Recession heats up wood-burning stove market

Sales of woodburning stoves are experiencing a boom fuelled by the current economic uncertainty, according to one online retailer.

Stove store Gr8Fires.co.uk, which has its head office in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has recently expanded from being a traditional fireplace showroom to an e-commerce site. The firm has seen enormous interest in the online venture as more people take to the web in search of savings on their energy bills.

Manager Adam Ross says the rising cost of central heating is encouraging people to go back to basics when it comes to keeping warm. He said: "The price of oil and gas continues to go up, and for many people it is no longer financially viable to heat their home using central heating.

"We are seeing huge growth in the sales of stoves. After some harsh winters, many energy customers have found they simply could not afford to keep warm. Increasingly people are installing wood-burning stoves, turning off the central heating and just getting a roaring fire going in one room in the house."

Adam said the availability of cheap fuels to burn and the ability to control exactly how much is spent is driving people towards both wood and multi fuel stoves. Models including the Rocky 6kW multi-fuel stove and the Arizona Newark 6 kW multi-fuel wood burning stove are enticing homeowners to make the switch, he said.

He continued: "It is far cheaper to buy coal or peat, or even to chop up some old wood, than to use central heating and we are seeing more and more people re-installing stoves in their property. There are no complicated price formulas or unexpected bills involved with a wood-burning stove. I think people find it reassuring to have their fuel paid for in advance of using it."

There are also some very modern energy efficiencies enticing people to switch to stoves. Some of GR8Fires.co.uk's most popular products are inset stoves, such as the Arizona Denver 609 Multi Fuel 6.5kw. Inset stoves convert traditional fireplaces into wood-burning stoves, and to great effect.

Adam explained: "In a normal fire, you would expect to lose 80 per cent of the heat straight up the chimney. With an inset stove you can actually stop up to 80 per cent from being lost, so as little as 20 per cent of the heat generated goes up the chimney. Very few people will need to be told that level of saving can make a big difference when finances are as tight as they are for many people at the moment."

Visit www.gr8fires.co.uk to view the latest selection of wood-burning stoves and other fires.