devices that are less efficient and more polluting."

The Environmental Protection Agency put limits on wood-burning stoves made after 1988, but some people are putting those older models to use again. In 1993, 3.1 million homes used wood for heating, but by 2001, that number was 2 million, according to the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy. That number could be rising again. (Read more)

In the Midwest, rising propane costs are a major concern for rural residents who depend on deliverable fuels for heat. For state-by-state energy profiles, go here.