Maurice Andre

Troy:
Thank you for the advice.
This looks like the same concept as the Austrian tile stove.

http://www.kachelofenverband.com/gallery/tiled-stove/

We have family in Germany that uses the Austrian tile stove.
Beautiful.
And their's even has the towel drying racks.
Great  "way to go", but like the efficient wood stoves, very expensive.

Thank you again.

http://jotul.com/us/products/wood-stoves/jotul-f-50-tl-rangeley

Found a stove that can probably heat my house.
It has the specifications equal to the old Timberline.
Only one problem:
The stove costs $2,649.00

Glenn;
Travis;
Troy;
Angelika:

Thank you to all for your advice and input.
I appreciate that you took the time.
I will continue looking at the more efficient stoves.

Merry Christmas.

Glenn:
Thank you for the advice.
Catalytic stoves have a lot of problems.  The catalytic converters burn out, and are expensive to replace.
My choice would be the new down drafters.
But I need one that is big enough to heat our entire house, and vents from the rear.
My friends with more efficient stoves and furnaces do not use any less wood than I do.
You are probably correct on the subject of pollution.

Travis:
Anthracite coal is a good "way to go".
I prefer wood.
My problem:  not available in my area at a reasonable price.

A lot of information.
Thank you.
My experience:
An old "Fisher type" type stove from the 1970's:  560 pound Timberline (basically a Fisher with a baffle plate).
It heats the house 24/7.
Will hold a fire all night with ease.
Unless it is extremely cold:  no need to add wood until morning.
Advice:
Hardwood only:  hickory, ash, hedge apple, red and white oak.
All my fire wood is at least a year old:  keep two year supply of wood.
Burn the stove open except overnight.
I have very little creosote.
Heat my chalet with about 4 cords.  (A cord is 128 cubic feet of wood).
We also have a heat pump for back-up, but the stove can heat the house at any temperature and wind combination.
I like the looks of the modern wood stoves, but they do not appear very heavy duty.
Open mind.
Comments welcome.