Traditional and Contemporary Wood Burning Stoves

Are you up to buy a new fireplace for your cozy home? Yeah Winter is Coming and there is nothing like a warm fireplace in home with the classic view of wooden logs burning inside… but you are confused between classic that is traditional or a modern contemporary wood stoves?

Let us break things down for you.

First of all, it is necessary to understand the basic differences between these two fireplaces…

A traditional fireplace will burn the logs of various varieties of woods and get you the necessary heat for your home. Whereas modern stoves will create an ambiance like wood burning stoves with the use of Wood, Gas, oil or any other flammable product in the market.

There are still some points that need to be considered while choosing a nice fireplace for your homes.

Aesthetics

A beautifully designed fireplace with stones looks elegant in a living room. A masonry fireplace has a number of possibilities while designing like mosaic tiles, stacked stones, brickwork, veneer or even marble. Open view of fire flames and the incomparable appearance, feel and smell of burning wood in a fireplace makes this classic style of fireplace among many people.

Since classic fireplaces provide this feel on the other hand, a wood stove will have a glass door and it will lack this smell and elegance.

Safety

Any fireplace appliance featuring a wood burning fire can come with natural safety challenges. As gas or pellet fuel is clean and safe, byproducts and creosote from burning wood can accumulate in chimney, posing a serious chimney fire if not taken care properly.

Sparks coming from wood fires is another issue. Sparks are easily spread out of fireplaces causing injuries or even property damage. Installing proper covers in the forms of glass doors to fireplaces can help ensure that sparks won’t come out of the place to furniture or carpets in your homes. Wood stoves on the other side are already equipped with glass doors since they feature the closed combustion unit that means no spark flying around your living room.

An open burning fireplace is a potential hazard for children and pets. Wood stoves are much safer in this respect since fire is not directly exposed in the open, but there still is a minute risk of someone getting burned if they touch the glass door of the stove. Safety gates and glass doors are the great ways to keep your little ones wandering with their furry friends around the living room.

Efficiency

It’s a known fact that wood is the lowest expensive fuel type compared to gas, pallet, oil and coal etc. although cheap as fuel it is, wood fireplaces are not the efficient fire equipment in the market. In fact, they tend to be the least efficient heat source with a heat efficiency of 10% only. The biggest part of the heat gets vanished through chimneys, leaving the room less warm than it should be. On the other hand; wood burning stoves can provide 300% more heat with 1/3rd of the firewood which places them on the efficient side. When it comes to efficiency, wood burning stoves win.

Eco-Friendly

Burning a wood releases no more CO2 than a tree does while decaying itself naturally in forests, which means Burning Wood, is Carbon Neutral. The wood stoves today, are equipped with closed combustion system which means, they produce a very little amount of emission. That being said, they are more efficient and better at providing heat, wood stoves can help supplement your current heating system, allowing you to lower your utility during the cold winters.

When it comes to heating appliances, it up to your choice what you prefer, whether a Traditional one or a Modern one. If aesthetics, ambiance and authenticity have their places in the corner of your minds, go for a wood fireplace. If you desire a highly efficient heating powerhouse together with ambiance and modern elegance, a wood burning stove would be a great choice for you.

Related ArticleTraditional Wood Stoves and Multi- Fuel Stoves
PopularSadiq Khan unfairly wants to ban Wood Burning Stoves in London

High efficiency clean burn wood burning stoves

Much has been made in recent times of the pollution level figures in London and the role in which the stove industry has played in these figures. Away from the headline grabbing newspapers feeding distorted information and facts it is time for some honest hard truths to be aired.

Aside from mentioning the super massive problem that is vehicle and air traffic amongst others within London the fireplace/stove industry are aware and have been for a long time that a shape up and tightening of regulations is needed within the industry, it is common knowledge that old fashioned traditional style open fires are highly inefficient and produce high levels of co2 when burning, the use of old out dated unapproved wood burning stoves is also an inefficient way of burning much in the same way that driving an old “banger” of a motor vehicle with no catalytic converter will be “unclean”
Worth pointing out that the burning of wood on an open fireplace or an unapproved stove is and has been illegal in London since the time of the introduction of the clean air act 1956!

