Advantages of the masonry heater
Ecologically sound
All « Terre et Flammes » masonry heaters are built with mostly renewable materials, all locally available and guaranteed non toxic.
The fuel used in a masonary heater is wood, a fuel readily available in most of France. Moreover, the very high yield combustion of the wood generates very few ashes and a minimal amount of polluting gases (carbon monoxyde).
Comfort
The best example of radiant heat is that produced by the sun. The sensation perceived by walking through a house heated with a masonary heater is very similar to that felt by standing behind a sun drenched window on a winter day. as opposed to convexion heaters which only warm the air, the radiant heat produced by a masonary heater warms up the walls, the furniture, the air without drying the air, thereby providing an optimal sensation of comfort.
Health
The masonry heater provides heat by generating radiant heat (which warms dense objects rather than just air), as opposed to heat generated by an electric heater which is exclusively based on the principles of convexion (heating by the creation of warm air fluxes). A masonry heater does not generate any flux of air (nor fluxes of dust that often come with convexion systems).
Budget
Wood is a very affordable source of energy. The heating of a 2000 sq ft house (200 m2), well insulated and located in a temprate region of the globe such as France, will require between 6 and 10 cubic meters of wood for a winter, which represents a cost of 250 to 500 euros depending on the region and the type of wood purchased. For the sake of comparison, the heating of a similar house will cost about 2600 euros if heated with electric heaters and 1100 euros if heated with a natural gas-burning furnace (2009 data from ADEME).