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Background, aim, and scope In this study, we evaluate the environmental effects of wood-based household heating. Wood is a significant source of household heating in Norway, and a comparative life cycle assessment of a wood-based heating system using an old and a modern stove was conducted to estimate the total life cycle benefits associated with the change from old to new combustion technology. Materials and methods The study uses a new approach to complete the inventory. Input-output data are used in combination with the Leontief price model to estimate inputs of products and services from the background economy to the birch wood supply chain. Results When comparing new and old stove technology, the results show that the new technology contributes to a significantly improved performance (28-80%) for all types of environmental impact studied. As there is a large share of old wood stoves still in use, replacing the old stoves with new ones can lead to substantial reductions in environmental impacts, especially impacts affecting human health. The use phase, i.e., wood combustion, is responsible for over 60% of the impact within all categories. Both the old and new stove provide heating with emissions of greenhouse gases ranging from one third (new stove, ∼80 g CO 2 -eq/kWh) to half (old stove, ∼110 g CO 2 -eq/kWh) of the impacts compared to electricity use from the Nordic electricity mix (∼210 g CO 2 -eq/kWh) to heat the house.

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