The Cold Weather Approaches

As your wood burning stove may have not been used for a few months, it is important to make sure that your chimney is swept before you start to use it again to ensure it is free from bird nests or other obstructions.

Now is a great time to have your chimney swept

With use, soot, deposits and tar can build up, reducing the chimney’s draw, make the stove run badly and can cause a chimney fire. Now is a great time to have your chimney swept, before the colder weather as more chimney sweeps will be available than when winter is in full swing.As well as making sure your chimney is safe and clear from blockages, it is also a good time to have your wood burning stove or open fireplace serviced to ensure the best performance, as HETAS installers are starting to enter their busiest period of the year.
In the mean time, here are some general safety tips for keeping your chimney in tip top condition;

• Ensure your wood burning stove is installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s Installation Instructions. 
• You should have your chimney swept at least once a year, depending on the fuel you use and how dry it is, how frequently your wood burning stove or fireplace is used, the type of chimney or flue and whether or not it is lined, as fewer deposits will build up in a lined chimney.
• When burning wood, use only dry, seasoned logs with a maximum moisture content of 20% in your wood burning stove. If you burn green or wet wood, a lot of the heat in the stove’s firebox is lost in burning off the excess water. This reduces the stove’s efficiency, gives you less heat in the room and causes tar to condense in the chimney, which is one of the biggest causes of chimney fires.
• Never burn cardboard boxes, waste paper or wood treated with preservatives and coatings containing heavy metals, or other toxic chemicals and contaminants in your wood burning stove.
• If you have recently opened up and plan to use a fireplace, make sure it is inspected by a HETAS qualified engineer before use. Inspect the chimney breast, particularly in the roof space. Make sure that it is sound and that the sparks or fumes cannot escape through cracks or broken bricks. If in doubt, have your chimney lined as there can be warranty and house insurance issues with not lining.

Saving money through energy efficiency

With the UK's major energy suppliers bumping up their prices by up to 18% this winter, the belated arrival of the cold winds represents a great opportunity to look at ways of cutting your fuel bills.

The imminent announcement of a consultation on the government's Green Deal, which aims to help you make your home more energy-efficient, should provide an added incentive.
And there are lots of ways you can save money - in some cases a great deal - just by making a few simple upgrades to your home.
Some improvements cost virtually nothing and can take a matter of minutes to install; others require a bit of capital and expert help. Others still require small changes in habits that should more than reward the effort.
All are well worth considering. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), the average household could save about £280 a year on its fuel bills by being more energy efficient. Bearing in mind the average bill is about £1,300, that's quite some saving.
This equates to more than a tonne of carbon emissions every year, thus helping to combat rising global temperatures.
There are plenty of schemes around to help you get a better idea of what upgrading your home to make it more efficient actually involves.
Old Homes Superhomes is one such project, which is supported by the National Energy Foundation. Sarah Harrison, head of Eco-refurbishment, says the scheme can help people understand not just the financial benefits of so-called retro-fitting, but also how upgrading homes can improve your quality of life.
Insulation When it comes to energy efficiency, the smallest measures are often the most effective, so insulation is a good place to start.

Top tip

The most cost-effective energy efficiency measure you can use is to place kitchen foil behind your radiators to reflect heat, according to the National Energy Foundation.

Doors and windows can then be sealed quickly and easily using self-adhesive foam and rubber strips, and draught excluders. Seal up any gaps between your floors and skirting boards and, together, these measure could save you more than £50 a year, according to the EST.

Next look at insulating your loft and walls properly - about a third of an uninsulated home's heat is lost through the walls, and about a quarter through the roof.
Walls will require varying degrees of works depending on their construction, but proper insulation can save hundreds of pounds a year. Just topping up your loft insulation can also shave a substantial amount off your annual bills.
Also look at secondary and double glazing - almost 20% of heat loss from the average home comes from windows.

