There are many ways to keep your home pleasantly warm during the cold winter months. So why choose wood burning stoves? Here is why:
Cost efficiency. With the prices of electricity, gas and oil rising sky high, heating our homes has become an expensive venture. New technologies such as photovoltaic cells and heat pumps cut those expensive heating bills, however, they require a huge investment which pays off only in two to three decades. Wood burning stoves are a lot less expensive to buy than the new technologies, while wood fuel is very cheap in comparison to electricity, gas and oil. A kilowatt of heat per hour costs about one fifth of kWh of electricity and about one third of kWh of oil and gas.
Unique warmth. Wood logs emit a unique warmth which makes the room feel much more pleasant than any other type of fuel. At the same time, wood burning stove emits heat long after it has gone out. This makes wood burning stoves unique in comparison to other types of heating including open fires. They look highly decorative and create a unique atmosphere in the room, however, open fires have been shown to “feed” on warm air and make the room feel colder rather than warmer.
Energy independence. Energy sources such as electricity, gas and oil must not be taken for granted. While gas and oil are non-renewable energy resources which means that they will run out one fine day, electricity must be produced somehow to keep up with the demand. To make things worse, most of the world’s electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels which, as mentioned earlier, are available in limited amounts. As a result, it is unrealistic to expect for the prices of the mentioned energy sources to get any lower in the future. In contrary to electricity, oil and gas, wood fuel is a renewable source of energy because the trees that are cut down for firewood can easily be replaced.
Reliability. With the climate getting more and more unpredictable, electricity power cuts that were virtually unknown all these years may become more common in the future. Now imagine a power cut during the cold winter. Brrr! But with a wood burning stove in the house, you do not have to worry about freezing in the middle of the winter. Unlike other types of heating including central heating, wood burning stoves do not need electricity to operate.
Eco-friendliness. In contrary to fossil fuels, wood fuel is carbon neutral which means that wood burning stoves do not increase the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Wood logs do emit carbon dioxide when burned, however, the carbon that is released during burning is neutralised by the growing replacement trees. This is due to the fact that trees absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and release pure oxygen.
