The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of using corn burning heating appliances as an alternative to more traditional natural gas or electric heat. Two models of different sizes and outputs were purchased for the test. The appliances were operated through the winter and into the spring to evaluation their performance.

The equipment was operated following the manufacturer's suggestion. Parameters such as gas composition, ash production and temperature profiles were obtained in order to quantitatively describe the performance of the appliances.

While many natural gas furnaces available to consumers these days reach efficiencies of greater than 95%, solid-fuel appliances remain significantly lower. Observed efficiencies ranged from 10% to 50%, depending on fuel source, method of combustion, and design. Because of the fledgling nature of this industry, performance is not as high as well developed technology, such as gas furnaces, can achieve. However, with enough sustained interest in alternative energy, the application of burning corn for heat shows promise.