AS energy prices skyrocket more and more people are looking for a cheaper alternative to their pricey gas central heating – and many are eyeing wood-burning stoves.
The industry is booming in Scotland, with many shops putting the rise in sales down to the cost-of-living crisis that’s seen energy bills average £2500 per household – double that of 2015. But is it worth the hassle and will buying a wood-burning stove bring down your long-term energy bills?
What’s the cost of a wood burning stove?
Like any consumer product, the price of a stove can vary. The cost of a new one can range from £400 to more than £2000 but the average good-quality stove will set you back around £1000.
How much does it cost to install a wood burning stove?
It depends. What type of house do you have? Do you have a chimney? What’s the scale and complexity of the project? There are many questions you’ll need to answer to determine how much instillation will cost.
Checkatrade puts the average installation fee at £2000 but one Scottish firm The National spoke to put the cost as high as £7000.
Another shop owner said Glasgow was among the cheapest places to have one installed, adding that Edinburgh and parts of the highlands are far more expensive.
That’s just if you get it installed before winter though with some installations fully booked out until March.
What are the running costs of a wood burning stove?
There are several key factors to consider such as the price of wood, the type of wood you’re using and how often you have your chimney swept.
The price of wood (and it can’t be any old wood as there are strict regulations) will be the main running cost, with the Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) finding the average cost per M3 (cubic metre) of kiln dried logs to be around £150-£190.
It says the average logs used during the heating season is 3.5m3 (calculated on usage between mid-October to mid-April). Based on these estimates, an average household would pay around
£525-665 for wood during the colder months.
So will a wood burning stove save you money?
The SIA says that a wood-burning stove is a third the price of electric heating and 13% cheaper than gas central heating based on the April 1 price cap. Savings now will be much more, it says.
Meanwhile, analysis by Gemserv found that using a wood-burning stove in combination with gas central heating could save the average household £131 a year.
Unlike central heating, it is mainly confined to one room. But is often used in conjunction with, and not instead of, central heating. Like solar though, it’ll require heavy upfront investment that will take years to pay off.
The best way to find out if a stove will save you money is by getting a quote from your local wood-burning stove shop and calculating how much wood you would need during the winter.
How is the energy crisis affecting your business?
Energy prices are skyrocketing across the UK, with the price cap set to hit more than £3500 in October. But a lesser told story is the effect soaring energy bills can have on small businesses. Many firms in Scotland are likely to be forced out of business as rising costs make it unviable. If your small business is going through tough times thanks to sky-high energy bills, let us know.
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