What You Need to Know Before You Buy a Wood Burning Stove

Multi-fuel and wood burning stoves are rising in popularity. More people are looking for a way to save on fuel bills whilst being more environmentally friendly. In addition, many stoves are so well designed that they bring an aesthetic centrepiece to the room that is at the core of many happy family memories and good times with friends.

However, choosing the right appliance for your home and needs is essential in order to truly benefit the most from it.

Looking beyond the beauty of some of today’s models, here is what you need to consider when you’re looking for your next stove.

·         Heat output: does the stove produce enough heat for the room it is in?

Stoves come in a variety of different sizes that are designed to heat a range of spaces. For a typical living room, a stove should be around the 4-5kW mark. Rooms that are considerably larger may need a stove that delivers an output of up to 8kW. Many modern homes are constructed with improved insulation and therefore this will need to be taken into consideration.

·         How efficient is the stove?

All modern heating appliances in the UK are required to adhere to minimum efficiency levels. This measurement of efficiency is set from how much heat is extracted from the fuel and delivered to the room as usable heat. A stove must be at least 65% efficient, but many stoves will produce efficiency in the 80% range or more.

·         How often do you need to refuel?

Some stoves are able to keep burning continually – or in reality up to 4 hours when burning a solid fuel or up to 1.5 hours when wood is being burnt. These types of stoves can often keep a fire burning for over 10 hours when burning logs or for over 12 hours when solid fuel is burning. The perfect stoves for those who do not like to keep relighting the fire every time it is required.

Those stoves that are classed as needing ‘intermittent operation’ need to be refuelled every 45 minutes or so when they are burning wood. This time can be extended up to or over 1 hour when it comes to solid fuel. These types of stove are perfect for those who like evening fires or fires just when the central heating needs a helping hand of heat.

Discovering how a stove measures up to the above will help you to determine whether a particular model is right for your specific situation.

The Leeds Stove Centre has a number of stylish multi fuel stoves available for purchase.

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