Wood-burning stove sales up 40% in energy crisis as families look for cheaper alternatives to gas and electricity
- Sales of wood-burning stoves have increased by 40% due to rising gas and electricity costs
- The stoves can cost between £300 and over £4,000, but heating costs are lower
- But figures show that stoves emit more particulate matter than road transport
They seem to belong to a bygone era, but have become trendy in recent years.
With the cost of gas and electricity skyrocketing, sales of wood-burning stoves are up 40 percent.
More than 35,000 stoves were sold from April to June, compared to 25,000 for the same quarter of 2021, industry figures show.
The Stove Industry Alliance, which represents manufacturers, said the surge “clearly indicates that consumers are taking action to protect themselves from rising heating bills at home.” The stoves can cost from around £300 to over £4,000. SIA Chairman Andy Hill said: “Since the cost of heating our homes will make up the bulk of the home’s energy bill this winter, it’s no wonder consumers are looking for alternatives to turn on their gas or electric heating.” to fill.’ The SIA said newer stoves are 90 percent less polluting than an open fire.
With the cost of gas and electricity skyrocketing, sales of wood-burning stoves are up 40 percent
But government figures show that stoves emit more particulate matter – the deadliest form – than road transport.
About 17 percent of particulate matter pollution comes from burning wood, compared to 13 percent from road transport. Professor Gary Fuller of Imperial College London told New Scientist: ‘It is important that vulnerable people are kept warm this winter, but burning extra wood is not the solution.
“It will exacerbate existing air pollution problems in our cities and even rural areas in the UK and Europe.”
Simon Birkett, of the Clean Air In London campaign group, called on the government to ‘help people insulate their homes so they don’t feel the need to burn wood’. He stressed that the advice of climate experts is “that wood-fired appliances should be phased out.”