How log burners can cut your bills

Want to save money on heating your home? An eco stove could be the answer, finds Mattie Brignal

With energy bills staying stubbornly high while temperatures drop, log burners have been flying off the shelves. More than a quarter of a million units were installed in British homes in the year to July 2023, as homeowners look for cheaper (and more rustic) alternatives to traditional heating.

Andy Hill, chairman of the Stove Industry Alliance ( SIA), said wood burners have seen a “massive” rise in popularity, fuelled first by Covid and then the war in Ukraine.

“Lots of people were spending their money on home improvements during the pandemic, and then the energy crisis made people look for ways to save money on their bills,” he says. “People also want grid independence. They’re worried that if the grid goes down, can they heat their homes?”

However, studies point to stoves emitting more pollution than cars in some areas, while neighbours have complained of stoves causing smog. New rules also impose strict standards on the type of fuel that can be burnt.

But if done in the right way, using a stove to heat your home may be the most economical option. Here, Telegraph Money looks at whether burning wood really can slash your heating bill.

HOW MUCH DO WOOD BURNING STOVES COST?

You should expect to pay between £1,200 and £1,500 for a good quality unit from a reputable brand, according to Mr Hill. Luxury designs can cost up to £5,000. He says: “You should make sure the wood burner meets ‘ eco design’ requirements, a legal standard.”

The typical cost of installing a wood burner is £850 to £1,500 if the property has a chimney, and £1,000 to £2,500 if it does not, according to retailer Bonfire Fireplaces. The higher price reflects the need to install a flue system, essential to help control the fumes the burner gives off, making sure they rise safely.

HOW MUCH DOES THE FUEL COST? You will need to buy kiln- dried logs. Ash is regarded as the best burning wood, although birch, beech, oak and elm can also be used. A burner uses an

Using a stove to burn wood can knock this off an annual energy bill, according to Gemserv

Amount of PM2.5, a fine particlulate matter, that is emitted from wood burners and can cause health problems average of 3.5 cubic metres of wood if used from mid- October to mid-April in the evenings and at weekends, according to calculations by the SIA. With a cubic metre of kiln dried logs costing between £120 to £200, this puts the average heating bill for the colder months at between £420 to £700.

CAN LOG BURNERS SAVE MONEY? The typical household now pays gas and electricity bills of £1,928 a year.

Research by Gemserv, a professional services firm, shows that using a stove to burn wood can knock £ 92 off an annual bill, while the Energy Saving Trust found that log burners can cut costs by 10pc. However, whether you save money depends on the size of your log burner, your central heating system, the unit cost of wood versus gas or electricity, and how many rooms you heat. It can be tricky to calculate which is cheaper, because of changing prices and that energy bills also include standing charges.

For example, between November 2022 and June 2023, kiln dried wood logs were cheaper than mains gas per kWh produced. By December 2023 the price of kiln dried logs had crept up to 10.51p/kWh, compared to 9.03p/ kWh for mains standard gas and 34.25p/ kWh for electricity, plus a daily standing charge of 29.6p. Mr Hill says: “When gas and electricity prices were high last year, on a like-for-like energy basis, stoves were cheaper.”

WHY ARE WOOD BURNERS CONTROVERSIAL?

Home heating with solid fuels such as wood is now estimated to be one of Britain’s main sources of fine particulate matter pollution. The biggest offender is PM2.5, which can work its way deep into the body via the bloodstream, and has been linked to severe health issues including heart disease, strokes, asthma and cancer. Wood burning is responsible for about 17pc of the pollutant, according to statistics from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Your woodburner can also harm relations with your neighbours. Residents have complained of being exposed to toxic fumes from wood burning in the colder winter months.

Gary Fuller, of the school of public health at Imperial College London, suggests that in some areas more people can be exposed to air particle pollution from stoves than those affected by traffic pollution from busy roads.

WHAT ARE THE RULES ON WOOD BURNERS?

All stoves on the market after January 2022 must be “eco design” compliant, which means they meet minimum levels of emissions and efficiency.

In England, it is illegal to burn coal or wet wood in your home. Wood with a moisture content of over 20pc is counted as “wet”. You are only allowed to burn kiln dried logs, dried logs, or smokeless fuels. But if you live in a “smoke controlled zone”, which includes most major towns and cities in England, you cannot burn wood, unless you have a Defra-exempt stove.

Councils can issue on-the-spot fines if you do not comply with the rules.