Heating Upgrading old electric storage heaters to modern alternatives can save you more than £100 a year, and in some cases considerably more.
Replacing an old, inefficient boiler with an A-rated condensing model could save as much £300 a year, although you will have to decide whether this is worth the £1,000 to £2,000 cost of buying and installing one.
Even fitting a room thermostat could save you more than £50 a year.
Energy-efficient behaviour You may scoff at the point of turning off appliances when you're not using them, but add up all the savings and they can be worthwhile.
For example, switching plugs off at the wall and avoiding standby mode on TVs, computers, stereos and the like, together with switching off lights when you don't need them, could save you almost £50 a year.
Wash your clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 and don't use a tumble dryer in the summer, and you could save another £30.
Upgrading appliances/electronics If you need to replace any domestic appliance, then it may be worth spending a little extra to get the most energy-efficient model you can afford. Some fridge/freezers with an A+ energy rating can be incredibly affordable.
They are all rated by law, from A to G, so you can tell how efficient they are. However, there is a great deal of variation within these bands, so also make sure you look at the specific figures on energy consumption. Some appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, also have grades A+++, A++ and A+.
Very roughly, a new efficient appliance could save you between £20 and £40 a year on energy bills, according to the EST.
More modern consumer electronics are also more energy-efficient. And if you're looking for a new television, bear in mind that LED TVs are more efficient than LCDs, which in turn are a good deal more efficient than Plasmas, according to Which?
Not strictly an appliance, granted, but replacing old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient versions can save you £3 a pop.

Energy generation and renewables These measures aren't about upgrading what you already have, but investing in technologies that allow you to generate your own energy.
As a result, they can be quite expensive, which is one of main reasons why the government is launching its Green Deal.

Feed-in tariffs are available for domestic energy generation

One way is to use wood to heat your home. According to the EST, replacing electric heaters with a wood pellet heating system could save as much as £580 a year.
Carbon emissions would also be reduced, as the carbon dioxide given off when burning is offset by the carbon absorbed by the tree from which the wood was cut.
Solar panels are another popular way to generate power, and can typically provide about three-quarters of an average home's electricity needs.
Wind turbines are an alternative that, if situated in the right part of the country, can provide more than enough electricity to power a typical home.
Government feed-in tariffs mean you get paid to generate electricity, and for selling any excess to the main grid. In fact, one turbine could generate savings and income of more than £3,000 a year including tariffs, the EST says.
Another option is heat pumps, which take heat from the air or the ground but which need electricity to run. In some cases, these are better at saving on carbon emissions than money.
You will need to calculate the payback time carefully when deciding whether to invest in any of these technologies. But remember that if you sell your home, the buyer can also benefit from the cost savings, which can add to the value of your property in their eyes.

We love our wood-burning stove in the house we’ve just bought, but...

We love our wood-burning stove in the house we’ve just bought, but I have discovered we live in a smoke control area. 

This is the question faced by dozens, if not hundreds of individuals, couples and families faced every year as they purchase their new house, complete with stove, envisioning the stereo-typically romantic image of sat around the stove, the warm glow eminating from the window and bathing everyone in the warm glow. Putting an extra log on the stove as the fire every so often, just to top up the heat.

However this dream can quickly become a nightmare if you become informed you live in a smokeless zone and your stove is not DEFRA approved.

However not all is lost, you can still keep your stove, however you would be slightly restricted to burning smokeless fuels, DEFRA approved status merely means that the stove has been given approval by DEFRA to be exempt from the clean air act when burning wood.

So not to worry if you've just bought a house with a stove that isn't DEFRA approved, you can still burn smokeless fuels and enjoy that romantic image of relaxing in front of a blazing stove with the room covered in the warm glow.

HETAS Advise: Chimneys & Lining

What is Chimney Lining?
The function of a chimney is to safely remove the products of combustion from a fireplace or appliance to outside of the building, without causing any danger to the occupants of the house. A chimney works because hot air rises and moves from high to low pressure. Factors such as running the appliance at a very slow rate or cold air leaking into the flue will cool the gases and affect the performance of the chimney. Lining systems are designed to replace the flue in an
existing chimney, with dimensions appropriate to the appliance. Insulation may be added or
integrated into the new flue system to improve the efficiency of the draught. This is a particular requirement for external situations. The Lining method of a chimney and materials vary

Why Line Chimneys?
Chimneys are lined for a number of safety related reasons. The
illustration (right) shows two types of chimney system lining. While new chimneys may require relining, systems that predate 1965 will often require a modern lining solution for the following reasons:
1. The flue may have lost integrity and can leak smoke into rooms or other parts of the building.
2. Condensates or tar can seep through chimney walls causing
staining, inside or outside of the building.
3. Lining with insulation included improves the operation of
appliance and flue (particularity important when the chimney is on an external wall).
4. Defective flue systems may be eroded and rough. This will cause frictional resistance to the flow of the gases resulting in poor updraught.
5. Large flues (over 200mm) particularly ones containing voids may affect appliance performance. Some appliance manufacturers specify smaller flues for efficient operation.