It is worth noting that the (SIA) stove industry alliance have documented that up to 70% of all wood being burned within London is being done so illegally on open fires! If you then factor in that modern clean burn stoves produce 90% fewer emissions and 14% less CO2 than open fires it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that the illegal use of the open fire and unapproved stove is at the crux of the problem and this illegal activity is dragging the good work done by the high efficiency stove industry through the mud! Couple this illegal use with the very much un-regulated supply of poor quality fuel and I would suggest that tackling these two issues will go far and away to drastically reducing the already small percentage of pollution actually created by the use of stoves in London.

It has been proposed that in 2022 all appliances (wood burning stoves) will need to carry the European SIA ECO stamp much in the same way that the appliance up until this point and beyond must be DEFRA approved.

So what does all of this mean for the consumer? In basic terms what this means is that the use of a wood burning stove in London is not going to be outlawed nor made illegal, it will simply mean that anybody wanting to use a stove will have the legal responsibility to use a high efficiency, low emission burner that will be better for the environment at the same time as being more economical in terms of fuel consumption, we as a company do whole heartedly endorse the use of such appliances after all as human beings we do have a primeval affinity with the use of fire in the household and as we head to the future with greater technologies why not do your bit for the environment and get a “clean burning high efficiency stove”

Sadiq Khan unfairly wants to ban Wood Burning Stoves in London

Wood Burning Stove - SCENE 490

It’s incredible that the mayor of London is able to attack and attribute the wood burning stove London Industry for their short falls in coming to terms with the air pollution levels of London.

Did London not record it’s highest ever pollution readings for the month of June this year? Maybe this was due to wood burning BBQs? Laughable.

It was researched that on a cold day in January this year a spike in air pollution was heavily down to 1.5 million wood burning stoves in use?

To have any evidence of how many burners are actually being used at any one time in comparison to the inefficient open fireplace I suggest is impossible.

Not to mention the massive spike in vehicle traffic during cold spells and the countless extra vehicle engine running hours while people use their heaters to thaw windscreens and stay warm whilst sitting parked, the central heating systems on full blast and the busier streets and shopping centres with Christmas and January sales.

The fireplace and stove industry does understand that some level of emissions are created by use of a fire, we also however know that providing the correct quality of fuel is burned on the correct appliance (a high efficiency DEFRA approved closed appliance) these emissions become practically carbon neutral.

Instead of crippling an entire industry with scaremongering and scapegoating why not do something actually constructive like impose heavier regulations on the types and quality of fuels being burned and also ensuring that the already illegal practice of burning wood on an open fireplace is adhered to.

Save The Cost Of The Heating With Replacement Of Natural Source

Wood is a natural source of producing fire and heat. This natural and cheap source is being used by many household. It is not only having the advantage of easy availability but is also having relatively low cost. Moreover they are very easy to use. The wood stove is an alternative to the liquefied gas which is being used by many people. Wood can be used as the fuel by these stoves. They are helpful in reducing the cost of the heating fuel. Not only for cooking they can be used for other purposes in the household. So in the recent past time, these kinds of stoves are becoming popular.

Usage of the wood stove in the households

Wood stoves are of variety of sizes and shapes. The small wood stoves are small in size yet quite efficient. They are useful in the homes of small family of two or three members. They are the ideal requirement for the cooking as well as other heating needs. Besides they are perfect for the fireplaces of the rooms and cottages in cold seasons. So these kind of wood stoves are multi functional. These mainly help in conserving the costly energy and produce heat at low cost. Get to know more about using these stoves.

wood burning stove

Different stove to be bought for your home

The efficiency of the wood burning stoves has been a lot. So the popularity of such stoves are going high. Many manufacturers are designing new stoves and launching them. Therefore, the customer gets confused while they go to buy one. Here are some tips to choose the right stove.

The present day stoves come with beautiful designs. The body of the stove can be made of cast iron, welded iron soap stone or a combination of the former. Soap stone body is the latest design which looks good. The cast iron and welded one is near to same but the later needs a bit of maintenance.

