Stove Season is Back

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Stove Season Is Back. We Love Our Stoves

Sales of stoves continue to increase month on month. And as the UK public look for ways to reduce their heating bills.

When you have your stove installed you will instantly notice after being cold your home becomes much warmer and cosier.

Always remember NEVER burn damp wood. Indeed or any timber that has been painted or stained as this will give off dangerous fumes!!

Manage the air

As far as your stove is concerned, air comes in two flavours. Primary air feeds the bed of the fire, and secondary air feeds the flames above it. Nearly all the energy from wood comes from burning gases released when it is heated – which means that secondary air is much more important than primary. The golden rules are:

  • Never completely close the secondary air vent. It’s the easiest way to create soot and tar and completely coat the glass on the front of your stove with gunk (a technical term)
  • Remember you’re always looking for a hot, fast burn, as this will be the cleanest, most efficient way of running the stove. A small hot fire is much more efficient than a large slow burning one.

Can we help?

Finally If you would like some assistance this stove season, please do contact us. One of our qualified (HETAS) registered fitters will be happy to help.

local stove installers kent stoves

Ways to Save Using a Wood Stove

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Ways To Save Using A Wood Stove. There are two main types of stoves: multi fuel or wood burning. As such 58% of the people we asked own a wood burning stove, and 42% a multi fuel stove.

Multi fuel stoves can burn pellets as well as wood, but pellet tends to be more expensive.

You can also get wood for free – for example, if you’re able to collect fallen branches from your garden or local wood. But you will need to have space and time to dry the wood out, as wet wood will burn far less efficiently. Burning wood in a multi fuel stove is possible. But because these fuels burn differently, stoves are often optimised for one type. So some can’t burn both wood and pellet efficiently.

A HETAS registered fitter is fully trained in fitting and able to give advice as to the most suitable wood burning stove for the area to be heated.

Ways To Save with a wood burning stove.

  • 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.
  • Professionally installed stove will add value to your property

Seasoning your wood.

Wood being dried should be stacked in open areas under cover where it will be exposed to the sun and the wind. If you put it in a shed, garage, or outdoors in the shade, you will inhibit the seasoning process significantly. Having said this if you are buying pre-seasoned wood from a supplier then any form of dry storage will normally be fine. Just some ways to save with a wood stove.

Can we help?

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. One of our fully qualified (HETAS registered) fitters will be happy to assist.

cheaper winter heating wood burning stove

Heating Bills Increase Yet Again

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Heating Bills Increase Yet Again. 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%. This is 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?

Finally If you are looking to install a new wood burning appliance, please do make contact. 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.

best stove for me

It is time to Service your Stove

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Service Your Stove

Service Your Stove. Make sure you’re ready for the coming months.

As we all know the dreaded winter months will very soon be with us, so if you have a wood burning stove NOW is the time get prepared.

Have you had your chimney cleaned yet?

Ask yourself this, when was the last time you had your stove cleaned and serviced?

If the answer is more than a year ago then you should act now to ensure your stove produces the heat required for your homes comfort.

Wood stoves are cleaner than you think.

Open fireplaces are great, but they are not very energy efficient at approximately 20%. Wood burning stoves are much more efficient, at around 80%, so you get all the benefits of a real fire without most of your money going up the chimney in smoke!

Only burn mature logs – Vital for heat and efficiency.

Wood is a far more environmentally friendly fuel than oil, gas and electricity – and subject to far less price rises. Freshly cut wood contains a lot of water, so you should dry it out before you can burn it. This can take as long as 18-24 months.

It is very unwise to burn wet or unseasoned wood as this will cause a soot build up in your chimney and make your burner very dirty.

Expert advice

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.

Can we assist?

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

Does A Stove Add Value to my Home

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Does A Stove add value to my home? The experts will tell you that indeed it does.

A fireplace and professionally fitted wood stove can add as much as 5% to the value of our home, thanks to its wow factor.  A Stove can also save you a great deal of money. While energy firms have been hiking up the price of gas and electricity by 50% or more this year, the cost of a wood stove has remained constant.

