Some basics about corn stoves and the corn cooperative...
(more on the About Us page)
Why would I want to burn corn to heat my home?
Here’s just 3 main reasons: By burning corn, you can save money, protect the environment, and support a local farmer and sustainable agriculture. And there are many more…
What is the corn coop?
The corn coop, also known as the "Save Our Sky Home-Heating Cooperative", is an organization of DC-area households which purchases and stores corn in an urban grain bin to make it more convenient and affordable to burn corn as a primary heating source.
How can I save money by burning corn?
Most members spend from $200 – $500 per heating season. Depending on the other heating system in your house and how much corn you burn, you can save anywhere from a couple hundred to several hundred dollars per year, especially compared with the rising cost of natural gas, oil and electricity. Many of our members use a corn stove (or two) as their primary or only heating source, and can expect to spend about $3-5 a day to heat their homes.
How can I help protect the environment by burning corn?
Pretty much any type of fuel that you burn to heat your home releases carbon dioxide (CO2), the most common green house gas that contributes to global warming. When you burn corn, it releases no more CO2 than it absorbed while it was growing. In fact, it releases LESS CO2 than it absorbed because much of it is still stored in the plant stalk and the roots in the ground. Compare that to burning fossil fuels, where you are releasing all the stored up CO2 and creating more global warming pollution.
How can I support a local farmer & sustainable agriculture by burning corn?
While much of the corn grown in the US using conventional methods is very energy, fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide intensive, the corn we purchase for the corn coop comes from a Mennonite farmer in Mt Airy, MD. It is Non-GMO, organically fertilized, and grown using a "no/low-till" method which minimizes soil erosion and keeps more climate-warming carbon dioxide locked in the soil.