Next the decision has to be made based on its utility. Whether being used as primary heating source or the secondary one, the stove has to be different based on application. The earlier one was the non catalytic stoves and now the catalytic stove. The present days wood burning stoves are much more economical. They are able to warm up an area of about 1000 to 1200 square feet. The non catalytic wood stove need a bit of maintenance and cleaning for a longer investment. Check out various products and their features before buying one.

How can a stove be useful for the fireplace?

Fireplace is an important part of any home in winter dominating country. Places like London have the cold season all the year round. So fireplace is a must for every home. Traditional crackling wood fireplaces are old fashioned now. To upgrade the place, one can install the wood stove. In London, many people are installing stoves at fireplaces. Such stoves are made up of metals with two pipes. One is the inlet of combustion air and other is the outlet of combustion gas. There are also models without such vents. They are airtight and produce less smoke. Hence it is more heating efficient than the vent one.

Get to know some important facts before buying the stoves

Buying of wood stoves can be a bit confusing. If you are a first time buyer, then it is a bad idea to look for stars. The wood stoves are not being sold based on star ratings. The ratings and the feedback can be confusing too. It is a good idea to look out for the government efficiency rating. Based on such information and a bit of knowledge about the wood stove can be helpful. Know about the manufacturer who is supplying the wood stove and fireplace inserts. Check out these properties while buying such a wood stove for your household purpose.

  • Whether catalytic or non catalytic stoves
  • The size of the chamber where the firewood burns
  • Know the size of the largest log that would fit in the box
  • Know about the heat value and the efficiency of the stove about producing heat.
  • Know about the emission. The particulate matter that is being emitted is responsible for air pollution.
  • Know about the range of heat output. Have knowledge about the government range and the one you are buying.
  • The maximum wood stove burn time
  • The heating capacity of the stove. Know about how much area will get heated by the wood stove.

All these factors are essential to be considered while buying such a product. Read about various products over the internet. Know about various manufacturers who are ultimately bringing the best product.

Tips on using the stoves properly

If you are already an owner of the wood stove then here are some tips to maintain a low maintenance. Follow these tips and your stove would be in usable condition for longer period of time.

  • If you have bought anew wood stove, then it is a good idea to read the instruction manual. Follow the precaution mentioned there. It would help to keep the stove in a good condition for longer period of time. Otherwise if you have bought a second hand one, ask the seller for the tips. Know about them and follow them.
  • Know about the wood that can be used. Using right kind of wood would help in providing the right heat amount. Avoid using the green wood as they are not environment friendly. It is best to use the seasoned wood. One may also buy the green wood and season it by themselves. That can be time consuming but use the seasoned one.

Concluding on the overview of wood stove

Wood stove is the right alternative for the high cost fuel source. It is multi functional and can be used for both cooking and warming purpose. Just take few hours to know about its usage. Proper usage will surely help to use the stove for long period of time. Some of the wood stove also needs maintenance. Follow these steps to get a low cost heating source.  Being such a cost effective one, many business and commercials are also using them for heating. They are safe and environment friendly too.

5 of The Best Wood Burning Stoves in London

So, you’re looking for a wood stove burner to complement your living room, heat up your house and maybe save on heating bills? There is a vast amount of products and choice out there with varying pricing structure and easiness of installation. Regardless of your choice you will need a professional stove installer in London.

Our list is based on our own experience in installing stoves ion London, popularity, design heat efficiency and quality.

1- Manufacturer – CHARNWOOD  

    Model – C4, C5 (C5 is a great alternative for slightly larger stove)

 wood burning stove

Descriptions:

The Charnwood C-Five (C5) Stove is built with landscape proportions, allowing a 12″ log to fit inside comfortably. The C5 will produce 5kW of heat. Available with a low base as standard or with log store (wood store) as an optional extra. The C-Five is one of the best selling small stoves in the UK.

 

2- Manufacturer – CAPITAL FIREPLACES

    Model-  SCENE 490

 Wood Burning Stove - SCENE 490

Descriptions:

It is created in solid 5mm solid cast iron for durability and heat retention, with a new locking system which ensures an airtight seal. Being 5KW the stove does not require additional ventilation in the room and offers up to 80% efficiency in burning. This stove features an air wash system to help protect the glass from soot build up. The Sirius 490 Scene stove features a simple minimalistic design which is an ideal fit to most contemporary designs. It has dual air controls to give you greater control of your burning rate.

