The DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) have recently completed a Domestic Wood Use Survey, which underlines the need to burn wood in efficient wood burning stoves.
The SIA (Stove Industry Alliance) commented that log burning stoves are the most popular appliance, followed by the much less efficient open fires. Logs in particular tend to be the preferred fuel source, as outlined on the chart below.
The average weekly use in the UK for a wood burning stove is around 27 hours. In London this drops to just 7 hours, where wood burning tends to be more recreational. Alarmingly over 70% of wood burning in London is on open fires, which tend to be the least efficient way to burn wood, and the least environmentally friendly.
A highly efficient wood burning stove will on average produce 90% fewer emissions, and up to 14% less CO2 than an open fire, which is burning the same wood.
According to the Clean Air Act, wood should only be burnt in Defra exempt appliances in smoke control areas like London. One way to help clean the air in London is to get people to make a shift from open fires, to highly efficient wood burning stoves.
There is a diverse range of wood burning stoves currently available for a wide range of home types, styles and sizes, including large victorian homes that are often found in areas like Central London. Over the years Charlton & Jenrick have designed a wide range of wood burning stoves, that cater for different markets, from small country homes to very large town houses. You are able to view the complete range via the gallery page.
The Domestic Wood Use Survey can be found on the Government website – view survey
