Evaluation of possible energy savings through energy efficiency increase in domestic wood stoves

The present work is concerned with the utilization of wood as energy source in the existing wood stoves and cook stoves in Chile, focused on determining which changes in the operation of real stoves could lead to substantial energy savings. A survey was made all over the country to determine the models presently being used, and also for estimating the fuel wood consumption per family. An adiabatic chamber was designed and built in order to determine experimentally the average efficiency of the most common appliances and also the possible efficiency increases by variation of the operating conditions. The average total efficiency was found to be approximately 25% and 40% for stoves and cook stoves, respectively and the efficiency improvement, with respect to these values, due to changes in the operating conditions was found to be approximately up to 100% and 12% for stoves and cook stoves, respectively. Finally an estimation was made of the possible wood savings that may be obtained according to the optimal, experimentally obtained efficiency for the appliances and the possible wood savings resulting from the eventual introduction of more efficient modern wood-burning stoves. These savings were economically evaluated at different fuel prices.