Alongside the prospect of making your home really cosy and switching to an environmentally friendly form of heating, saving money on your heating bills is probably one of the top three reasons for installing a wood-burning stove.
So, in this blog post we’re going to explore how you can maximise your stove’s money-saving potential to cut your heating bills as much as possible.
Get a stove with a big enough heat output
You need to get a stove in a suitable size for your room. Scrimping on the heat output will mean your room will not be heated effectively and you’ll still resort to the central heating to create a snug home.
Use our stove size calculator for guidance on the appropriate heat output for your space. You might choose to install a larger stove than your room demands. Many people employ this tactic in order to heat adjacent rooms. However, you will need to operate the stove below full capacity most of the time in order to avoid making it uncomfortable in the room containing the stove.
Heat only the rooms you use
One of the most popular tactics stove owners use to cut their bills is to only heat the rooms they actually use. You can turn off your radiators in strategic places around your house and rely upon the stove to pick up the slack.
Source free wood
A good way to reduce your heating bills with a stove is to minimise your fuel costs. One way of doing this is to use salvaged or scrap wood. As long as it has not been treated, wood that you can collect or be given at no cost is great for your stove. Here are some ideas of places to get free wood.
Use seasoned wood
Before you burn wood, ensure that it is seasoned. This is when the wood has been cut, chopped and left to dry and air for several months. The purpose of this is to reduce the moisture content of the wood – usually from around 45% water to about 20-25% water – to ensure your stove gets up to heat more quickly and that as much energy as possible goes on generating warmth rather than evaporating water.
Control the air supply to your stove
Once your stove is in full swing, the door and primary (bottom) air vent should be closed. The door should also be closed when the stove is lit. Limiting the air supply to the stove ensures it will burn more efficiently.
Consider installing a boiler stove
A great way to further reduce your heating bills is to get a boiler stove. A wood burner or multi-fuel stove that comes with a back boiler can also be used to heat your radiators and provide hot water, which further reduces your need to use other forms of heating.
Of course, the very first step is to get a great deal on your wood-burning stove, Gr8Fires is your first port of call.
