Top 10 tips for Reducing Your Heating Costs by Installing a Wood Burning Stove

On freezing winter days like the ones we have managed to almost dodge completely this winter, could there anything nicer than coming in from the cold and curling up in front of a wood-burning stove? Aside from the romantic vision of cups of hot chocolate in front of a glowing stove, did you know that installing a wood-burning stove could potentially reduce your energy bills?

Even with the recent gas and electricity price cuts that have been announced by some of the biggest energy suppliers this week (following their steep price rises last year), it is definitely worth considering alternative forms of home heating to reduce your energy costs and over-reliance on gas and electricity.

So, to give us the low-down on wood-burning stoves and how to maximise our heating whilst minimising our energy bills, the chaps at gr8fires have shared their top 10 tips, plus we have an exclusive offer for all Queen of Easy Green™ readers, see below.

Top 10 tips for Reducing Your Heating Costs by Installing a Wood Burning Stove

1.     Install a wood-burning stove
That’s the inevitable starting point for saving money with a wood-burning stove. This will reduce your heating costs by cutting your reliance on central heating. You can turn off the radiators in rooms that you don’t need to keep warm and use the stove as your main source of heat.
2.     Choose the right stove
Picking the best stove for your needs is essential in helping you to save money. If you don’t fit a stove with a heat output suited to the room, it will reduce your chances of cutting your heating costs. Opting for a more expensive model with a greater output to heat a larger room will pay for the price difference in no time at all.
3.     Consider a wood-burning boiler stove
Installing a boiler stove is one way of further cutting your heating bills. You can use the heat generated by your stove to also heat the water in your home. The dual use of your stove means you can cut your central heating costs even further.
4.     Use properly seasoned wood
The type of wood you use has a huge impact on the efficiency of your stove. Using seasoned wood -which has been cut, split and left to air for at least a year – is the best way to minimise your heating costs. Seasoned wood contains far less moisture, burns more efficiently and heats your home more quickly than freshly cut wood. Use a log store to allow your wood to season and to help you build up a supply that should last you all winter.

5.     Control your stove’s air supply properly
Both the bottom (primary) and top (secondary) air vents should be open when you light your stove. Once the fire is burning well, you should be able to close the primary vent and control the fire using only the secondary vent for a more efficient burn.
6.     Get your chimney swept regularly
As a minimum you should get your chimney swept annually before you start using the stove regularly. Ideally, it should be swept every three to four month when the stove is in regular use.
7.     Use dry kindling to start the fire
Using small pieces of wood to get the fire going will heat your stove more quickly and, as a result, your room will start heat more efficiently once you add logs. The sooner your stove is up to temperature, the sooner the convection process can have an impact on the rest of the room.
8.     Use free wood
One of the best aspects of installing a stove is that you can easily find a supply of free fuel. From saving friends and family from a trip to the tip to salvaging fallen trees from your nearest forest (with the landowner’s permission), there are plenty of opportunities to heat your home for free.
9.     Don’t be tempted to throw another log into the stove. Once you have loaded the stove with logs, don’t continually top up your stove as they burn. Wait until all the logs have been burnt to glowing embers before reloading the stove. Continually adding more wood is considerably less efficient.
10.  Keep the door closed
It is a simple tip, but one that causes unnecessary confusion for many stove users. Once the stove is lit, the door should be closed. This increases the efficiency of the burn by up to 60 per cent.

Which Is Better? Cast Iron Or Steel

Today we address the age old question when buying a stove, do I want a steel or cast iron stove?

If you're talking about a good quality steel bodied stove versus a good quality cast iron stove then, providing the stove is used according to the manufacturer's instructions, it really doesn't matter. Poor quality cast iron stoves have a reputation for cracking and poor quality steel bodied stoves have a reputation for warping. The practical difference between the two types are that steel stoves heat up quicker and deliver heat to the room much faster whereas cast iron, which is the traditional material for stove building, because it is much heavier and provides a greater mass of metal, tends to take longer to build up heat and distribute it to the room. However cast iron stoves, which are generally heavier than steel bodied stoves, have the advantage that the mass of metal in the stove body will act like a storage radiator dispensing heat to the room a good few hours after the fire has gone out inside it. A steel bodied stove will still do this but it won't retain its heat for quite as long. So, essentially it's a lifestyle choice – if you need fast heat then choose steel and if you want longer lasting heat, say overnight, then choose cast iron. In terms of appearance cast iron stoves tend to have a more traditional finish, featuring textured cast sides and other detailing such as the Aga Little Wenlock, similarly the Broseley Serrano range feature the Broseley Logo cast into the side of the stove!
Converseley steel stoves tend to feature clean lines and can offer a more contemporary solution, such as the Trianco range, Firebelly stoves are also becoming increasinlgy popular due to their clean lines and incredible build quailty.
Some manufacturers have also decided tom combine the best of both worlds. The Portway Range feature the clean lines typical of a steel stove combined with a cast iron door, allowing the option of an enamelled door finish and allowing more heat to be radiated into the room after the fire has gone out.

Trianco Stoves, The Newton Collection.

Trianco have been providing quality heating products for some time so I feel it is time we had a look at some of their products. This time we are going to be looking at the modern styled Trianco Newton Stoves, now firstly these stoves come in a 5kW and 8kW option. These options provide the 5kW or 8kW heat output respectfully and have up to 78% efficiency.

The Newton stoves have quite a modern/contemporary design, simplistic in many ways, but this is a design feature as the newton stove has been made to have all the modern features expected from a stove but not confuse the user with several controls and settings.

The Newton is a British made stove and can burn a wide variety of solid fuels, including wood (seasoned hardwood recommended) or peat/turf briquettes. Both varieties of the stove can come with the option to have a pedestal. This raises the stove from ground level and changes the appearance of the stove. When accompanied with the pedestal the stove is easier to clean and load, and there is also a place to store fuel under the stove, however for many this moves the stoves from the traditional setting expected when buying a stove.

The 5kW model may be top or rear flued,(5inch flue), for many the positioning of the flue pipe is important to the aesthetics of the stove, so having the option to choose is a bonus. The 8kW stoves have a 6inch flue and may only be top flued when being used with the optional boiler.

The boiler option can provide hot water and be used with radiators, this option is becoming more and more popular as we all look to improve the efficiency of our homes and reduce our carbon footprint. Of course by using a stove and burning wood you are doing this, but many are going all the way and using a boiler that is heated by the stove to even better the environment and the use of the heat emitted from the stove. Some stove users will have the underfloor heating in their homes powered by their stove, which is great if you can afford the time and money!

Trianco Newton stoves stylishly have tertiary air intake that creates a triple-burn system ensuring clean and complete combustion for higher efficiency and lower emissions. The modern design is created by 5mm thick sheets of steel being laser cut into the desired shapes for assembly, this level of thickness is excessive of current regulations, and to add even more efficiency and longevity to the stove the Newtons have vermiculite bricks installed that encourage the retention of heat.

Other great features include the unique handle and control design and the stove comes complete with a cast iron grate, an ash pan and operating tool.

Another great example of great British design and engineering and a company worth considering if you are looking to purchase a modern stove.