Acting now for a warmer winter

Wood stove owners 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. To make life a lot easier you can buy a moisture content meter to measure your woods consistency, ask locally or search the www.

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.

Summer time is a great time to season wood, just make sure the air can flow round the stacked timber for efficient drying. Read more

Sales of wood burning stoves are increasing year on year, but this year has seen exceptional growth compared to the same period last year. The strange thing is that the summer is normally quieter than the winter months, but this year is completely different as sales and maintenance enquiries keep rising.

When you look at the facts these figures are not that surprising especially as traditional heating costs seem to be increasing daily. The increases we are told are down to the looming Brexit talks and the weaker pound so if this is the case will they ever reduce?

Homeowners have responded to these increases by looking for alternative forms of heating and a log burning stove is very high on the wish list.

As the cost of electricity, oil and gas remains sky high, heating a property can be extremely expensive. Although the initial cost of a wood burner may be more than a gas fire, it will certainly save you money in the long run. When used efficiently, a kilowatt of heat per hour costs about one fifth of kWh of electricity and about one third of kWh of oil and gas. Read more

At first glance, it would appear that installing a wood-burner is a costly exercise, with owners spending upwards of £540 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.

Wood burning stoves are getting rave reviews and are now a very serious alternative to any other form of secondary heating. Households up and down the country are looking for cheaper alternatives due to the frantically rising traditional energy supplies. Wood burners come in all shapes and colours these days and will enhance any household.

It is vitally important to have the appliance installed professionally by a HETAS registered fitter and once done will increase the value of your property.

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 generous indeed. Read more

A professionally fitted wood burning stove can save you hundreds on annual fuel bills but do make sure your new burner is suitable for your home. Many people tend to install without seeking professional advice, this is fine, but if you want to get total efficiency do seek advice from a qualified fitter.

One thing is for sure, if you have a stove fitted and you are selling your property the buyer is likely to want to see a certified certificate for the installation of the stove.

Homes with a certified fitted boiler can be worth a lot more money when selling, also bear in mind some insurance companies will not accept the risk unless the stove has been professionally fitted.

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.    Read more

Why would you want to install and use a stove in the first place?

There are plenty of benefits of using a wood stove for your residential heat. The most obvious is the cleanliness of burning wood, which gives off less particulate matter and is a renewable resource, unlike gas-powered alternatives. Another chief benefit is the cost efficiency as wood can cost a great deal less than electricity and gas.

Not to mention a professionally installed stove can add value to your property. Read more