The Eco Firebox Is Something Old, Something New, And Something Beautiful

New Englanders love their wood, and for good reason: it’s a renewable resource that can provide us with a heat and cooking source without the use of fossil fuels.

But there’s a downside. When wood is burned either inside a furnace or a wood stove, it releases emissions that harm air quality, such as carbon monoxide and creosote. Some New England towns, as well as some states in the western United States, now have restrictions on wood stoves and boilers because of the problems they create, as wood smoke can be as harmful to air quality as second-hand cigarette smoke.

However, Les Veilleux’s new product, the Eco Firebox, is allowing area residents to leverage our abundance of wood through a European combustion technology that’s actually been around for centuries.  But to call the Eco Firebox a technology is misleading; it can be a magnificent work of art that not only heats homes with extraordinary efficiency, but also turns an ordinary fireplace into a home’s gorgeous epicenter that consistently amazes friends and family.

Les Veilleux, who has been installing Eco Fireboxes for the past 2 years in New England, is one of those people who succeeds at just about everything he touches: at various times in his career, he’s been a software executive, masonry business owner, as well as a commercial photographer. Now, he’s combining his technological acumen with his masonry roots to tap into the enormous potential the Eco Fireboxes offer.

“My family has a deep background in masonry, and the Eco Firebox uses the ability of stone to store heat, which traditional fireplaces simply can’t do,” Veilleux explained.   “And it uses much less wood than a wood stove does, so once it’s installed, your wood consumption, and your need to store wood, drop dramatically.”

With a traditional wood stove much of the heating value in the wood literally goes up in smoke. “When you heat a stick of wood, it breaks down the stored carbon from a solid to a gas. Those gases store 80% of the wood’s heat, and since wood stoves and fireplaces natively cannot reach high enough temperatures to incinerate these (approximately 600°), this heat potential is lost. You need 900°+ to burn those gases, which the Eco Firebox is designed to do,” said Veilleux. Despite delivering temperatures high enough to burn gases, the Eco Firebox is completely safe to the touch for people and pets. In addition, it evenly releases heat for 24 hours, eliminating the need to babysit the fire all day and load up wood overnight like you would with a wood or pellet stove.

“The Eco Firebox maximizes the true potential of wood, even when the fire isn’t actively burning inside,” said Veilleux.  “And the heat from an Eco Firebox doesn’t dry out the air like a wood stove does, so it feels more comfortable inside your house.”

Beyond the efficiency and health benefits – children are particularly sensitive to the noxious chemicals released when burning wood in the traditional sense – the Eco Firebox itself can be integrated into a home’s décor, regardless of whether the decor is modern or rustic. And it’s a fraction of the cost of most masonry heaters.

Plus, unlike many pellet heaters, the Eco Firebox doesn’t require electricity, making it an attractive option for New Englanders who must brave power outages, and the attendant heat losses, with increasing frequencies. “Eco Fireboxes can’t get your power back on, but they’ll keep you plenty warm during winter power outages,” Veilleux remarked.

And when homeowners see the finished product, they’re often astounded by the Firebox’s versatility and beauty. In Tamworth, they installed an Eco Firebox in a Victorian home for a young family with a child allergic to wood smoke. “We built a see-thru Eco Firebox in the middle of the house between the kitchen and living room to maintain the open feel of their floorplan. It serves as a primary heat source for this 2,000+ square-foot home, as well as a warm and cozy gathering spot for the family, so we also added a bake oven on the kitchen side and several heated benches,” described Veilleux.   

For a homeowner in Vermont, Veilleux used New Hampshire granite to customize the outside of the Eco Firebox to the homeowner’s desired shape and size. “This homeowner is wheelchair bound, so we custom designed a heated seat that he could get in and out of easily.” For another homeowner in Newcastle, Veilleux is constructing a unit using stucco, “We aid our customers in making their Eco Firebox an expression of their personal style. This client loves Italy, so we created a modern take on the Tuscan kitchen,” says Veilleux. The core of the Eco Firebox maximizes design flexibility, and can even be incorporated into an existing fireplace. “I always call our core the pimento of the olive,” laughs Veilleux, “whether you choose, green, black, or kalamata for the exterior, it’s up to you.”

Eco Firebox can design the exterior, and has privileged partnerships with companies offering everything from hand-carved hearths and mantels to reclaimed antique tile salvaged from a Parisian café. “We extend veneer options that we consider best-in-class to our clients, but they are free to select the exterior masonry materials from whomever they choose,” he says. However, choices aren’t limited to custom Eco Fireboxes. Veilleux also offers freestanding models with an array of exterior options, from polished concrete in various shades to thin granite or brick veneers.  

It seems odd that the Eco Firebox represents somewhat of a breakthrough in wood-burning technology, but this type of combustion system is hundreds of years old; it’s only been imported across the ocean because of the realization that the way Americans burn smoke is quite harmful, despite its broad romantic appeal. Before 1950, 90% of Americans used wood for heat. While that percentage declined precipitously in the 1970’s because of the abundance of fossil fuels, New England still has the heaviest concentration of wood stoves per capita. “It’s a shame that we’re so slow to adopt a change when the statistics are so compelling,” he says referring to the federal government’s wood stove changeover program. Within the first year of being instituted, 3,300 signed up, resulting in an estimated $16 million in healthcare savings, and the removal of 125 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

To help expand his reach in New England, Eco Firebox has joined the Green Alliance, which connects sustainable businesses with burgeoning eco-conscious communities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, facilitates green purchasing decisions for consumers. Green Alliance members get discounts with Eco Firebox, as well as discounts at 90 other green businesses.

“In addition to the savings the Eco Firebox can bring in terms of reducing heating bills and wood consumption, I think Green Alliance members can certainly appreciate the efficiency and sustainability of these systems,” noted Veilleux, “With the price of oil on an upward swing, the recognition that wood stoves and boilers present health problems, and alternative technologies decades away from fruition, it’s those opting for energy solutions today that truly make a difference.”

For more information:

Eco Firebox: www.ecofirebox.org

Green Alliance:  www.greenalliance.biz