Are Log Burners A Cheaper Alternative To Gas?
Compare log burners to gas as an energy source this year.
Published: September 28, 2022 Author: Matt Jackson
Summary:
- A wood burning stove is 13% cheaper than gas heating.
- A wood burning stove is 66% cheaper than electric heaters.
- These stoves may cut your annual heating bill by 10%.
- EcoDesign stoves are better for the environment, but still emit 750x more particle pollutants than an HGV truck.
As energy bills continue to rise, many of us are looking for cheaper heating solutions.
A log burner could be the perfect solution to keeping your home heated and energy costs low! In this article, we take a look at whether log burners are a cheaper alternative to gas and what you can expect by using one.
Read on, if you’re considering a log burner and want to know more before committing to this type of heating source for your own home.
What Are The Upfront Running Costs For A Log Burner?
Anybody that is thinking of getting a log burner needs to think about upfront costs. Running a log burner does require some costs that aren’t needed with other heating appliances.
The two main upfront costs associated with log burners are the log burner itself which can vary in price depending on budget and firewood.
Despite the upfront costs of a log burner, these heating appliances are actually far more cost-effective than most. Below, we’re going to take a look at some of the costs and how they compare.
A good way to understand just how much more economic a log burner is vs other heating appliances is to look at overall costs.
This includes the upfront costs and the ongoing costs required for the log burner to work properly along with its maintenance.
As of October 2022, a log burner can be bought for as little as £85 on Amazon. Prices can vary considerably based on the type of model you choose and its size.
For a budget of £500.00, you’ll likely be able to find a high-quality log burner with a heat output of approximately 5KW.
If you live in a small home, this is more than enough energy output to keep it cosy and warm throughout the colder months.
£500 is also enough to opt for a multifuel stove if you are looking to burn other types of solid fuels. Such fuels include wooden pellets, traditional coal, and peat, for example.
Many people prefer this option as it offers more flexibility for stocking up on fuel and taking advantage of the cheapest fuel types.
Some log burners also come with additional features like back boilers, advanced combustion systems, and cooking tops. If you’re hoping for some of these handy features, you can expect to pay considerably more.
Additional log burner expenses
There are some additional costs that you may need to consider for running a log burner. We’ve detailed each below:
Chimney liners
Even though chimney liners aren’t a necessity. We really recommend using one if you plan to install a log burner.
Chimney liners make a stove far easier to light and can positively impact its efficiency at the same time.
They also make burners far safer to use since they reduce the risk of fire spreading and keep it controlled instead.
If you do buy a chimney liner, you can find out the size you need by measuring the diameter of your stove’s collar along with the length of your chimney.
Stove pipes
Not all log burners will come with a stove pipe, therefore, you will have to buy this necessary component in order to ensure it runs properly.
Stove pipes are responsible for funnelling the soke and combustibles that are produced from your strove up your chimney.
The cost of a stove pipe depends on its size. You can determine what size stove pipe you need by measuring the size of the collar that your stove has along with the distance from your stove to the chimney cavity.
What are the everyday costs of running a log burner?
Now onto the topic of everyday running costs for log burners. Every type of appliance requires ongoing costs and log burners aren’t any different.
However, you’ll be happy to know that the cost of running a log burner is usually restricted to just buying firewood.
Firewood costs are variable across the U.K. but typically, 1 cubic metre of kiln dried wood will cost you £120 to £140.
To give you an example of how much heating 1 cubic meter of wood will provide, the average log burner uses 3.5 cubic meters if used on weekends and during the evenings over 6 months inclusive of winter.
What is the average yearly heating bill for homes with log burners?
On average, a log burner costs anywhere between £420 and £490 to run on a yearly basis. This is far less than what most people pay for gas and electricity comparatively.
So, how much cheaper are log burners exactly?
To put a figure to the question above, a wood-burning stove will save you around 66% when compared to electric heating and 13% less than gas heating too.
Wood burners could cut the costs of your annual heating bill by an average of 10%. Now more than ever it is time to really look at realistic ways to save on heating costs and a log burner could do just the trick according to the stats above.
Will my log burner be bad for the planet?
There is a huge misconception that burning wood in a log burner is bad for the planet. Of course, it is always good to be mindful of emissions. However, log burners are not categorically bad for the environment.
All wood stoves that have been manufactured since January 2022 are EcoDesign ready. This means that they emit 90% less matter into the atmosphere than older log burners.
Through the use of innovative technology, many stoves today are very clean burning and don’t cause almost any sort of pollution.
How does this work? Well, the combustible materials are ‘burnt off’ inside of the firebox before they can even leave the stove pipe area. Clever stuff!
What are the cons of choosing a log burner?
There aren’t too many cons that come with having a log burner. Though, there are statistics to consider.
Though EcoDesign stoves are designed to be non-harmful to the environment when compared to older types of stoves, they still can emit a large amount of particle pollution.
Some studies have revealed that log burners emit 750x more particle pollutants into the atmosphere than an HGV truck.
Another thing to consider is being around such pollutants in your home. Though log burners don’t pose any big health risk, there are some studies that have revealed regular use of burners causes the amount of harmful particulate matter in homes to triple.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our article on Are Log Burners A Cheaper Alternative To Gas?.
If you have any questions or comments, email us at [email protected].
