Wood burning stoves: a buyer's guide - Grand Designs Magazine
wood burning stove guide for modern homes

Wood burning stoves: a buyer’s guide

The best modern stoves for your home, plus installation advice

By Jenny Mcfarlane |

There’s never been more choice when it comes to wood burning stoves. Whether classic or modern, a wood-burning or multi-fuel stove adds a characterful focal point and creates a cosy, hygge home come winter. But where do you start? With the Grand Designs magazine buyer’s guide to the best wood burning stoves…

Radiant or convection?

Wood burning stoves come in two types: radiant and convection models. Radiant models supply heat through the glass and stove body to warm the immediate surrounding area, which makes them best for occasional use.

Convection models, on the other hand, heat the whole room – cool air is drawn into a convection chamber, then warmed as it rises before flowing out. Prices range from £400 to £5,000 (excluding installation), depending on style and heat output.

White Contura wood burning stove in modern neutral kitchen

Photo: Contura

Decide on an installation style

Wood burning stoves are cost-effective, environmentally friendly and far more efficient than an open fire. Freestanding, wall-hung, mounted on a base or placed in a fire surround, whichever style you choose, the Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme (HETAS) recommends that a lined flue is fitted as part of the wood-burning stove installation process.

Floating wood burning stove in contemporary house by Focus fireplaces

Photo: Focus Fireplaces

Wood burners are energy efficient

The latest designs are up to 90% energy efficient, compared with only 15% for open fires. Plus, logs are inexpensive and sustainable. ‘Dry firewood is essential,’ says Declan Kingsley-Walsh, managing director at Morsø UK. ‘It must have a maximum moisture content of 20% and ideally be kiln dried.’

For maximum heat output, make sure you use seasoned fuel – look for the woodsure.co.uk logo to ensure it has been correctly seasoned and stored.

wood burning stove by morso in open-plan kitchen-diner

Photo: Morso

Great for modern homes

Many contemporary models blend great design with advanced cleanburn technology, so they’re efficient and produce less smoke, too.

Inset stoves, built into a media wall or false chimney breast, are a good idea if space is limited. Some models have glass doors on three sides, which makes them ideal as a central focal point. Stoves with rounded fronts, side panels and double doors also showcase flames beautifully.

Building regulations

All installations must meet current building regulations and adhere to strict clean-air legislation. To meet the upcoming Ecodesign criteria, look for stoves offering at least 75% efficiency and always use the cleanest fuels.

Fuel-efficient developments include the Ecco Stove, which combines masonry heater and wood burning stove technology to provide up to 93% efficiency.

If you live in a built-up area, you can burn logs only in a Defra-exempt appliance that’s designed to produce very little smoke and is approved for use in controlled zones.

There’s never been more choice when it comes to wood burning stoves. Whether classic or modern, a wood-burning or multi-fuel stove adds a characterful focal point and creates a cosy, hygge home come winter. But where do you start? With the Grand Designs magazine buyer’s guide to the best wood burning stoves…

Radiant or convection?

Wood burning stoves come in two types: radiant and convection models. Radiant models supply heat through the glass and stove body to warm the immediate surrounding area, which makes them best for occasional use.

Convection models, on the other hand, heat the whole room – cool air is drawn into a convection chamber, then warmed as it rises before flowing out. Prices range from £400 to £5,000 (excluding installation), depending on style and heat output.

White Contura wood burning stove in modern neutral kitchen

Photo: Contura

Decide on an installation style

Wood burning stoves are cost-effective, environmentally friendly and far more efficient than an open fire. Freestanding, wall-hung, mounted on a base or placed in a fire surround, whichever style you choose, the Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme (HETAS) recommends that a lined flue is fitted as part of the wood-burning stove installation process.

Floating wood burning stove in contemporary house by Focus fireplaces

Photo: Focus Fireplaces

Wood burners are energy efficient

The latest designs are up to 90% energy efficient, compared with only 15% for open fires. Plus, logs are inexpensive and sustainable. ‘Dry firewood is essential,’ says Declan Kingsley-Walsh, managing director at Morsø UK. ‘It must have a maximum moisture content of 20% and ideally be kiln dried.’

For maximum heat output, make sure you use seasoned fuel – look for the woodsure.co.uk logo to ensure it has been correctly seasoned and stored.

wood burning stove by morso in open-plan kitchen-diner

Photo: Morso

Great for modern homes

Many contemporary models blend great design with advanced cleanburn technology, so they’re efficient and produce less smoke, too.

Inset stoves, built into a media wall or false chimney breast, are a good idea if space is limited. Some models have glass doors on three sides, which makes them ideal as a central focal point. Stoves with rounded fronts, side panels and double doors also showcase flames beautifully.

Building regulations

All installations must meet current building regulations and adhere to strict clean-air legislation. To meet the upcoming Ecodesign criteria, look for stoves offering at least 75% efficiency and always use the cleanest fuels.

Fuel-efficient developments include the Ecco Stove, which combines masonry heater and wood burning stove technology to provide up to 93% efficiency.

If you live in a built-up area, you can burn logs only in a Defra-exempt appliance that’s designed to produce very little smoke and is approved for use in controlled zones.

Image: Scan Stoves

Q&A with an expert

Rob Bohm, building project manager for Oxfordshire at CLPM construction management services, shares his expert advice on wood burning stoves…

Should I install a wood-burner?

A wood-burner should only be used to top up a renewable heating system. For instance, you may need to use a wood-burner occasionally during very cold weather in a home with a ground source heat pump or an air source heat pump.

Will it be carbon neutral?

As timber is a carbon-neutral fuel, a wood burner can be good from a carbon-emissions perspective. But source sustainable, well-seasoned wood. Woodsure assured quality woodfuel burns with optimum efficiency, without the risk of damage to your appliance.

What about pollution?

Burning wood produces tiny fragments of soot, and these can contribute to climate change and breathing problems. Opting for a Defra-approved stove with Cleanburn technology will reduce emissions and allow burning in smokeless zones. However, from 2022, all new stoves must also conform to stringent Ecodesign standards.

What is Ecodesign?

This is a new European standard that guarantees any stove bought or installed after January 2022 meets a higher minimum efficiency and a reduction in the maximum permitted level of carbon particle emissions. To ensure you meet the criteria, look out for stoves carrying the SIA Ecodesign Ready label.

Does size matter?

Installing the wrong size stove can lead to over-firing or, more commonly, under-running, which can damage the stove, flue and environment. To calculate kilowatt requirements, divide the volume of the room in cubic metres by 14.

How about fitting?

All installations will require a flue and must adhere to current building regulations, so make sure you comply by using a Hetas-registered fitter.

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