Best log burners that are an efficient way to heat a home

Phil Wood, UK country manager at Contura, a specialist in wood burning stoves, explains what to go for when buying fuel for a log burner:

“Purchase the best seasoned, dry or kiln dried wood that you can afford from a recommended supplier.

“You can be sure of the wood’s quality and origin by buying from accredited British suppliers. The UK’s wood fuel accreditation scheme, Woodsure, issues a ‘Ready to Burn' certification mark to wood suppliers that can demonstrate that their logs have an optimum moisture content between 12 and 20 per cent. Look out for this label for your quality guarantee.

“Using kiln dried wood or wood with a moisture content below 20 per cent will generate the correct heat and the correct flame, ensuring maximum efficiency from your wood-burning stove and, crucially, minimising smoke.

“Good quality hardwood species such as ash, oak, beech or birch will burn the cleanest and longest with a bright flame.

Phil Wood, UK country manager at Contura, says: "Never burn wet, treated, polished, varnished or oiled woods or waste woods such as pallets, furniture or fencing. Also, avoid mixed wood products (commonly found on building sites), as these will tend to give off unpleasant fumes, damage the stove flue, and produce a lot of black or grey smoke.

“Avoid soft woods such as pine, firs and cypress, which burn too quickly and produce more smoke.”

The condition of the chimney and adequate external venting will need to be checked before installing a wood burner. Loren Taylor, expert in exterior design and owner of Outdoor Fountain Pros, explains:

"Installing a log burner can really make a house feel like a cosy home, but there are some important things to consider before you get started. As an expert in exterior design, I always recommend having a professional assess your chimney situation first – they'll check if your existing one will work or if you need to install a new flue system. You'll also need a proper hearth to protect your floor from the heat.

"Ventilation is key, too. Your room needs enough air vents to provide oxygen for the fire. Make sure you hire a HETAS-registered installer to do the work. They'll ensure everything is up to code and complies with building and safety regulations.

"Some areas, especially cities, have stricter rules around emissions, so you might need a special DEFRA-approved stove. Listed buildings and homes in certain neighbourhoods could require extra planning permission as well.

"The good news is, modern log burners often come with built-in safety features. Things like airwash systems to keep the glass clean and thermostats to control the burn rate and prevent overheating. You'll still need a separate carbon monoxide detector in the same room though."

Jon Butterworth, Director at Arada Stoves, explains that a chimney is not necessary, but you will need to have a flue:

“You don’t need to have a chimney. Depending on where you plan to site your stove, you will need to consider where the flue will exit the building and whether you want it to run internally as an extended feature of the stove or on the outside of the building. Depending on your room's architectural structure, there are many part options, including various lengths, bends, supports and flashings to connect your stove to a safe termination point (the place at which the flue exits the building's structure). The minimum chimney height recommended for wood burning and multi-fuel appliances is 4.5m from the top of the appliance to the top of the chimney.

"With the actual flue itself, a twin-wall insulated system is a must, rather than a single, skinned flue pipe. This stainless steel, dual-pipe construction is separated by a layer of high-grade insulation, which ensures that the exterior wall does not get hot enough to cause damage to the surrounding structure or people that come into contact with it. This type of flue is used when a stove is fitted into a structure that has no masonry chimney, and as a result can run internally or externally as an exposed flue, depending on preference. All of our stoves come with the option for a rear or top flue outlet, so that you can choose the final look of your wood burner.”

As well as Spring cleaning your wood burning stove, Jon Butterworth, Director at Arada Stoves, says: "Getting a professional chimney ‘health check’ will ensure that your flue pipe or chimney is clear and safe when you re-light your appliance in the colder months. Getting your stove professionally serviced and swept is advised to be done at least once a year, so aim to organise it at the start of autumn if you haven’t already had it done this year. This will result in your stove working efficiently and safely whilst preventing the build-up of soot in the flue or chimney, which, if not properly maintained, can cause a fire.”

Phil Wood from Contura explains that wood-burning stoves are efficient, low-carbon and a sustainable option when the wood is sourced from Ready to Burn suppliers.

Phil says: "Contrary to popular opinion, when used and maintained correctly, a wood burner can provide an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable domestic heating solution. Likewise, firewood is a highly efficient and low-carbon energy source."

