Heating your home with a modern stove brings numerous benefits, some of which may surprise you. Let's explore why switching to a modern stove can be a great choice for your home and the environment.
Why Choose a Modern Stove?
Modern stoves, especially those compliant with the Ecodesign Regulation for solid fuel heaters (enforced in the UK since January 2022), offer a range of benefits beyond keeping your home warm. As members of the Stove Industry Association (SIA), we're committed to helping consumers understand the advantages of these stoves, including clearing up common misconceptions.
Comfort, Wellbeing, and Practical Benefits
A modern, sustainable solid fuel stove, when used correctly, is a highly efficient, low-emission, and cost-effective way to heat your living space. It can also provide radiant warmth throughout your home, reducing condensation and alleviating issues like dampness and mould, which is particularly beneficial for older properties.
Furthermore, the cosy atmosphere created by a real fire can promote feelings of warmth and security, offering a focal point for family gatherings and enhancing mental wellbeing.
Independence from the Grid & Energy Security
A modern stove provides a reliable heat source, even during power outages, giving you greater independence from the energy grid. Additionally, it offers a financial buffer against fluctuating gas and electricity prices. By stocking up on wood or other sustainable fuels, you can control how much you spend on heating, and unlike conventional energy payments, your heating is essentially prepaid.
Replacing an older stove or open fire with an Ecodesign-compliant model can significantly improve heating efficiency, saving money, and reducing your carbon footprint. Modern stoves offer over 80% efficiency, compared to just 25% for open fires and 20% for open gas-effect fires.
Understanding PM & Carbon Emissions
Concerns about "domestic combustion" are often overstated. Ecodesign stoves burning dry wood make up a small fraction of the UK's particulate matter (PM) emissions - less than 0.3%. Many everyday activities contribute more to PM emissions, and the stove industry is dedicated to making these appliances as clean and efficient as possible.
To put things in perspective, cigarette smokers produce 4.7 times as much PM2.5 emissions annually as Ecodesign stoves burning dry wood, and Bonfire Night in the UK alone, generates 7.4 times the amount of PM2.5 emissions as all the Ecodesign stoves burning dry wood do all year round.
Using dry wood fuel, such as Ready to Burn-certified logs, is both sustainable and renewable. Wood has the lowest carbon emissions factor of any domestic heating fuel, with CO2eq emissions significantly lower than electricity and mains gas. Switching from an open fire to a modern stove can reduce PM emissions by up to 90%, making a big difference to both air quality and heating efficiency.
Supporting Local Industry & Biodiversity
Opting for locally sourced wood fuel helps support small businesses and reduces the carbon footprint associated with fuel transport. Furthermore, wood fuel is essential for the woodland management cycle, which helps maintain the health and diversity of woodlands. Well-managed woodlands are vital for wildlife, yet 42% of the UK's woodland remains unmanaged, which negatively affects biodiversity.
If you're thinking about installing a new wood-burning or multi-fuel stove, or upgrading an older model, explore our range of highly efficient Ecodesign stoves here.
The data provided is independently verified and sourced from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), GOV.UK, and the Small Woods Association.