For the serious fire lover, you may want to invest in hardwoods like oak, ash, hickory, walnut and fruit trees such as apple or cherry.

Hardwoods are denser woods that burn hotter and longer than softwoods, but you’ll 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.)

There is absolutely no point in burning unseasoned wood as you will be boiling water, and this is just inefficient and bad for the environment.

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

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. Read more

We’re living in a very different world than we were only 15 or 20 years ago. The general public has become a lot more aware of environmental concerns and carbon footprints, and we have seen an increase in trends associated with a sustainable and ecological way of life.

Wood burning stoves have captured the interest of many homeowners; the combination of cheap heating and a cosy focal point within the property is an appealing idea. As a result, there are currently an estimated 1.5 million households in the UK with a wood burning stove, with around 200,000 more stoves being sold every year.

Many people believe a wood burning stove to be a significant step towards lowering their environmental impact, relying on a sustainable resource to heat their properties rather than purchasing energy from the central grid – much of which is generated by the burning of carbon-heavy fossil fuels. But how accurate is this idea? Are wood burners actually good for the environment? Read more

Sales of wood burning stoves continue to increase month on month as the UK public look for ways to reduce their heating bills. As the pound unfortunately gets weaker the cost of imported fuel rises, with the uncertain time ahead the UK public are turning to alternative ways of heating.

Installing a wood stove could go a long way to solving some of the issues. Using a wood burner as back up heating really makes sense as the heat generated can help reduce central heating cost massively.

Once you have installed the burner it is very important to use it to maximize efficiency and there some very simple rules to follow. One the majority of owners ignore is air circulation. Read more

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

Installing a wood burning stove is a real alternative, these days they 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. Facts are a professionally installed wood stove can increase the value of your home.

Installing a wood stove

If you have an existing chimney installing a wood stove is relatively easy. The fitter will usually insert a liner inside the existing chimney from the burner to the exit point. For straight chimneys this can made up of sections of jointed metal pipe, which can be either single or double skinned. A double skin is more airtight and lasts longer than a single skin but of course costs more. Read more

People tend 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 this 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. Essentially, you should be harvesting your wood about 18 months in advance of when you actually plan to burn it, if you want to guarantee that it will be properly seasoned. Read more