Methods of Chimney Relining and Renovation
Chimneys with existing flues can be relined in several different ways. These
include:
1. Using rigid sections of clay, pumice or refractory liner installed by cutting into the chimney wall or by lowering sections down from the top of the stack and infilling with an insulating material.
2. Insulating concrete, pumped in and around an inflatable former by a
specialist contractor.
3. Stainless steel flexible liner in a continuous length lowered down the chimney.
4. Spray on coating by a specialist contractor.
5. Ceramic coating by a specialist contractor.
The suitability of any of these methods of lining is dependent on each
individual system. You should seek professional advice on what is the most
appropriate solution for your need.

Chimney Faults
Before having a liner installed in your chimney, you should have it swept to remove soot and tar deposits by a professional chimney sweep. For those that already have a chimney lining, a
competent sweep will be able to inspect for the following faults:
1. Liners fitted upside down
2. Out of line or overlapping liner
3. Obstructive ledges hindering updraught
4. Protruding cement at joints
5. Liner removed during previous service work or installation
6. Damage through incorrect sweeping (see “more information” for professional
chimney sweep organisations)
7. Masonry damaging the liner
8. Blocked terminal (cowl or rain cap)
These faults can lead to a number of problems with the operation of a solid fuel appliance. More importantly, faults with chimney lining can pose a risk to the safety of household
occupants and should be rectified immediately.

For more information

The Solid Fuel Association technical and consumer helpline provides helpful advice on any aspect of solid fuel appliance installation and use.
Tel: 0845 601 4406
Web: www.solidfuel.co.uk


 The National Association of Chimney Engineers (NACE) provide a register of competent chimney engineers in the UK and Ireland for a variety of chimney work.
Tel: 0800 0924019
Web: www.nace.org.uk

The Association of Professional and Independent Chimney Sweeps sets standards for, and improve the knowledge and safety of sweeps in the UK.
Tel: 0845 604 4327
Web: www.apics.org.uk



The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps works to improve standards and professionalism in the UK chimney sweeping industry. They have a directory of Guild approved sweeps on their website.
Web: www.guildofmasterchimneysweeps.co.uk


The National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS) promotes high standards for the sweeping,
inspection and maintenance of chimneys. They have a directory of approved sweeps on their website.
Tel: 01785 811732
Web: www.nacs.org.uk

For more information and access to a variety of HETAS advice sheets, visit the HETAS website at www.hetas.co.uk

What Do You Need To Know Before Buying A Fire

It's always the way, you try and turn your gas or electric fire on or try and light your stove after not using it since March or early April and the worst happens, it breaks and you need a new one, or you finally decide to take the plunge and invest in a fire for your new house or upgrade old faithful that has been sat on the hearth for the last decade or more.
Most people (including myself before I started this down this career path) have very little idea of the technical complexities that are accociated with purchasing a new gas, electric or solid fuel fire or stove.

So what do you need to know before buying a new fire, stove or fireplace? We have a look at some of the major sticking points or complicated details.

Do I Want Gas, Solid Fuel, Electric Or Bio-Ethanol?
This is probably the most important decision as it effects everything from then onwards, electric fires and suites are becoming increasingly popular as they can be placed anywhere with a standard 13amp plug socket and the flame effects are getting increasinly realistic.
Also becoming increasing popular is people returning to solid fuel or wood burning stoves. This follows on from increasing pressure in the media to reduce carbon footprint, as burning wood from a sustainable source is carbon neutral.



What Type Of Flue or Chimney Do I Have?

As gas fires in particular are designed for varying types of flue or chimney and depending on what type you have can greatly reduce the options available. Flueless, Balanced Flue and Powered Flue appliances are suitable for most modern houses that are built without a chimney, where as some properties may come with a prefabricated or precast flue and most older properties tend ot have an open brick chimney.
More detailed is usually readily available on most Fireplace websites such as Fireplace Megastore, Fireplace Supermarket Or Fireworld.

Hole In The Wall Or In A Surround?

This is mainly down to personal preference as gas, solid fuel and electric fires are all available in these styles. Whether you want to purchase a hang on the wall balanced flue fire such as the Verine Marcello or a unique hang on the wall electric such as the Apex Inception. Likewise if a surround and fire is more appealing you could opt for a fire and surround such as the Drugasar Cara Suite or the Europa Sofia Gas Suite.

Who Do I Geed To Fit It?
Depending on what you've purchased obviously depends on who is needed to fit it. Gas Fires will need to be fitted by a Gas Safe Registered installer, and likewise a solid fuel or woodburning stove would need to be installed by a HETAS engineer. When it comes to surrounds and electric fires, most companies will recommend the surround is fitted by a qualified installer to ensure the perfect finish is achieved. But when it comes down to electric fires, a majority of them come with a standard 13amp plug as standard and simply require plugging in to work.