Wood Burning Stoves

Wood-burning stoves can be the ideal way to heat your house. They also provide radiant heat that warms the ground to your feet instead of only the air in the room.

It's important to buy dry logs and low-sulphur solid fuel. This will aid in reducing pollution and also avoid smoke bans in smoke control areas.

Energy efficient

Wood stoves are an excellent way to keep your home warm and reduce carbon emissions. They are a low carbon alternative to central heating or even electricity. They work by converting wood into heat that is then distributed throughout your home by natural convection. This means that there is no loss of energy by radiating the heat out into space.

Additionally wood stoves of today are energy efficient and decrease the amount of smoke that is released into the air. This means that they release smaller amounts of particles which can harm your health and help you to avoid the smogs that have been known to occur in cities like London.

Modern wood-burning stoves re-burn unburned gases to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. There are also non catalytic stoves that do not re-burn gases, but still provide a an excellent efficiency and less smoke compared to an open fireplace.

Wood as fuel can also help in the active management of forests, which may be beneficial to wildlife. The wood used in wood burning stoves is sourced locally and is a renewable, sustainable resource.

As we mentioned earlier, the best quality wood to use in wood-burning stoves is hardwood such as beech or oak. It must be split, cut and seasoned prior to being used as fuel to ensure that it can burn efficiently. Unseasoned wood may release toxic fumes that can be dangerous to your health.

Additionally, wood-burning stoves can assist you in saving money on your energy bills since they can be much cheaper than central heating and electricity. Wood heat is effective only in smaller spaces or as a secondary heat source. As a result, it is more cost-effective to combine wood stoves and other forms of heating in larger homes.

Environmentally Friendly

The modern homeowner has a lot to gain from wood stoves. A wood stove fireplace (83 Gregorinius published a blog post) is a carbon-free, renewable heating source that can provide ambiance to a room during an icy winter day. It can be a fun social and enjoyable way to cut and gather the logs to fuel your stove. This is a great way to enjoy being outdoors in sunny weather. Sourcing your fuel can become an everyday family affair and finding free logs from local businesses, or even from timber merchants who are happy to take the offcuts, can be very rewarding.

Wood burning stoves, however, have been recently criticized for their emissions. The primary reason is that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for an immediate ban on wood burning stoves within urban areas in order to reduce PM (particulate) pollution. PM are tiny particles that are less than a human hair and can be very detrimental to our health, especially for children who are found to be more prone to heart and lung problems than those who don't smoke.

But despite the negative press, wood burning stoves are actually an environmentally friendly alternative. If used properly, and with the right quality dry wood they can be an extremely efficient way to heat your home and can cut your heating bills significantly. Modern stoves that are EPA-certified are more efficient and create less pollutant than stoves of years ago.

The reason for this is because they employ secondary combustion to increase the amount of gas produced when burning wood. Stoves that do not employ secondary combustion and instead burn the wood directly, release more PM into the air as it passes through their chimneys. Modern non-catalytical stoves feature design improvements, such as the firebox's insulation as well as a larger baffle that provides a hotter flow path. They also utilize pre-heated combustion to aid in the secondary burning process. This results in less harmful emission.

The demand for wood stoves that are energy efficient is rising, and so are the requirements for the output of heat. New stoves are designed to meet the demands of these customers. This is good for the environment as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Economical

Modern wood burning stoves come with a high energy efficiency rating. This is in contrast to traditional open fires, which could lose up to 80% of the heat through the chimney. The majority of heat generated by log burners is used to heat your home. This is not only good for your pocket but also for the environment. Lower fuel consumption equals less emissions.

Wood stoves also offer a more evenly distributed heat than conventional furnaces. This is due to the fact that the heating coils of wood stoves are situated in the floor of the room instead of being placed in the roof or ceiling part of a home like the electric fire stove and gas stoves. This kind of heat distribution allows your home to be heated more evenly.

In addition, you'll need to use less firewood when you are using wood stoves compared to an open fire, which could reduce the cost of purchasing and storage of logs. Wood is a renewable resource, Stove Fireplace making it an environmentally friendly way to heat your home. This is especially true as many countries are seeking to stay away from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

If you are using a new wood stove, then it's likely to be either a catalytic or non-catalytic model. Catalytic models reduce pollution by reburning part of the combustion gases. Non-catalytic models don't reburn a part of the combustion gasses and have lower efficiency ratings than catalytic models.

When buying a stove, it is important to ensure that it is certified by the ClearSkies scheme to ensure that it meets the standards for air quality. This scheme is independently audited in order to ensure that the stove you own reduces indoor air pollution.

However, you should be aware that it's not yet possible to completely eradicate air pollution from burning wood in the stove. Wood stoves are ideal for heating homes which are smaller and generally open space. In these cases you might have to sit in front of the stove in order to feel the heat. It can become boring after a while!

Versatile

Wood burning stoves are a common feature in our homes. From simple fireplaces, to elaborate heating systems for homes, they have proven their versatility over the years. They can be used to be a part of any decor, whether it's traditional, contemporary or even eclectic. Wood burning stoves are available in many different designs, each with its distinctive character and personality. Some are made of stainless steel, others are constructed of cast iron or as is the case with the Westfire Uniq 23, are constructed from soapstone, with each unique in its veining and coloration.

There are two kinds of wood fire stove-burning stoves: single-fuel stoves which burn only wood, and multi-fuel stoves that are able to burn gas or oil in addition to firewood. Single-fuel models tend to perform better due to their design for one fuel.

Backpacking stoves can be used as an example of a single-fuel wood stove. They are lightweight and can be used for hiking to warm boiling water or a flask. They are typically small wood stove and can easily be carried in a backpack or tucked into a fanny pack.

Modern wood stoves that use one fuel are designed to maximize efficiency in energy use. They may be equipped with a secondary heat-retaining glaze or redesigned with combustion air jets and an air flow diversion to achieve higher temperatures of combustion for improved efficiency. Some of these stoves can achieve over 80% energy efficiency - a significant improvement over the older models which only reached about 15%.

In addition to the adjustable air vents on the front of a wood stove, some models are fitted with turn dampers to regulate the flow of gases and smoke from the stove to the chimney. The turn dampers are flexible and allow you to control the amount of heat retained by the stove.

Although the wood-burning stove is an adaptable, sustainable, cost-effective and eco-friendly heat source, it is essential to choose the right model for your home. The team at Burlington Fireplace & Heating is experienced and can help you choose the ideal wood burning stove to suit your needs. Contact us now or visit our showroom.