Heating Bills Increase Yet Again

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It is a fact that fuel bills are set to rise significantly in the near future.

The price rises are expected to be in the region of between 8% and 15%, at least for electricity, which means your energy bills could take a definite hit.

The impact on a typical household bill could be an extra £200-£500 plus a year.

Research shows that an average family are spending over £180 per month just heating a 3-bedroomed house, just imagine this increasing by 10% and how that will affect your family budget.

Explore the alternatives and save money

A wood burning stove could be the answer to reducing these potential rises, stove sales are at the highest we have ever seen for this time of year as homeowners prepare for the future.

A wood burning stove is a highly efficient source of heat delivering over 80% economy in many cases.

The new generation of stoves are clean and extremely easy to use making them a must for the majority of homes. A wood burner can be up to 75% cheaper to run than an electric heater and 29% cheaper than a gas effect fire.

Installing a stove can obviously save you money and is something to consider for the future. Make sure you do your homework before deciding as selecting the wrong model for your home could have a detrimental effect.

Can we assist?

If you are looking to install a new wood burning appliance, please do make contact and one of our qualified fitters (HETAS registered) will be happy to guide you.

 

Eco-Design ready stoves

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Why invest in a wood stove??

Research estimates that between a quarter and a third of all London’s fine-particle pollution comes from domestic wood burning. Eco-design Ready stoves are even better for the environment. However, it turns out that 70% of wood burning emissions comes from open fireplaces, not stoves!

While most modern wood burners are greener than their ageing counterparts, Eco-design Ready stoves are even better for the environment.

All wood burning stoves must comply with the eco-design European directive in a bid to tackle air pollution and particulate emissions. Many stove manufacturers are beating the directive to the punch and producing Eco design Ready stoves that exceed the directive by as much as 75%.

Advantages of a wood burning stove are numerous!

  • The net fuel cost is cheaper than heating oil, natural gas, and electricity.
  • Wood sourced locally can be free.
  • Fuel in the form of logs, wood chips, brush clippings is renewable, and sustainable.
  • Wood supply prices are relatively stable and have been for years.
  • Professionally installed stove will add value to your property.

If you combine these advantages with the elegance a wood burner brings to your home its worth considering without a doubt.

Due to rising fuel bills homeowners are seeking alternative cost-effective heating options.

Wood burning stoves are a real alternative, these days they really do offer an impressive range of options to meet your home’s needs. Long gone are the days when wood burners were seen as an ugly and dirty heating source.

Help needed?

If you would like to explore your heating options, please do make contact and one of our qualified fitters (HETAS registered) will be happy to assist.

HETAS Registered Stove Installers

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Hetas Registered

When installing a new wood stove always use a Hetas registered fitter. (HETAS)

The installation of a wood burner must comply with building regulations. The easiest way to do this is to use a qualified fitter.

HETAS-registered installers deal with wood, solid-fuel and biomass domestic heating appliances and can self-certify that their work complies with building regulations, so it’s safe and legal.

Benefits of using a registered fitter

  • Safety
  • Easier to insure your home
  • Peace of mind
  • Total burner efficiency

Could this be a money saver?

At first glance, it would appear that installing a wood-burner is a costly exercise. With owners spending upwards of £1000 to get one installed. However, the long-term financial benefits are far more appealing as they can result in reducing the cost of other fuel sources.

Excellent quality dry wood can be found in most areas and prices differ from supplier to supplier. Obviously if you can source your own then the savings are huge!!

Wood stoves and the environment

This summer we are seeing more people installing wood stoves than ever before. Mainly due to the cost savings they can provide. One question our fitters are always asked is how environmentally friendly are they?  The green benefits of burning wood are gaining wider and wider support.

Burning wood cleanly only releases the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere as from a tree when it is left to rot naturally as it would do at the end of its lifecycle. What is more, harvested trees are replaced with new trees, which in turn absorb CO2 in the process of photosynthesis as they grow. So, in short, good!!

Can we assist?

If you are thinking of installing a new wood stove, please do get expert advice as fitting the incorrect stove could prove costly.

Should you require assistance please do make contact and one of our fully qualified fitters will be happy to assist.

 

 

What Are Seasoned Logs ?

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Seasoned Logs

Installing a wood stove? Seasoned Logs are important. Please do following the following.

For your protection and safety, you should always have a fully qualified HETAS registered professional install your wood/pellet burning appliance. At Kent Stoves, we will evaluate everything for you to ensure your safety and maximise efficiency.

Your wood is the key to superb heat and efficiency!

Basically, the wood you need to burn should be hardwood that has matured for at least 18-24 months. Another thing to consider is storage of your wood, you will need space to store, keep dry and ventilated.

The secret to a good fire, is wood that has been seasoned for more than a year. In the case of oak, you’ll want to season the wood at least two years, sometimes longer. Much of the wood for sale now is actually green and needs another year to season.

Seasoned wood burns better than green wood, because it produces more heat and less creosote build-up in the fireplace and chimney.

Green or unseasoned wood, on the other hand, is hard to light and difficult to keep burning. If your wood smoulders and burns poorly with little heat, it’s probably green wood. That’s because unseasoned wood has a lot of liquid inside.

Fact, one fresh-cut cord of oak is said to have enough water to fill as much as six 55-gallon drums.

You can tell if wood is seasoned by looking at it. On the outside, seasoned wood probably looks grey and dusty from sitting around for a while.

Can we assist?

If you are looking to install a new wood burning stove, please do make contact and one of our qualified fitters will be happy to guide you.