Heating with Corn

Tired of soaring gas prices? Some growers have turned to fields of corn to solve their energy woes.

It takes a lot of fuel to heat Heath Perry's 14,000 sq. ft. of greenhouses in Bancroft, South Dakota . And when the price of propane gas rises, the increased cost of providing this heat can take a big bite out of Heath's profits.

That's why Heath, who for a decade has run Heath's Greenhouse, took a chance on corn five years ago.

Heath purchased two Countryside Corn Stoves from American Energy Systems, a manufacturer of corn- and wood-burning stoves based in Hutchinson , Minnesota . The stoves heat one of Heath's greenhouses, an 800-sq. ft. facility that he uses for seeding and propagating and one that he must keep warm from January through May-months that are home to some particularly bitter weather in South Dakota. Each furnace provides 50,000 Btu worth of heat; with corn currently costing Heath a relatively low $2.20 a bushel, the cost savings are substantial.

"I like my corn stoves so much, I've even put one in my house," Heath raves. "Besides the savings, I also like the fact that it's a renewable resource. You can grow it yourself or purchase it from local grain elevators. If you grow it yourself, it's even cheaper."

Alternative Fuels are Less Costly

With fuel prices reaching all time highs, consurmers are avidly trying to save money wherever possible.

• 1 Bushel of Shelled Corn = 5.5 Gal. of LP
• 1 Bushel of Shelled Corn = 3.6 Gal. of Fuel Oil
• 1 Bushel of Shelled Corn = 148 Kilowatt Hours of Electricity
• 1 Bushel of Shelled Corn = 5.94 C.C.F. of Natural Gas

With these figures taken into account, the average savings would be around $10.00. However, not all consumers would benefit from the use of a corn stove. The price of the corn stove, the frequency of use, and the size of the facility to be heated must be taken into consideration.

• Residential Corn Burners provide 10,000 - 75,000 BTU's
• Commerical Corn Burners provide up to 300,000 BTU's

As the number of BTU's increases, the price of the corn burner also rises. Consumers desiring to heat large areas may not experience any financial savings because they would need to purchase several corn burners to heat their faclilities. However,  those who need to heat facilities for long periods of time would most likely see a return on their purchase of a corn burner.

Another Success Story

Lyle Mensch, owner of Mensch's Greenhouse in Avon , South Dakota , also uses a Countryside Corn Stove. Lyle's stove helps heat a corner of his 15,000-sq. ft. rooting greenhouse, a corner that has always been cold. The stove, which sits in the northwest corner of the greenhouse, provides an extra heating boost to the gas furnace that provides most of the heat to the facility.

Lyle, who purchased his corn stove last fall, runs it 24 hours a day during the winter. He expects the appliance, which he bought for about $2,500, to soon begin paying for itself.

"It does keep one of my other boilers from going on by providing that little extra bit of heat," Lyle says. "That does us some good. If we can keep our other boilers from firing as much as possible, we can save money in the long run." The stove is also easy to operate. Lyle simply fills the stove with corn pellets each day. He then dumps the resulting ash once a week. And, no, the burning corn doesn't make his greenhouse smell like popcorn.

"It's kind of a nice appliance," Lyle says. "And when it's cold out, I truly enjoy standing next to it."