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Shropshire-based Broseley Fires says it has seen a 65% increase in sales of its DEFRA approved wood burners over the last 12 months. Product Development Engineer, Tristan Johnston, explains: “The DEFRA regulations that allow approved wood-burning stoves to be used in smoke control areas have proved a real boost to us and we have launched a series of products meeting these strict regulations.
"This has been driven by technological developments that make wood burners easier to install and operate, especially alongside other energy-saving products."
One homeowner to discover the benefits of combining a wood-burning boiler stove with other eco-friendly technology is Joanne Shipp, who has cut her energy bills by two thirds after installing one of Broseley’s acclaimed eVolution 8 boiler stoves. Living in an area near Bristol without mains gas, Joanne was spending around £3000 a year to heat and provide hot water for her six-bedroom, three-storey, restored 17th-century stone farmhouse.
With no end in sight to rising fuel prices Joanne decided to look at more cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternatives and turned to Responsible Energy Management (REM) Ltd for help. The company specialises in helping homeowners to reduce their carbon footprint whilst cutting their energy costs. REM developed a complete system for Joanne, incorporating solar panels and a thermal store alongside the eVolution 8stove.
"The results have been really dramatic," says Joanne. "Although we still use & as a back-up, we expect to save around £2000 a year. We are particularly pleased with the new wood-burning boiler stove. It generates just enough heat to keep the downstairs comfortable and the stone walls also act as radiators, giving off heat long after the wood burner has gone out.
"The thermal store also ensures we always have plenty of hot water. It not only stores the energy from the wood burning stove and or the solar energy, but dissipates this energy to both the domestic hot water and the radiator heating system when required."
According to Denis Kerr of REM, a lot of older stoves can be very wasteful of heat but the latest models, when combined with technology such as solar panels and the very latest thermal stores, can be extremely effective.
"The arrival of products such as the eVolution 8 will mean that a lot more homes could soon be heated using a combination of fuel sources that do not rely on dwindling and expensive resources."