My friends will come over to my house and be taken aback by how warm it is. It was built over two centuries ago, so they always expect it to be drafty or cold when they walk in. It never is though, because homes just aren’t made the way they used to be anymore. My friends will then insist that I have some sort of furnace with an endless amount of pipes and radiators, or a large boiler in the basement. When I tell them the only source of heat I have, they are stunned all over again. My house is heated through a wood stove in the living room. I have yet to feel the need for a furnace or any sort of central heating because the stove works so well. The stove is much larger than the basic models because it was created with the sole purpose of warming the entire house. While a fireplace requires a lot of maintenance to keep the flames in proper condition, the wood stove is the complete opposite. Especially if I close the flue, I don’t need to tend to the fire for hours at a time. For this reason, I make sure to close the flue when I am turning in for the night or having a lot of friends over. The last thing I want is to have to constantly break out of a conversation with my friends to tend to the firewood. The best part is the amount of money I save. I am not using any gas or electricity, so my utility bill stays nice and low throughout the winter. I just buy enough wood to last through the cold months and keep it stored in the house so that it’s always there to keep me nice and toasty throughout the winter.