For centuries now, man has used fire to warm himself, keep wild animals away, and prepare his food. He still does that today although the methods he uses to accomplish this have changed. With civilization having sprung up, man now has homes but still uses fire and electricity to keep himself warm. Fast forward to the present and many homes have three predominant ways of generating heat to keep warm. One is electricity, the other is gas and the third is the regular fire wood. Firewood is still extremely popular because it is very easy to obtain and simply light a fire and the rest is on autopilot. Electricity is also a matter of turning the switch and the heater warms the house easily and conveniently. The third is by using natural gas.
Gas has become a major way that homes heat themselves. Gas comes into the home through a series of underground pipes which are served by the gas utility company. The gas company therefore charges for the gas much in the same way the electric of phone company does and bills the consumer monthly. A gas heater isa device that is either purchased or is pre-installed in a home and which has a burner that when lit using a gently and steady stream of gas, lights and warms the home using technology called radiant heat. Radiant heat is a method of heating where the heat is spread over a wider block of air and in a more consistent manner. Firewood in turn, uses convenctional means where the flame heats the immediate block of air right above which in turn heats the next one and so forth. Heat is thus spread this way.
There have been many debates regarding firewood heaters and gas heaters. Environmentalists have attacked firewood heaters because they controbuite to deforestation in that trees are cut and thickets are cleared. This robs animals of their natural habitats, interferes with water reserviors and also affects the climate of the globe for the worse.
The smoke that emanates from firewood also gets into the atmosphere and decreases the quality of air and causes lung inflamations which can cause breathing anomalies and even death. This is much the same way as cigarette smoke. Firewood heaters have also become a target of ridicule among many politicians, scientists and environmentalists.
Gas heaters on the other hand give off little or no smoke. This contributes to a cleaner atmosphere and a better quality of air. Natural gas comes from the ground and its mining does not interfere in any way form or fashion with the global ecosystems and water catchment areas. Environments have therefore prefered heating homes and buildings using natural gas rather than cutting trees. They contend that there are more trees cut than are planted and many of the people and companies which cut trees do not replace them and this is what is causing global warming, changes in sea level, extinction of certain animals species due to the disappearance of their natural homes and lesser oxygen in the air.