Burning wood is better than leaving it to rot away

The other main factor in favour of installing wood burning stoves is that they are very environmentally friendly.

Oddly, many people would assume the exact opposite since they can see that a wood burning stove is clearly burning wood and creating smoke that contains carbon emissions. They tend to overlook that the "clean" electricity that enters their house has itself been created by burning fuel – almost always a fossil fuel such as coal, gas or oil.

The main difference between the two is that wood, unlike fossil fuels, is a renewable energy and in the course of growing new wood (i.e. trees) carbon is extracted from the atmosphere and locked back up inside the wood. The carbon in a tree is eventually released back into the atmosphere regardless, so burning it releases no more carbon than leaving it to rot. It is a more or less balanced carbon cycle. Leaving wood to root naturally also releases methane gases in to the atmosphere, which in its self is harmful to the environment.

A Wood burning stove could save you money

The first reason at the top of everybody's list would be the cost benefits of installing a wood burning stove to the home. With fuel prices of Gas, oil and electricity constantly rising alternative ways to heat the home are currently being explored, with a wood burning stove proving to be the most efficient solution.

The Facts:

• Open fires in the home are only 20% efficient – 80% of the heat from the fire ends up going up your chimney.

• Each log burnt on a wood burning stove is between 70-90% efficient, so the log heats your home and the heat it gives off doesn't escape up the chimney.

• Wood to burn is currently cheaper to buy than gas, oil and electricity. Depending on location and current fuel usage there are potential savings up to 3 times on using fuels like gas and oil.

• Gas prices are expected to increase by 15% 2011 (the  Telegraph Sun May 14th)

  and if you are unfortunately on oil then I would seriously consider linking a back boiler stoves to heat your central heating and hot water.

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