It isn’t a ‘fashion statement’ at all

I write in response to the letter from Robert Bishop (in your January 28 edition) about wood-burning stoves.

While I am grateful for his information about the potential dangers of wood/ coal burning stoves and their emissions, I take strong objection to his allegation that ‘in this area, these stoves are nothing more than a fashion statement, as every house has a gas boiler for central heating and hot water …’.

It is not clear what he means by ‘this area’ – but, as he is writing in the Horsham edition of your newspaper, I can only assume that he is referring to the Horsham area in general.

May I enlighten him? I live in Slinfold.

We do not have ‘a gas boiler for central heating and hot water’ because we do not have a gas supply to our house, nor do any of our near neighbours. (Although parts of Slinfold do now have a domestic gas supply, other parts do not.)

I am sure that there are also many other properties throughout the Horsham district that also do not have a domestic gas supply, especially those in smaller villages and more remote places.

We – and many of our neighbours and others – therefore rely on the use of an oil-fired boiler for hot water and central heating. Likewise, we and others also have woodburning stoves as a necessary and alternative source of heat.

Our wood-burning stoves were already part of the property when we bought it in 2002, and were far from new then – hardly ‘a fashion statement’!

At least wood is a renewable source of energy, whereas oil is not – and of course oil also has to be delivered periodically to each property, using large lorries consuming even more ‘dirty’ fuel in the form of diesel. So – of our only two options – which is the ‘cleaner / greener’ fuel overall?

Additionally, our electricity supply is through overhead cables and it would be unusual to go through a whole winter without at least one or even several power cuts, possibly lasting several hours – to the extent that we also maintain a petrol-fuelled generator for use in those circumstances.

The generator may not be sufficient to accommodate central heating for any length of time, so, in the event of a longer power cut in the winter, we have occasionally been reduced to our wood-burning stoves as our sole source of heat!

At least wood is a renewable source, whereas gas and oil are not. There may be dangers associated with its use – but please do not allege that its use is ‘nothing more than a fashion statement’ – nor that ‘every house has a gas boiler’ – without checking your facts.

Incidentally, since moving here 18 years ago, we have used at least one of our woodburning stoves numerous times every winter – although

often only for a few hours in the evening – without ever having to buy any wood!

All wood has been sourced from our own and other trees, old pallets, scrap wood, etc., etc.. Hence, the sole cost of our wood-burning stoves amounts to the cost of fire-lighters, matches, and an annual chimney sweep — much cheaper than the cost of oil – or gas – for central heating! TREVORDAYNESWOOD

Barn Cottage, The Street, Slinfold