With the cold season approaching in the UK, homeowners are looking for practical ways to keep their homes warm without breaking the bank – especially given the high energy costs being witnessed. Wood burning stoves or fireplaces are a great alternative to conventional heating methods due to their many advantages.
Burning wood for heat comes with a variety of benefits from being eco-friendly to reducing heating costs and many more. To find out more about the benefits of using wood burning stoves and fireplaces, read on below.
Eco-Friendly
Looking to reduce your home’s carbon footprint? Wood burning fireplaces and stoves are your best bet when it comes to warming your home in an eco-friendly manner. In a nutshell, wood burning appliances are the only ones that leave no carbon footprint, of all the other popular options used to heat homes when the cold sets in.
Wood is a sustainable resource, unlike fossil fuels. Furthermore, the amount of carbon emitted when burning wood is substantially lower than what is emitted by burning fossil fuels.
Reduced Heating Costs
Increasing energy costs have led to the growing popularity of wood burning fireplaces and stoves. Simply put, it is more affordable for home owners to warm their homes using a fireplace or stove than it is to use a gas or electricity powered alternatives. Given the rising cost of energy in the UK, a wood burning fireplace will help you save a significant amount of money this cold season.
It is also worth noting that a wood burning stove can serve you reliably for many years to come, with minimal preventive maintenance and routine care. The same cannot be said for oil, gas or electric furnaces – which require regular maintenance and replacement after a few decades.
Energy Independence/Self Sufficiency
An increasing number of people are looking to end their overdependence on utility companies when it comes to powering their homes. If you have already taken up solar power, you can also use wood burning stoves and fireplaces to enhance your energy sufficiency/independence in the cold season.
You can also use a wood burning stove as a great heating, and even cooking alternative, if you choose to live off the grid. With it, you can use the wood from the trees on your property as fuel.
Efficient Heating
Wood burning fireplaces and stoves provide efficient heating for your home. When you use the central heating system to warm your home, you are forced to either heat the entire home or have to go from room to room, turning off the radiators, to avoid heating rooms that you don’t what to heat.
Wood burning stoves on the other hand are designed to primarily heat the room they are installed in. And, while the heat may slowly spread to other adjacent rooms, it will be concentrated in the room that you normally use the most; thus eliminating unnecessary wastage.
Keep Your Home Warm During Blackouts
Most people rely on fossil fuels and electricity to power the boiler or furnace that heats their homes. However, you risk being left in the cold in case of a power outage or interruption in your home’s gas supply. Fortunately, with a wood burning stove or fireplace, you don’t have to rely on electricity or fossil fuels to heat your home or even cook your meals! You can enjoy the light and heat from the fire with minimal hassle.
Cosy Atmosphere
Wood burning stoves help you create a warm and cozy atmosphere. By using radiant heat to warm your home, fireplaces and wood burning stoves eliminate the occurrence of cold spots. On the other hand, furnaces normally leave cold spots as a result of how they work – to warm your home furnaces normally push warm air all over your home. However, this can end up creating cold pockets of space in poorly ventilated areas of your home. It is also worth mentioning that fireplaces – with their dancing flames and cracking sounds – create a cozy and homey environment that is bound to charm anyone!
Cooking
In addition to warming your home, you can use a wood burning stove or fireplace for cooking – especially during blackouts. For instance you can roast hotdogs and marshmallows over the fireplace using sticks. Alternatively, if the fireplace has an open flame, you can even place a large kettle over the fire and cook your meal. If you are using a stove, you can use it for cooking all sorts of meals with ease, just like you would when using a regular stove. On top of all that, you can simply use your fireplace or stove to keep your meals or coffee warm, regardless of whether the power is on or not.
Decorative And Stylish
In addition to keeping your home cosy and warm during cold weather, a wood burning stove or fireplace can make your home more stylish. Such an addition becomes the new focal point in that space, introducing a unique element of style and character. Simply put, a burner will look great in any space, whether it is in use or not. To make sure that you end up with a wood burner that perfectly matches your home’s décor, there are numerous style options, from contemporary to classic.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many advantages of using a wood burning stove or furnace to heat your home this winter. With it, you can enjoy a cosy and homey environment at home, while minimising heating costs as well as your home’s carbon footprint.
To ensure that you get the best outcome when using a wood burning stove or fireplace, be sure to use wood that has a moisture content of less than 20 percent. This way, the fire will burn bright and effortlessly.
