These days, humans have gotten all fancy-schmancy with their gas and electric water heaters. Heck ... thanks to a fire burning away in the barrel stove of [Lou’s] own construction.

A few sections of pipe are welded into the chimney section to heat the water as it passes through, and then an enclosure is made for the stove to provide insulation and improve its efficiency.

Changing from gas to climate-friendly electric appliances often involves expensive retrofits. A growing list of companies ...