Sales of wooding burning stoves are going to reach record levels this fiscal year. And the future looks very bright and very warm indeed.

HETAS registered installers

To enjoy using a log burner safely and responsibly, it’s important to do your research. Think first about the size of area that needs to be heated. As a rule of thumb, 1kW of heat output for every 14 cubic metres of space is needed. This will make your room 21C when it’s 1C outside.

When it comes to installing a brand-new stove, it is often best to request the help of a professional. A stove is an investment you don’t want to get wrong. As such an incorrectly installed stove could not only perform badly but could also be dangerous.

Contacting a HETAS installer is the best way to get your stove fitted professionally.

Since any changes to your chimney is considered building work, there are a number of building regulations that you will need to adhere to.  The benefit of having a HETAS installer fit your stove is that they already know every wood burning stove regulation, saving you the headache of reading up on them yourself!

Can we help?

If you would like assistance selecting and installing a new log burner, please get in touch and one of our HETAS qualified fitters will be happy to help.

looking t install wood stove 149 ro ls b

Looking to Install or Replace a Wood Stove ?

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Looking to install or replace a Wood Stove? It is strongly recommended to use a certified wood stove.

To be sure a stove meets your needs, choose a HETAS approved one, which comes from an experienced manufacturer. Apart from the safety element, wood stoves have improved so much of late it’s vital to select the correct one for your home.

If you seek professional help the fitter will consider your lifestyle and the type of property you reside in. An open-plan, well insulated home for example can use a stove to cut down fuel bills. The fitter will explain all the advantages and savings that can be made when looking to install.

Professional fitting is vital for safety and home insurance peace of mind.

HETAS approval. Poorly installed stoves do pose very real risks from carbon monoxide poisoning to house fires and smoke inhalation. All of which can have devastating and fatal consequences. It is recommended to use a HETAS qualified fitter. They will install any wood burning appliance to safety and insurance purposes standards. At Kent Stoves all our fitters have Hetas approval.

A new stove offers you style and elegance.

As well as giving you a wonderful source of heat which is ideal during those colder months, wood burning stoves also look great. When you add one to your room, you will find that the wood burner becomes a new focal point. Thus adding character and style to the living space.

The heat output is simply astonishing.

One of the most desirable features and benefits of a wood burner is the heat output it produces. A wood burning stove provides a powerful heat source for your home. As such meaning that the room or rooms get warm very quickly and effectively.

Wood Stove Install Help?

If you require assistance with your current or new stove, please do make contact and one of our fully trained fitters (HETAS) registered will be pleased to guide you.

save money 136-griselade ideal moisture content

Save Money on your Heating Bill this coming Winter

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Save Money on your heating bill this coming winter. Installing a wood burner in your home could save you in the long term a great deal of money. The savings will depend on how efficient your new stove is and the fuel you use.

Crucial – Burning wood with 20% or less moisture will minimise pollutants and increase efficiency. Kiln-dried wood has less than 20% moisture but is more expensive than seasoned logs.

Most stove owners burn seasoned logs, and 23% of the owners told us they collect free wood from local resources.
Just imagine the savings you could make if you could source your own wood to burn free.
A higher-efficiency stove should save you more and potentially cut pollution. New efficient stoves reduce potentially harmful particle emissions by more than 80%, compared with stoves from 10 years ago, according to the Stove Industry Alliance.

Not only are wood stoves becoming more eco-friendly, but they’re also more efficient. This means that more heat is used to heat your home rather than being expelled up the chimney.
An open fire loses as much as 75-80% of the heat through the chimney, making them incredibly inefficient at heating homes.
Is your existing stove older than 10 years?
Older stoves will also have a lower efficiency rating, so if you want to ensure you’re getting more heat into your home, then a new stove would be a wise move. Not only is a more efficient stove better for your wallet as you’re spending less on fuel, but it’s also better for the environment.
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.