To use log burner?

[driftcompatible]

I'm concerned about rising energy prices and have a pretty tight budget. I'm on another thread looking at tips to reduce power and am putting them into place.

I have two wood burners in my home. It's an old cottage and generally pretty cold (and dark). The burners were here when we moved in.

I haven't used them much at all. I have read a lot recently about the problem of log burners and the sense I get that people rather hate them for a whole host of reasons.

The thing is that the burners quickly and easily heat the entire house. The previous owners said they never had the heating on and just used them.

I'm obviously aware I could save a lot of money using them but AIBU to do it?

I'll go with the consensus. I'm not someone who is going to just argue with all the advice lol.

YANBU, just do it op.

Yanbu just use them.

Are you sure it will save you money? Where will you get your firewood from?

Use them.

We live in an old house and have a log burner and we use it a lot. We make sure we use well seasoned wood and we do not burn coal. There is a lot of hate for them for valid reasons but our house has always had one and we make sure we burn the best wood we can and have the chimney cleaned every year. The warmth is great and we then use less oil to heat the house.

Get the glue cleaned & buy some seasoned wood

@Zazdar

Are you sure it will save you money? Where will you get your firewood from?

Oh I have TONS of wood. The previous owners left so much wood I've been giving it away for free. We have a garage (too small and crumbling) FULL of wood.

But yes, if we didn't have wood it probably wouldn't be cost effective!

You can get fans that sit on top of the burners that maximise heat too, a well laid fire with good vent control should last for a few hours (depending on the size of your burners obviously). Make sure you have the flue looked at and cleaned before you start using them too.

Also, when your logs run out, look for a local supplier that will deliver a ton loose load, depending on your use age this will last a good few months and will cost about £90-£120 depending on your area. We don’t have a log burner anymore but when we did we were lucky enough to have space to season our own logs and tree waste (DH works in landscaping and the occasional tree removal) which cut costs and prepped us for the following year.

Use the wood, work how much it costs v central heating. For example It costs me £60 per cubic metre kiln dried wood delivered. I can get roughly 40 baskets of wood per cubic metre. In spring /autumn and chillier summer evenings (up North) I can keep the house warm on a basket - 2 baskets of wood a day. Working out the cost of central heating is easy if you’re on a smart meter but for me it’s oil so cost of filling a tank divided by time it lasts. I find in winter it’s better to run the heating as you need a lot of wood/ time and if you’re out all day it turns into a fridge and takes ages to heat through, also more cost effective to use oil then. The rest of the year I use fires unless it’s really chilly. I do collect wood whilst out walking the dog and dry it out in the barn. Also learnt how to use a chainsaw so can sort out any windfall and voila free firewood. Costs a lot in terms of energy and time though.

If the wood is free and just sitting there then it makes sense both financially and environmentally to use it.

As long as it’s good quality, dry wood and your chimneys are at the correct height then its environmental impact is as low as it can be.

Just use it! Make sure you have the chimneys swept beforehand if they haven't been used in a while

Use it!

It’s a privilege of the wealthy to be able to be environmentally friendly.

We have a cost of living crisis about to hit.

You’ll have to do what you can

(And I say that as someone who thinks that we should be more environmentally friendly but despair of the privilege of those who broadcast that message).

Have you checked whether you are in a smoke control area? Sounds unlikely to be fair. We are, but still the previous owners left a load of logs for the open fire that we aren't allowed to burn.

@Thebig3

Just use it! Make sure you have the chimneys swept beforehand if they haven't been used in a while

Yes def get the chimney swept. You may have all sorts in there.

We live in an old house and only have woodburners for heating. It takes work but there is something nice about having to work to stay warm.

Seeing as you already have the wood, YANBU

They're not great from a pollution point of view though, including inside the house and from a health perspective

Do have children in the house?

Hi OP. I live rurally and its fine to use a log burner. Do not feel guilty in any way. Once you get used to using a log burner, and your rooms are warm you can dampen it, and get it to burn slowly. Never burn overnight this just wastes your logs. Get your chimney swept by a registered sweeper. If you buy logs it will still be cheaper than oil IMV. I have been working from home since March 2020 and use a log burner to heat the living room during the day. On my coatings this costs (buying logs) about £40 a month. Much cheaper than oil.

Use it. I ca t understand why you haven't before now.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/18/wood-burners-triple-harmful-indoor-air-pollution-study-finds

[quote WhatScratch]www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/18/wood-burners-triple-harmful-indoor-air-pollution-study-finds[/quote]
Important points here.

Yes I do have children. And this is a concern. However, from what I understand the risk comes with particles from opening and shutting the doors. The wood burners aren't in rooms they are usually in. One in a room they are NEVER in (office). I could refuel when they aren't around. In fairness they are fairly large and I can't imagine needing to open the door a lot. I could do so during nap time and in evening when they are in bed. If the fire dies down in the meantime it shouldn't be a problem due to residual heat.

I appreciate this information linked.

If you live in a. Cottage, do you have space to plant some more trees? As that helps offset the wood you are burning (the new trees will absorb CO2 and release oxygen as they grow). Other plants will also do the same, but trees mean growing more wood for future generations.

Log burners burn cleaner than an open fire, and give out more effective heat into the room. They are also a dry heat which is good for cold or older houses that may have poor insulation and any damp.

I'd be very interested to know what is the difference in indoor pollution between a log burner and an open fire - rather than a log burner and a sealed gas/oil boiler.