When Jennifer and Ben Cramer bought an airy old house in Westmoreland County in 2000, they never realized how expensive it would be to heat.

	V.W.H. Campbell, Post-Gazette Jennifer Cramer in the basement of her Herminie home where she and her husband burn shelled corn for heat. The corn furnace is installed next to their fossil fuel furnace and uses the same ductwork. Click photo for larger image.

But, oh, they soon found out, and the result was a few chilly winters. In 2003, their gas bills topped $300 a month -- and that was before gas prices spiked.

So what's a couple to do?

After considerable research and phone calls, they pursued what might seem like an unlikely option:

It was just a kernel of an idea 20 years ago that sprouted into an affordable energy alternative as gas prices rose, and now it's popping up everywhere as people lend an ear to the novel energy concept.

The bad puns give it away: The Cramers decided to install, of all things, a corn furnace.

It's new, but not new age, and has nothing to do with ethanol. They simply start a fire in the special furnace and provide it a steady stream of shelled corn to burn.

Shelled corn is field corn with water content of 15 percent or less -- the same yellow stuff cows eat.

Three years later, the Cramers are so thrilled with their decision, and 70 percent fuel savings, they plan to demonstrate their furnace from 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 9 at their home at 3306 Clay Pike near Herminie in Sewickley Township.

They stand as proof that ever more people are burning corn to stay warm.

LMF Manufacturing in Lock Haven, Clinton County, has been producing corn furnaces since 2001. During its first two years, the company sold 86 furnaces. The past two years it's sold more than 1,000, with dealers in 14 states.

"The key thing that's driving it is the combination of high fossil fuel prices and low corn prices," said Bill Marino, LMF office manager.

Customers tell him they spent $2,000 a year on propane and natural gas, but now spend only $500 a year for corn.

"Corn is nontoxic, doesn't create creosote, its ash is biodegradable and there's no odor," Mr. Marino said.

Mrs. Cramer, 28, teaches 7th grade science in the West Jefferson Hills School District and Mr. Cramer, 30, is a scientist with Bechtel Corp., a Navy contractor, in West Mifflin. So they had no fear trying something novel to reduce their heating bill.

But what forced the decision was the fact Mrs. Cramer became pregnant and the Cramers knew a child could not tolerate 65-degree temperatures in their home.

So they did some research and eventually called Dennis Buffington, a Penn State University professor of agricultural and biological engineering and national expert on using corn for residential heating.

His Web site, burncorn.cas.psu.edu, provides details about burning corn and how its cost compares with other fuels.

Dr. Buffington answered the Cramers' questions, prompting them to give it a try.

"It's gaining popularity," he said, noting a rising number of corn furnace and stove manufacturers nationwide.

Three years ago, the Cramers bought a 100,000 BTU corn furnace for $3,000 and installed it to use the duct work from their gas furnace. They found the best corn prices, which have been as low as $125 a ton.

During seven months when the furnace is working they use about 9 tons or $1,125 for the year, or an average of $160 a month. That sure beats $600 a month they would spend if they were still using gas.

"It's not too bad, especially when you can keep the house warm," Mrs. Cramer said. "The only risk was people laughing at us."

But as Dr. Buffington noted, "It's not for everybody."

A corn furnace requires more work than gas, but an amount Mrs. Cramer describes as "minuscule."

Inside the furnace door one finds a metal burn pot. Corn, stored in a big plastic vat beside the furnace, drops through a hole into an auger that carries it inside the furnace and deposits it in the bottom of the burn pot, where fire burns constantly.

When weather turns cold, a fire must be started inside the burn pot with lighter gel, wood chips and a match. If weather remains cold, the fire will burn all winter long with no need to relight it.

As corn burns, ash rises from the burn pot, much the way popcorn would flow out of an open pot. The ash, or clinker, must be removed every few days. The Cramers use the ash to fertilize their flower beds.

Each day, the Cramers also must scoop corn into the bin. Buying corn, storing it and scooping it into the vat stand as the biggest challenges.

The auger also must be cleaned out and oiled periodically. When the Cramers raise the thermostat on the furnace the auger simply turns faster to feed more corn into the furnace.

Other problems include rodents and birds that feed on corn, which also can mold or mildew if it gets too old or moist. Last winter, the Cramers had hundreds of pounds of corn left over, so they fed it to the birds and deer.

"A critical aspect is how you store corn on the property," Dr. Buffington said. "There's nothing more convenient than natural gas or propane, but you are paying for that convenience."

A common question is whether the Cramers' house smells like popcorn. It doesn't, but every once in a while they get a fleeting smell of corn outside their house, Mrs. Cramer said.

While some people are attracted to the novelty of a corn furnace, others are attracted to price savings. Whatever the impetus, the market for corn as residential fuel is expanding, Dr. Buffington said.

"There's more and more interest in Pennsylvania -- although not as much interest as in the Corn Belt -- but there are a number of manufacturers of corn-burning stoves and boilers, and the numbers are increasing. If you ordered a furnace today, my guess is, you'd be lucky to have it by Christmas."

Concern that people like the Cramers are wasting grain that could be used as food is unfounded. Dr. Buffington's Web site said the world is not experiencing a food production problem, but instead, a problem with food distribution and storage. That's to say, there's plenty of corn available to burn.

Grant Schultz of Nature-Heat, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, company that produces corn boilers for residential heating, said his phone "has been ringing off the hook," and his company has "quadrupled production in the past two years."

Eventually hydrogen fuel cells and photovoltaic cells, or solar power, will take over as primary methods of heating homes, Mr. Schultz said.

But he offered a surprising prediction.

"Corn is going to take over in the meantime."