A roaring trade

It's not only the energy crisis that is creating unprecedented demand for stoves: clean-burn technology, app-based controls and new designs fuelled by alternatives to wood are also transforming possibilities

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SALES of stoves are off the scale,’ says Paul Chesney, who founded Chesneys, the fireplace and stove specialist, almost 40 years ago. ‘We can’t make enough to keep up.’ He believes that demand is driven by his customers’ desire to be both more self-sufficient and also to have more control of their costs. According to the Stove Industry Alliance (SIA), seasoned logs are now the least expensive domestic heating fuel, costing 74% less per kWh than electric and 21% less than gas. The Nottingham Energy Partnership has also found that using a modern Ecodesign wood-burning stove costs 29% less to run than an air-source heat pump.

Leaps and bounds in stove technology are also fuelling demand, but how clean are they, given the concerns about particulate levels? ‘The current generation of wood-burning stoves is so much more efficient, consuming less fuel to generate more heat, and they are much cleaner,’ explains Mr Chesney. The key move in this area has been the introduction of Ecodesign regulations, which came into force a year ago. ‘All stoves manufactured after January 1, 2022, must be Ecodesign compliant,’ explains Cedric Wells, creative director of stove specialist, Charnwood. ‘A modern Ecodesigncompliant wood-burning stove emits up to 90% fewer particulates than an open fire and up to 80% less than an old, basic model.’