For many people, the biggest single advantage to installing or owning a wood burning stove is simply the eye-catching look and cosy feel of a real fire, but with none of the hassle, smell, soot or risk. Installing a woodburner is a completely valid lifestyle choice that pushes the right buttons for a great many and effortlessly evokes deep rooted associations with the basic human desire to feel warm and safe.
It’s also worth bearing mind that what looks good and feels good generally also sells well. There is a body of anecdotal evidence from estate agents and others that homeowners who make improvements such as installing a woodburning stove in the living area find life very much easier when they later come to sell their property. That’s not to say that heating features such as these will make your house worth more on the market, but it will help you achieve your asking price and sell your house more quickly.
The second biggest reason that many people are installing wood burning stoves is that wood burners are highly efficient and much cheaper to run than conventional gas, oil or electric heating systems; we’re talking well over three times cheaper in most cases, and quite a bit more in some situations. At present, there are few more easy ways to save money than to switch to wood burning as a domestic heating solution.
Thirdly, we are all becoming much more environmentally aware these days; every amateur gardener knows that the climate is already changing and every gas or electric bill is a reminder that the way things have been up till now is no longer sustainable for the future. Which is where wood burning comes in; because although you are indeed releasing carbon into the atmosphere when you burn logs or wood pellets, this forms part of a more or less balanced carbon cycle.
The carbon released by a wood burner was taken from the atmosphere in the first place by the tree that provided the wood – that’s how trees make themselves; carbon dioxide plus solar energy (sunlight). When grown and harvested as a renewable resource, the trees planted today to replace the ones used as biofuel in wood burning stoves will again absorb exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide as is released by the burning process. This can be managed as an endlessly sustainable, balanced cycle that produces almost zero excess CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) by contrast are not in the slightest renewable or sustainable and are a one way street as far as CO2 is concerned.
So what are you waiting for? Here are more than enough reasons to switch already! Give HeatAsh a call today and find out how much you could improve your property, save yourself money and bring a warm glow to your home. Use the contact link above or send us an email.
