Wood burners make great focal points for interiors, they are cleaner and more efficient than open fireplaces, and save you money on your heating bills.

If you’re dreaming of installing one, you’re in good company – over 200,000 are installed each year in the UK.

To enjoy using a log burner safely and responsibly, it’s important to do your research.

Wood burners are a great way of bringing the comfort of a real fire into your home, even if you don’t have a vast amount of space.

Should you live in an urban area that is smoke-controlled, you’ll need to check the stove you are buying is approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and meets regulatory requirements.

Expert advice

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

Can we help?

If you require assistance, please do make contact and one of our fully qualified fitters will be happy to help.

Stoves add value. The appeal of a natural fire is far more than just aesthetic. It can also prove a shrewd investment.

A fireplace and professionally fitted wood stove can add as much as 5% to the value of your home, thanks to its wow factor.

It can also save you money. While energy firms have been hiking up the price of gas and electricity by 40% or more this year, the cost of a wood stove has remained constant.

Research shows that an average family are spending over £250 per month just heating a 3-bedroomed house.

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 50% 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.

Looking for a new stove? Considerations you need to take into account when choosing your new wood stove.

When you browse the internet you will see lots of lovely looking options, now is the time to be prepared. Do your research and list down your requirements, then seek the advice of a fully qualified HETAS fitter who will point you in the right direction.

Wood only or multi-fuel?

A dedicated wood burner can be the most efficient so It’s worth considering if you’re never going to want to burn other fuels.

This issue is one you will need to spend time on. As such ask yourself if you will ever want to burn other fuels, such as pellets? Get the opinion of the fitter as they will be able to inform you of the plus’s and minus’s, thus ensuring you make the correct choice.

Air wash

If you want to see the flames, which no doubt you do, the stove needs a window that stays clean. So you want an Air wash model. This pulls air into the stove that blows across the glass so when it’s working right the soot and tar doesn’t reach the glass.

Clean burning

Yes please no doubt. Of course, the cleaner the better. “clean burning” is a marketing term it’s not a quantifiable standard. It refers to a system where additional air is introduced to the gasses above the fire, allowing more combustion. This burns off more of the gasses that would have gone up the chimney. So it should give a higher heat output for the same amount of wood.

Help required?

Finally are you looking for a new stove? If you would like help choosing or fitting a new wood burner please do make contact and one of our fully qualified HETAS engineers will be happy to help

Seasoning your wood is a must for efficiency

Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you will need to let them season for up to 2 years.  (Ash is an exception and can be burnt a bit earlier although the wood burns best when seasoned.)

You will find Wood stoves – Hardwood is a must for efficiency and the environment.

that hardwood is more expensive to purchase than softwood like pine and fir. But the hardwood burns longer so you’ll need less wood and in turn save money.

Heat efficiency and cost effectiveness

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.

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. But on the inside, it’s often dry and white, usually lighter than on the outside. New wood, on the other hand, looks like it came fresh from the timber mill with the same colour throughout the wood.

Can we assist?

If you would like help selecting and installing a new wood burning stove, please do make contact. We have fully qualified (HETAS) fitters and advisers waiting to take your enquiry.

Looking forward to winter?  You know the feeling – it’s cold and rainy outside, the wind is howling, and the sun went down hours ago.

But when you’re curled up on the sofa in front of a warm and toasty wood stove, you won’t give the weather a second thought.

And don’t think a wood-burning stove is only the preserve of a grand country pile – there are plenty of colours, shapes and sizes to choose from, so even if your decor is ultra-modern or you’ve only got a compact space to slot one in, rest assured there’s a wood burner for you.

Vital!

Plus, they will help cut your energy bills, giving off enough heat to warm an entire room. So if you’ve been thinking about investing in a wood-burning get some professional advice. Read more