With lots of extra expense at Christmas, wood-burning stove owners at least know that they won’t be hit with huge fuel bills during the holidays.
In fact, there are some things they can do to ensure that they save even more money on heating costs at Christmas.
Here are a few examples of things you can do to cut your wood-burning stove expenditure for Christmas.
Buy your fuel now
Now as in yesterday. If you buy fuel for your stove, the chances are that the prices will start to creep up as the temperature drops and we get closer to Christmas. It is advisable to buy enough fuel to last through the festive period as early as possible. Bulk-buying in advance will help you to cut your fuel costs.
Buy a stove pipe thermometer
A big cause of unnecessary expense on wood-burning stoves is burning too much fuel by operating the stove at too high a temperature. The easiest way to monitor this is with a stove pipe thermometer. This will cost you less than £15 and will save you that amount of money is no time at all if it alerts you that you that your stove is overfiring. As well as stopping you burning fuel inefficiently, a stove pipe thermometer will also avoid causing damage to the flue pipe, the internal components of the stove and the stove glass, which can happen if the stove is overfired. Get a stove pipe thermometer now.
Only used seasoned wood
Damp wood that is sitting around on petrol station forecourts and similar places is not good for your stove. It is also very inefficient to burn because a lot of the energy created is spent on evaporating water rather than heating the room. You can save money buy only burning wood that has dried, aired and seasoned.
Get a moisture meter
Leading on from the last point, getting a moisture meter is a good way to ensure that the wood you are buying or burning is seasoned. This digital gadget instantly tells you the water content of any piece of wood, so you can pick the fuel that will offer you best value for money. Buy yours now.
Collect your own fuel
’Tis the season of fallen trees, so there is plenty of free wood available around Christmas. Ideally, you will be collecting for next year so that the wood has time to season before you use it. Just remember to make sure you have permission from the landowner is you’re hoping to collect wood from private land.
