Burning wood in the home: Five reasons to choose an alternative heating system.
Wood burners have become a popular alternative to gas heating in recent years. While a real flame can feel cosy, wood smoke impacts both human health and the environment.
Alternative heating systems can offer clean and convenient heating, without hassle or health risks.
Below, we’ve listed some reasons to choose an alternative heating system.
Modern heating systems such as efficient boilers and heat pumps can be programmed to warm your home at different times, on different days of the week.
Some systems even offer a mobile app, allowing you to adjust the heating while you’re away from home.
You can control your heating at the touch of a button!
When you use a wood burner, you may need to replenish your stock of wood regularly, and take care not to be caught without fuel.
However, on gas or electric heating systems, you don’t need to take responsibility of your energy supply; that’s what your Gas Distribution Network and electric Distribution Network Operators are there for.
Although some wood stoves have air-flow controls which can be used to reduce the rate of burning, choosing to heat your home with a fire can mean fluctuating between a cold, unheated space and a blazing hot hearth.
Alternately, central heating systems with thermostats enable you to keep your home to the optimum temperature. Newer heating systems like heat pumps are even designed to provide a steady release of heat, allowing you to maintain a consistent temperature of 18-21°C throughout the day while cutting energy costs.
If you live with a health condition that could be affected by the temperature of your home, it’ll be worth considering a system that keeps your home safe and comfortable.
In many homes, a living room warmed by a fire contrasts with colder bedrooms upstairs where condensation can form on the windows. Temperature differences in the home can cause moisture to travel from warmer to colder areas, potentially leading to damp and mould in less-heated rooms.
Using modern heating means that warmth can be evenly distributed across each room, helping you to feel comfortable and reduce the likelihood of damp and mould.
Stoves and fireplaces need to be cleaned, checked, serviced and swept regularly, to keep them operating safely and to limit indoor air pollution.
HETAS recommends having appliances serviced at least once a year, and chimneys swept at least 1-2 times a year, depending on the fuel you burn. Regular cleaning and checks are also required, such as sweeping the ash from your stove and cleaning the glass in your stove door.
While it is also recommended to annually service other systems, such as gas boilers or heat pumps, these typically require far less regular cleaning and day-to-day maintenance than a stove or fireplace.
If you’re not sure about which heating option might be best for your home, call our team on 0800 804 8601. You can access free, impartial advice on how to find cheaper, healthier and easier technologies that work for your home, health and finances.
