Got wood?You might want to consider it

Tommy Goode uses a wood splitter to prepare firewood for sale Friday. He said he has seen a large increase in firewood sales because of skyrocketing fuel prices. The Goode family has been in the firewood and lumber business for 30 years. (Ledger photo by Tara Jennings) Gaffney’s Goode family has been in the firewood and lumber business for 30 years.

Tommy Goode has seen wood heat lose popularity over the years. But with increased gas prices, wood heat may be voted most likely to succeed this winter.

Natural gas prices are increasing, causing many people to opt for wood heat instead of paying the higher prices which the Department of Energy is predicting will be a third to a half higher this winter than last for most families across the country. That’s an average of $350 more for natural gas users and $478 more for fuel oil users.

“A fellow on Marietta Street told the gas company to come pick up his gas tank and he went to Lowe’s and spent $600 for a wood stove,” Goode said.

The rising prices are blamed largely on hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which damaged oil and natural gas installations and disrupted production.

And that prospect is sending people out in droves for wood stoves and, especially, wood pellet stoves. Manufacturers are already weeks, even months behind in orders.

Pellet stoves, which run between $1,800 to $3,000, use small wood pellets sold in 40-pound bags for a few dollars each. On average, a home uses one bag a day. While the initial cost of buying the stove and pellets won’t save money, the savings come in the long run, said Leslie Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.

Tommy Goode said he hasn’t encountered too many people heating with wood pellet stoves, but said many people are opting for electric instead of gas packs. Many more are heating with wood.

“I’ve seen a good increase in sales,” he said. “A lot of people are wanting bigger loads of firewood.”

Tommy Goode’s father, Thad, and his uncles Donnie and Johnny have been in the firewood and pulp-wooding business in Cherokee County since the 1970s. Goode said a load of firewood ranges from $40 to $115 depending on size.

Outside wood stoves are also becoming more popular because of their efficiency and cleanliness. Installation costs for those stoves range from $5,000 to $10,000, he said.

Environmental groups caution homeowners to use their heat source efficiently. Brendan Bell, Sierra Club energy analyst, said people need to make sure wood stoves don’t leak and that they aren’t using moldy wood.

‘‘The money you invest in a new wood stove would probably be better spent in buying a new gas furnace that is more efficient,’’ Bell said. ‘‘That’s what’s best for the environment and your pocketbook.’’

In Alaska, one official voices a different concern: Ernie Misewicz, Fairbanks deputy fire marshal, predicts all the new wood stoves will lead to more fires, as they did in the late 1970s when the price of fuel skyrocketed.

‘‘There was an abundance of wood out there. In a year or so, we started seeking a spike in the number of fires related to wood stoves,’’ he said.

Environmental and fire warnings aside, the quest for alternative heat and that all important price break continues across the country.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)