With colder weather reportedly on its way, how do you stay warm? More likely than not it’s by turning up the central heating.

However, a growing number of people are opting for renewable heating sources instead such as wood burning stoves.

These claim to not only be good for the environment but also a way to cut the cost of your energy bills plus add value to your property. Estate agents will tell you that a house with a wood burning stove usually adds value to the property.

But are they just a fad or can you make some real savings?
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A wood burning stove can be installed virtually anywhere in the your home, providing there is a way to run a vent pipe to the outside of the house. This means you can zone-heat any room or space making your home warmer.

Exceptionally good heating

The biggest advantage homeowners have with a wood burning stove is the quality of heat the burner will give off. Woods stoves operate on the principal of radiant heat, which warms an area faster and more efficiently than warm air being blown through a home’s vent system. The powerful heat from a wood stove radiates from all sides of the unit as well as the top, sending warmth in all directions making your home warmer. Fitted in a central position in your home you will be amazed how the rest of your house suddenly gets a whole lot warmer. Read more

Wood burning stoves are good for the environment.

The “green” benefits of burning wood are gaining wider and wider support every year. Burning wood cleanly only releases the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere from a tree as when it is left to rot naturally as it would do at the end of its life cycle. What is more, harvested trees are replaced with new trees, which in turn absorb CO2 in the process of photosynthesis as they grow.

The important aspect of this argument is that the wood is burnt correctly, using a modern, efficient stove that employs secondary and even tertiary burning. As a result of these extra burning systems, as much of the combustible material as possible is used to generate heat. This also will reduce the amount of alternative gas or electricity you would have used which again is good for the environment. Read more

Are you thinking of installing one in your home? Sales of stoves this year have increased at a rate never seen before as homeowners strive to reduce their energy bills. These days stoves come in all shapes and sizes and you are sure to find one to meet your wishes.

One of the big mistakes new users make is the wood they burn, it is vital for efficiency to follow the guide below.

Seasoned logs

Make Sure You Season Your Firewood for the Proper Amount of Time

People have a tendency to underestimate just how much moisture firewood contains. Nothing will cause your stove to function less efficiently than to fill it with green wood, so to avoid the problem you should begin the seasoning process in the early spring if you want your wood to be ready by the next winter. If you plan to use any wood that is larger than normal, you will need to set it out to dry even earlier than that. Essentially, you should be harvesting your wood about a year in advance of when you actually plan to burn it, if you want to guarantee that it will be properly seasoned. Read more

Winter is now with us and a wood burning stove will heat your homes to the maximum.

The trouble is with our busy lifestyles we tend not to check what is important to us until it goes wrong. Here are some very easy ways to ensure your stove is giving you maximum efficiency.

Check Your Door Seal for Leakage

Your wood stove door should fit tightly to keep the heat of the fire concentrated inside. To check it, you can lay a five pound note across the door gasket lengthwise and then close the door with the note still in it. If you can pull your money out with a quick tug, your door is too loose and you will want to tighten the latch described in your manufacturer’s instruction manual. If your gasket shows signs of wear or damage, you will need to replace it immediately. Read more