Yeah, those hipsters are probably buying record players too.
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And a ‘new English dictionary’.
I volunteer with a conservation charity as part of their hedgelaying team. A perk of the task is that I can take away the larger stems in the brash for firewood. This supplies about a third of my firewood needs. 100% sustainable as it is obtained as part of improving the hedge for wildlife and the regrowth means that it will produce another “crop” in about 10 years when the hedge is next laid.
Only downside is that I have wait a year for it to season, so need more space. The rest of my firewood comes from a local sustainable source.
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I pay £100 for a front loader bucket, and I need between 2 and 3 a year. This is mostly ash, but I hope to supplement it with my own wood from a field I planted up 8 years ago.
I consider it good value, especially as there is no mains gas here, and the price of oil prohibitive - not that I have space for oil storage.
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We bought our log burner about 10 years or so ago after a protracted period of electricity cuts that lasted on and off for a year which left us with no heating. The network company was pretty clueless and in the end we managed to get our MP involved who made them install a generator in a shipping container. The hire cost of that seemed to focus their minds on finding the fault. We had a power loss for several hours one night this week…….log burner to the rescue again.
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I initially disliked those designs and got more traditional burners, perhaps more suited to a house with old fireplaces, though there seem to be many modern innovative designs out there and the fact that they are freestanding probably heats the room better. If I had to install again I’d certainly take a look at what was available.
As an emergency backup I have a small petrol generator that can supply enough power to run the central heating pump and controls. That means that in a power cut we can continue to run the central heating and a few other essentials. No mains gas here so we have an oil fired boiler linked to solar water heating panels, but I’m sure this would work with a gas boiler too.
We did the same…….but it was overwhelming in the end. It was always in wet and damp conditions……but putting on the generator wore thin.
I only ever had to do it once, it would be a real PITA to do it regularly I’m sure.
We used to get our firewood from the in-laws farm, mostly Totara and Macrocarpa, but the farm was sold a few years ago. Now we get about 3m2 a year from a local landscape yard that I pick up in the summer in the trailer and it’s dry by winter time, usually a “hot mix” of pine and hard wood. I also keep the larger garden off-cuts for kindling and wood.
We also have a heat pump for the early morning heat ups.
We use our gas BBQ all year round and that has been useful for power cuts.
We all used to do that here, until we ran out of trees about 1000 years ago.
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There is a bit more mess but no effect on the gear for me but the system is 12 to 15 feet away
Right or wrong wood burners are nice to have.
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From the chic to the shabby … please note the kneeler to aid aching knees when cleaning up, and the extra large ash can. Plus to tick several of the Lounge’s threads: an Eames ottoman, a King Kong dog chew, half of the Ovators, some art, and a light on from one of my ‘Qutes that is providing music whilst cooking.
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If you go for a wood burner, aside from the many suggestions about using the right type of kiln dried wood, look for the SIA Ecodesign Ready certification. Modern stoves are designed to burn at a much higher temperature reducing the harmful particles being released into the atmosphere. Ours is so effective we don’t need to have the central heating on at all in the evenings, anywhere in the house.
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Of course if the stove is operating as suggested the glass should remain clear. No smoking or smoldering wood which blackens the glass. Raw flames also help clean the glass as well for that open fire feeling.
We have ours burning all day sometimes and the glass has minimal clouding.
Likewise we can cut the central heating as well and heat most of the place with convection. The place is fairly well insulated as well which really helps appreciate a good stove
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