BERLIN, Conn. -- Many people have turned to a Connecticut company's product as home-heating costs increase further.

BioBricks provide a less expensive alternative to oil, and a Berlin company says the product heats homes more efficiently with an environmentally friendly option.

Tom Engel wanted to go green and help others to the same. So, he's doing it with sawdust.

A few years ago, the engineer discovered compressed pellets made of sawdust in Europe, and not too long after, he set up shop in Berlin to make BioBricks for wood-burning stoves.

"A typical New England house will generate five tons of carbon in atmosphere a year. We just can't do that anymore. What we need to do is burn renewable fuels like wood," Engel said.

The process begins with about nine tons of sawdust. A few hours later, the sawdust is compressed by 160 tons of pressure, turning into nine tons of bricks.

Engel said BioBricks are denser than regular wood, so it burns more consistently.

"When you burn cord wood, you burn a big piece, a little piece, a wet piece, a dry piece -- not all of the wood is at combustion temperature and not all the wood is being burned. So, not all energy is getting into the house," Engel said.

"I've sold 8,000 tons of the material that I produce myself, and I can't possibly meet demand," Engel said.

A package of 20 BioBricks retails for $6 and can burn for about 12 hours.

More Information

Link: BioBricks Web site