 

3- Manufacturer- HETA

    Model- INSPIRE

 Wood Burning Stove - INSPIRE

Descriptions:

The Heta Inspire 45 is a modern 5kW stove and is manufactured in Denmark. This stove is very solid (thick steel) and has an excellent efficiency rating (84%). We added this stove to our site following a particularly high demand for quotes from customers – this being a sure sign that a stove is a potential winner

 

4- Manufacturer- MORSO

    Model- squirell

Wood burning Stove - MORSO squirellDescriptions:

Morso have taken the Standard Squirrel stove and added cleanburn technology Like the Standard Squirrel stove the Cleanheat version is also a top of the range cast iron stove with a very high heat output for its size.

 

 

5- Manufacturer – CHILLI PENGUIN

    Model- SHORT PENGUIN

Wood burning stove - SHORT PENGUIN 

Descriptions:

The Short Penguin is available in two models, one door and two door. The additional door is a separate door for the ash pan. Both models use the Chilli Penguin secondary combustion air wash for keeping the glass clean and tertiary air jets to produce a clean burn which offers greater fuel efficiency and less harmful emissions are released into the atmosphere.

 

Wood burning stoves are an investment in your home and a long term saving on heating bills. Of course the initial purchase is significant, and installation costs can vary depending on the space available and configuration of your living room. We install stoves in London and surrounding areas every day of the week. This means we have sold and installed thousands of stoves in the capital and we can advise you on the best options for your home. We are  HETAS registered specialist in fireplaces and wood burning stoves installation in London.

How Wood Burning Stoves are beneficial in Maintaining the Local Climate

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In the fast moving high technology world we live in, there are different ways of keeping your home warm.

Wood burning stoves is like using old ways of heating your house (wood burning) with high end new technologies in the latest range of high quality and efficient wood burning stoves. It is an increasingly attractive and economical way of heating your living room and even the entire house and maintain its temperature while keeping the carbon footprint on the lower side. The wood burning stoves London are aesthetically designed, cleaner to operate and more energy efficient. The stoves are specially designed keeping in view the environmental effects. The wood stoves London installers such as Embers help clients every day who make the choice to go for a wood burning stove in their London home.

In comparison to the central heating systems, the wood stoves make your home healthy to breathe in and safe. Central heating systems are based on non-renewable energy resources such as oil, gas or even coal in some countries. Stoves are used in homes, especially the large living rooms and bed rooms for warm and sustainable living, notably keeping carbon emissions at bay.

In the recent years, as the world has started facing energy crisis, and with non-renewable energy resources depleting on a faster rate, building contractors and the architects across construction industry are opting for wood burning stoves London companies such as Embers to make the homes they design heat efficient and non polluting.

Want to know surprising fact? Wood burning stoves are capable of heating water using the back boiler, and this eventually means that the quantity of electricity, or gas or oil required for heating radiators or water in your home is much less than your current consumption.

The wood required for burning in the stoves could be reclaimed wood, which has been dumped during any construction projects. However, it is important that the collected wood is untreated and unpainted, or otherwise it could pollute the environment.

Wood burning stoves has double advantage over the burning of wood out in open. The stoves are built in such a manner that with minimum quantity of wood and carbon emissions, the heat generated is quite high. In several models of wood burning stoves, the gas emissions from burning wood are quickly sent back straight into the stove and subsequently burnt.

The quantity of carbon produced from wood while it is burnt is considerably less in relation to coal and other fossil fuel. It is interesting to find that the quantity of carbon released on burning wood is approximately the same as the quantity of carbon removed from the atmosphere.

In general, the wood used comes from various sustainable sources, where a sapling is planted for every tree, which has been cut for use in stoves. In comparison to traditional open fire, wood burning stoves produce three times more heat, which is sufficient enough to warm up vast sections of your home if not all of it.

If you are thinking of keeping the interiors of your beautiful home warm and composed, wood burning stoves could be one of the healthy, clean and reliable options you are going to have, over the electrically driven central heating systems. Contact us today to discuss your options.