woodburning- reducing my footprint? (draft)

In an effort to reduce my environmental impact, I've been looking at heating my house using wood instead of gas or electricity.
Actually, that's a lie. I'm looking at heating using firewood because it feels good to have a fire inside, and because I think it's cheaper. but like all decisions, it includes an environmental aspect, and I'd drop the idea if it was an environmentally bad idea.
In year one, soon after we bought the house, we tried heating using the cute little fireplace in the living room. the previous owner hadn't thought much of it, other than as a decorative feature, so I was cautious when I first tried it. Would it fill the house with smoke? Would it upset a hybernating family of possums or microbats? Would it fail miserably in terms of heating?
As it turns out, the chimney drew the smoke out beautifully, unencumbered by wildlife or old birds nests. We used the Cypress Pine scrap timber we had lying around after renovating, and discovered that it splutters and crackles and sends spearks flying into the lounge room- but it heated the place nicely, and didn't cause the migraines that the LPG gas burning heater did.
Our next step was to buy a cast iron fireplace to hold the sparks in place. an electric fan blew masses of warmth into the house, and a friend delivered a pile of old (unpainted) decking which was destined for the tip. That winter, we were very cosy, and the fireplace paid for itself easily. The fan used a tiny amount of electricity, and we added a timer switch so it squeezed every last bit of warmth into the loungeroom before dying away in the early hours of the morning.




Correct operation: Tips to keep your house warm overnight

•Closing off all air to a fire produces very little heat and a lot of smoke.
•Only turn down the air supply when you have a hot bed of charcoal.
At least half an hour before you go to bed:

•Reload your heater with good quality wood.
•Run it on a high burn rate for 25 minutes.
•Turn the heater down but ensure that a visible flame is maintained.
•Never shut the air flow right down.
•Let the fire burn itself out over night.
Turning the air supply right down does not gain you any advantage, because the wood will only smoulder, creating little heat and a large amount of wood smoke.

Did you know?
To avoid a smouldering fire, consider alternatives to burning overnight. A portable electric heater, appropriate for size of the room being heated, switched on with a timer a short time before you wake will take the chill out of the morning air.
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/air/woodheaters/woodheaters_house_overnight.asp