Cheaper way to heat your home

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Summer is the time to act.

Energy costs have rocketed in the last 12 months, with the average energy bill rising by £145 per year in the last 6 months according to the latest figures just released. Could a wood-burning stove be a cheaper way to heat your home?

DIY super stores around the country certainly think so, revealing a 227% increase in sales for solid fuel burners over the last six months.

You can see why – the idea of escaping the clutches of the energy providers and being able to literally grow your own fuel would appeal to most of us.

How much does a solid fuel stove cost?

A standard 5kW stove sells for £350 to £800, although it can be far higher depending on the model. You need to have it installed by a qualified fitter for safety and insurance purposes and the chimney will probably need to be lined. This installation cost will vary due to individual requirements. Read more

Installing a wood stove into an existing chimney

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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.

For chimneys that aren’t perfectly straight, a flexible non-flammable liner is used. It is important to note, chimneys should be swept at least once a year and twice if they are in heavy use. Otherwise, creosote (a by-product of inefficient combustion) builds up on the walls of the chimney to become a fire hazard. Creosote builds up gradually over time as fires burn less efficiently when they are just getting started, but can accumulate very rapidly if you burn unseasoned or damp wood. Read more

Good stove maintenance

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Wood burning stove maintenance and cleaning mostly consists of regular removal of the ashes which also boosts the stove’s efficiency. Occasional cleaning of the internal surfaces with a wire brush or scraper will also improve your stoves performance. You should always keep a close eye on potential problems such as holes in the ash pan, cracks, spots of rust on the finish and other unusual signs that may indicate damage.

It is also advisable to clean the glass on a regular basis because the longer you postpone the cleaning the harder is gets to remove the tar deposits. Always leave your stove to cool completely before you carry out any maintenance or cleaning chores.

In addition to keeping your stove clean inside and outside, be sure to have it inspected by a registered fitter at least once a year to make sure that everything is working perfectly. If there are any signs of damage such as cracks, leaks or warping, or if you have any problems with the stove have them repaired immediately. Read more

What are the plus points of Wood burning stove

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Plus points:

The market for wood burning stoves has increased month on month over the last 5 years. Usually at this time of year interest wanes, but due to rising fuel bills homeowners are frantically looking for alternative 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

Advantages of Stoves & Secondary Heating

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Stove advantages

  1. Exceptional heating

The biggest advantages homeowners have with a wood burning stove is the quality of heat the unit gives 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.

  1. Better for the environment

Compared with using fossil fuels for heat (natural gas, propane, etc.) wood is much eco-friendlier. It’s considered “carbon-neutral,” which means when it burns, it doesn’t add additional carbon dioxide to the environment. This is because in its natural state as a tree, wood absorbs carbon dioxide that’s in the atmosphere. Read more

A Great Green Heating Solution

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The modern stove

The “green aspect” hardly needs explanation. Wood is a renewable and easily obtained source for burning. There’s a zero-sum impact in carbon emission as well. When a tree falls in the woods and takes 50 years to completely rot away, ever so slowly it gives off heat, water and CO2, and leaves its mineral content in the forest.

When you burn wood the exact same thing happens only obviously very quickly. No additional-anything is produced. Keep in mind those minerals are in the partly form of ash and what’s commonly called creosote– which can stick to the inside of the chimney. That’s why there are chimney sweeps. Read more

How, what, when, why a wood burning stove

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Increased popularity

Wood burning stoves have become incredibly popular over the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. With spiralling energy costs, people are really keen to find ways to save money and not only do wood burners save money, they also make a great looking feature in a room and as a result have become very desirable for many households in the UK.

Whilst stoves can be used as an alternative for the main heating system in a home, they really are an excellent supplementary system. In cold periods when the central heating isn’t enough, or you don’t want to turn it on full blast, the stove can be used as a supplement, and this proves particularly cost-effective compared to the cost of electric room heaters. Read more

Making sure its not too hot in the room

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As well as the making sure your new stove will physically fit into its new home, it is important to consider that the stove’s output is sufficient for the room. You should also ensure that it is not too large for the room, as this can cause just as many problems as a stove that is too small.

A stove that is too small for the room will not be powerful enough to heat the room adequately, on the other hand, if you have a stove that is too large it will need constant attention to keep the temperature down. A result of this is the combustion within the stove will not be complete and you will quickly have a build-up of soot not just on the glass, but up the chimney as well. With this in mind, when calculating the required output, a slightly greater output should be considered (no more than 1.5kW), as there will be a greater need for rapid heating in the long dark cold months of winter. Read more

We love our stoves

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

Whether you’re the proud owner of a shiny new stove, or your thinking to install one, there are a few things that you need to know to really get the most out of that heating machine in the fireplace.

 Don’t burn water

This is the most fundamental thing to get right when you’re burning wood. It might be surprising, but green wood is around 45% water. That means that for every kg of green wood you add to the fire, you’re effectively adding around 500ml (a pint) of water. This means that you will need to make sure that your fuel has been dried properly. There are a few ways of doing this, but the simplest are as follows. Read more

Getting the best from your wood burner

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A modern wood burner is virtually carbon neutral when using current burn technology. High-quality wood emits less CO2 when burned than it does with natural decay, so with correctly installed stoves producing emissions of only 0.008 kg CO2 per kWh – compared to 0.198kg for gas, and 0.517kg for electricity – wood provides an attractive alternative to gas and electricity for heating the home.

Design and technology has moved forward dramatically over the past ten years, with the introduction of controlled secondary and tertiary combustion and improved baffle arrangements.

A wood burning stove should be given serious consideration when selecting a heating method for your home. Read more