Uncategorised Archives | Page 33 of 39

Heating bills hurting your budget?

15th November 2017/by Steve Grant

Heating your home is a very costly exercise and the likelihood of it reducing in the near future is almost nil. Here’s a story that may inspire you.

“Last winter’s gas bills meant it was time to act. An engineer from Kent Stoves confirmed the idea was going to work well for us. We got the old gas fire and pipework removed, measured up our fireplace and started looking for a stove that would fit our relatively small fireplace”.

“We did our homework and got Kent Stoves advice as to the correct wood burner we would need to heat our living area”.

“Three months on, we have slashed our gas and electricity consumption. Although it is a bit early to say with certainty, I estimate we will have cut our bills by £300-£350 this year. We should recoup the cost of the stove and its installation in under three years. Crucially, we have found a local joinery from which we source our wood, so we are now burning waste wood that would otherwise be destined for landfill”. Read more

Wood stove popularity still growing

10th November 2017/by Steve Grant

Not since the Aga has there been a more must-have status symbol for aspirational families. More than 1.3 million homes now have a wood burning stove, with 175,000 new ones being installed every year.

The rise of the trendy domestic stove used to heat a room or an entire house has coincided with a revolutionary shift in the way electricity is being generated in Britain, from coal to wood — and has led to us burning the most wood since the Industrial Revolution.

Wood-burning stoves and boilers have joined Apple Mac computers, Smeg fridges, Nespresso coffee machines and Dyson vacuum cleaners as a badge of honour among the successful and the environmentally conscious. There are even government subsidies designed to tempt householders away from ‘dirty’ carbon fuels to heat their homes and on to ‘clean’ logs and wood pellets. Read more

How to choose the right stove for you

30th October 2017/by Steve Grant

What wood burner should I go for?

There are many things to consider when you choose a stove. Quality issues are of course very important and this is one of the reasons you should seek professional advice.

What do you want your appliance to do?

Perhaps you want some cosy secondary heating. Here the look of the stove will be very important, with as large a view of the flames as possible.

More than likely rising fuel prices are making you think of heating your house with wood using a stove to reduce those awful bills. One of the main considerations here will then be what sort of output the stove has.

If you live in a smoke control area (most UK cities) and would like to heat with wood you will need to choose a stove approved for burning wood in smokeless zones. Read more

Making sure you keep warm this winter

23rd October 2017/by Steve Grant

With winter and of course 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 a wood burning stove.

They are not only 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 professionally installed wood burning stove will usually add value to the property. Heating fuel costs are constantly rising, with a wood stove installed you could reduce yours!

Can you make some real savings?

The demand for wood burning stoves is very strong especially now winter is on its way. With energy bills increasing at a rapid rate homeowners are turning to wood burning stoves as an alternative form of space heating. In the past stoves were mainly sold in rural areas but now we are seeing a rise in sales in towns and cities. Read more

Log burners are the way forward with Kent Stoves

15th October 2017/by Steve Grant

Centre of attraction

Wood burning stoves are a terrific way of bringing the comfort of a real fire into your home, even if you don’t have a vast amount of space. Log burners make great focal points for interiors, they are cleaner and more efficient than open fireplaces, and will likely save you money on your heating bills. If you’re dreaming of installing one as the winter chill sets in, you’re in good company – over 200,000 are installed each year in the UK.

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. Read more

Market of Wood stoves still gaining popularity

8th October 2017/by Steve Grant

The market for wood burning stoves is increasing month on month and over the last ten years we have seen huge strides towards solving environmental issues. Usually at this time of year interest increases due to the on-coming colder weather but this year has been non-stop.

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

Wood burning stoves are a real alternative and 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. Read more

Stoves, using and having the right one for your home

5th October 2017/by Steve Grant

Stove maintenance and safety If you choose the right stove for your home should be fairly straightforward. But there are a few steps you should take to keep it efficient and safe.

To keep your stove in good working order, the Stoves Industry recommends that you have your chimney swept at the beginning and the end of the winter to avoid a build-up of soot, which could damage the chimney and stove when not in use.

From a safety point of view, blocked chimneys can also cause deadly carbon monoxide. One sweep should cost no more than £60 and this will be money very well spent. It’s also worth getting a carbon monoxide alarm to alert you to the presence of the dangerous gas in your home.

Burn the correct wood

Wet or unseasoned logs will leave more sooty deposits and could increase the number of sweeps you need, so it’s best to use seasoned (Minimum 2 years drying) or kiln-dried wood to cut down on maintenance. Read more

Its all about getting the best from your wood burner

26th September 2017/by Steve Grant

As we all know the dreaded winter months are approaching fast, so if you have a wood burner NOW is the time get prepared. Ask yourself this, when was the last time you had your stove cleaned and serviced? If the answer is more than a year ago acting now to rectify this situation could be very beneficial for the warmth of your home.

Wood burning stoves are now a very popular way of space heating homes and sales are increasing month on month as alternative fuels rise in price.

What does the traditional wood burner offer?

Much more efficiency

Open fireplaces are great but they are not very energy efficient, at only around 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! Read more

Stove Sales still increasing

18th September 2017/by Steve Grant

In total, over 200,000 wood-burners were installed last year, according to the Stove Industry Alliance. This is up from 182,000 in 2015.

Wood-burning stoves are generally installed for a reason, such as a secondary heating supply or to save money. There is a percentage who have them installed because they are fashionable and these days this combination is normal.

Fuel costs as we all know are increasing rapidly with electricity and gas prices leading the way.

Why are they so popular?

Wood-burners have become a sought-after design statement during the past decade.

They can provide a sense of charm and ambience to a property. Modern wood-burning stoves give your home that warm heart as you sit around with friends and family on winter evenings.

A professionally installed burner can increase the value of your home, estate agents will tell you that a home with a log burner is very sought after. Read more

Keeping your home warmer this winter

11th September 2017/by Steve Grant

Keeping warmer

With the weather turning and the days growing shorter, attention is shifting to the darker months ahead and keeping our homes warmer. One way of making a home cosier this winter and saving money along the way – is installing a wood-burning stove.

After installation costs are taken into consideration they can reduce your fuel bills. Also adding a wood burning stove to your home is very fashionable, installed professionally it will increase your properties value.

With the cost of gas and electricity rising at an alarming rate a wood stove could be the answer to reducing your heating costs.

Why have sales risen in the past decade?

Wood-burning stoves were traditionally found only in countryside homes, which had a shed of wood close by and draughty rooms to keep warm. A decade ago, wood-burners were just not found in towns and city homes, but they’ve since gained ground in urban areas as well which has increased sales considerably. Read more