Our efforts to cut costs are all being motivated by the rising costs of gas and electricity, and it is expected to rise even more by September. Even though spring has officially arrived, we are still experiencing cold evenings requiring us to turn on the heating or cosying up next to a fire.
While it may seem like a luxury, wood burning stoves may be more affordable than you think. Now, let’s see how much it costs to run a wood burning stove compared to using a central heating system so see if they are worth investing in.
Firstly, let’s take a look at just some of the different heating systems available to us:
Main Gas
This is the most common form of heating in the UK. Most homes come with gas boilers to heat the water supply. Since the price increase on 1st April, gas will average £0.0778 kWh of useful heat.
LPG
A more expensive yet environmentally friendly alternative to kerosene is Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). LPG gas typically costs £810 per year to heat your home and heat your water in the UK. It is based on an average of 12,000 kWh per year for a mid-size property in the UK.
Oil
Home heating oil is most commonly found in Northern Ireland and rural areas of the UK and is a cost-effective alternative to mains gas that is labor-intensive. As of the 29th March, the average price of heating oil in Scotland is £1.1939 per litre. Each litre of heating oil contains 10.35 kWh, so the cost of 1 kWh is £0.1154.
Electricity
Taking into account the new price caps, the average electricity price per kwh in the UK is expected to be closer to 28 p/kWh in 2022, with prices varying from 25.8 p/kWh in the North East to 28.2 p/kWh in Merseyside & North Wales and London.
How much does it cost to run log burners?
Wood burning stove
Researchers estimate that wood burning stoves cost about a third the price of electric heat and about 13% less than gas central heating for the average household under the current price cap.
For 2 bags of our hardwood kiln dried logs, it will cost you £150 delivered to your door. We know that kiln dried logs have up to 20% moisture which means they have an energy level of about 4.1 kWh/kg, which makes the cost £0.068 per kWh.
As fuel costs rise, wood burning becomes more cost-effective and our members are reporting a rise in demand for wood fuel supplies as families become more concerned about the financial impact of energy price increases.
Prior to purchasing a wood-burning appliance, consider both the benefits and drawbacks of each type of heating. Additionally, you should consider the maintenance and operating costs associated with wood-burning.
If you require softwood or hardwood logs for your wood burner, then you can purchase them through our website here. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