“Unlike coal or natural gas, wood is a low-carbon fuel. This means that burning wood results in a relatively small net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is then re-absorbed when new trees grow. This effectively balances out the combustion of bioenergy.

“Wood is renewable in that a tree cut for fuel will naturally be replaced by a younger tree that grows or is planted in its place. However, it is also important to consider the concept of sustainable forest management, both locally and worldwide…

“Most firewood is produced from thinning the forest to provide space, nutrition and light for thicker, more established trees to prosper. Localised coppicing helps to ensure ‘low fuel miles’ as wood is transported to areas nearby, within a 30 to 100-mile radius, rather than sourced from forests abroad.”

Phil Wood from Contura says: “Using firewood contributes to fuel independence as it can nearly always be sourced locally, within a 30-100-mile radius. This makes it extremely efficient in fuel miles terms, and those purchasing firewood are also supporting the local economy.

“In the case of rural properties that do not necessarily want to heat all spaces at all times, local space heating using firewood is the most efficient heating solution.

“Just two logs per hour are required to keep a wood burner going, whilst eight logs are needed to burn for an hour in an open fire."

Phil Wood from Contura explains: "There are a number of factors to consider before selecting and installing a wood burner. Whilst aesthetics are, of course, important, it is essential to look at the size of the stove, its heat output, and the technology of the stove model (convection and clean burning systems, efficiency, practicality, ease of use and overall performance).

“It is also important to consider stove size and heat output to ensure maximum efficiency and minimise wastage of energy. This will depend on the size of the space you are looking to heat. For a 25 metre squared room, for example, you would need to go for a stove with an output of approximately 5kW, whilst for a space of 120sqm, you’ll need a model with a bigger chamber that provides an output of 7kW.

“For large or particularly cold spaces, soapstone-clad stoves or those equipped with heat-retaining bricks work well in terms of efficiency, as the materials retain heat over a longer period – even after the fire has been extinguished.”

The aim is to build a stack inside the firebox. Place a couple of logs on the bottom and stack around three lots of kindling loosely, like Jenga bricks along with a small piece of firelighter. This is known as 'top-down lighting'. The air vent of the log burner needs to be fully open, in order to help the fire to catch. Also, you can leave the door slightly ajar as the fire gets up to speed. Just be sure to follow the instructions that come with your stove, as air flow and temperature will vary.

Phil Wood from Contura advises: “To use a wood burner correctly, you need to warm the stove and chimney chamber through first, rather than trying to create a roaring fire and a lot of heat straight away. It’s better to build the fire up progressively. Think of lighting the stove as a similar process to pre-heating an oven, which needs time to warm up properly before it cooks efficiently."

The benefit of top-down lighting is that the kindling will catch slower if it's on the top of the fire, so it gently warms the flue and products less smoke.

A roaring fire, isn't necessarily a good thing, as Phil explains: “A roaring fire is more often the result of loading too many logs in one go. You shouldn’t overload the space but use it as efficiently as possible. As a rule, a wood burner requires 2-3 logs per hour."

Wait until the fire is reduced to glowing red embers before you add more logs, just one or two will be enough to create an efficient fire. You need to open the door slowly, as the air flow will affect the fire. Keep the door ajar while the fresh logs catch; remember, air fuels the fire.

Depending on how often you light your log burner, the ash pan and fire box will need sweeping out after every few fires. Phil Wood, from Contura, says: “The stove should be cleaned out regularly to remove excess ash, soot and debris, as this will ensure a more efficient burn and minimise smoke."

Additionally, have the chimney or flue professionally swept once a year to remove soot build-up.

An Ecodesign log burner meets European regulations on emissions. It will burn wood more efficiently and cleanly, than a traditional open fire. According to Phil Wood from Contura, an Ecodesign stove can, "reduce emissions by up to 90 per cent."

Phil continues: "“Ecodesign stoves have been engineered to burn wood more completely. The targeted introduction of combustion air at higher levels in the fire box of the stoves reignites the combustion particles before they can leave the stove. This technology reduces particulate emissions by 90 per cent compared to an open fire or 80 per cent compared to a stove of 5-10 years old. It can also lead to significant reductions in Carbon Monoxide, Nitrous Oxides and Organic Gaseous Carbon compounds (OGCs)."

Therefore, if you have an open fire or an older wood burner, it's essential to consider replacing it with an Ecodesign stove.