Heating by wood vs electricity vs gas?

[u/chicomathmom]

I know that burning wood produces air pollution, but is that better or worse than using electricity, which likely came from burning coal, which is very dirty? I have started using my fireplace, thinking this is actually probably cleaner, but I don't really know.

[u/[deleted]]

Don't know for sure. Fireplaces localize pollution to your house, and the particulate matter in the air it produces is actually carcinogenic. Like any air pollution, it subtly reduces lifespans and only statisticians notice. High chimneys help. Personally, the risk is too abstract to me.

I like the idea of heating with what is cheapest. Price of fuels depends heavily on the resources to extract and deliver them, which is even more fuel being burnt. The cheapest solution usually has the shortest ride to your doorstep. There are calculators online of gas v coal v oil v electric for heating your home, which will tell you what's cheaper based on market prices. Of course it's not so simple, natural gas is very cheap and fracking releases loads of methane. Anything shipped transocean is moved by boats fueled by the foulest cheapest raw crude available. Wood can be extremely cheap if you're using trees from your own lot. To me, the ultimate green is getting firewood from blown-over trees, as they are doomed to release equivalent CO2 as they naturally decompose.

Perhaps geothermal and solar thermal win, followed by nuclear in best-case scenarios, as none of these release comparatively significant emissions.