On a cold, rainy evening, there is nothing better than sitting in front of a roaring fire, but that requires a fireplace in your home. An excellent alternative to a fireplace is a wood-burning stove. This information can help you determine if a wood-burning stove is right for your home. Some great tips are here.
Decide on Fuel
When you go shopping for a wood-burning stove, you will have the option of buying a dedicated wood burner or a multi-fuel stove. A multi-fuel stove can burn wood, coal, smokeless fuels, or anthracite. One advantage of a multi-fuel stove is that they are usually more energy efficient than dedicated wood-burning stoves.
Before you decide on which type of stove, you should check to see if you live in a Smoke Control Area. Much of the United Kingdom has smoke-controlled areas, which are areas that do not allow smoke to be emitted through chimneys unless it is an authorised fuel or you’re using an exempt appliance. Some of the fuels that can be burned in a smoke control area include:
- Anthracite
- Semi-anthracite
- Gas
- Low-volatile steam coal
If you want to burn wood, you can do so if you have an exempt appliance, which includes some boilers, cookers, and stoves.
Determining Stove Size
The size of the stove you buy will depend on whether you are using it strictly for ambience or to heat your home. If you’re buying one to help heat your home, then you need to measure the space in cubic metres by taking the length x width x height, and then dividing the result by 14. The resulting number will provide an estimate of the kilowatt output, which can help you choose from Clearview wood burners in Newmarket.
Along with burning fuel for heat, there are stoves that connect to a radiator-based central heating system. They can provide heat and hot water for your home. They can work together with a gas or oil-fired boiler or be the primary heat source with a capacity to supply enough heat for 12 radiators.
More Efficient Choice
If you’ve considered adding a fireplace to your home, you should instead think about installing a stove. They are less costly to buy and install, plus they heat a room more effectively and efficiently.
About 90% of the heat from an open fireplace is blown up the chimney, but some stoves burn at 70% to 85% efficiency so that room will be cosier with a wood-burning stove. Depending on the size of the stove, you can spend anywhere from £250 for a small basic stove to over £1,500 for a more substantial stove that supplies heat to your house.
Another thing to consider is the placement of the stove, especially if you have a house with more than one storey. The exhaust pipe for the stove needs to run through the roof to allow the smoke to vent through it, so carefully consider where to put the stove if you decide to buy one for your home.