In short. Yes.

On several occasions recently, visitors to the showroom at Embers Heating Studio have revealed they were installing a wood burning stove themselves with no previous experience or qualifications. The attitude tends to be one of ‘I am good with my hands and, anyway, how hard can it be?’ Although we cannot prevent them from doing so, the staff strongly advise against the ‘Do It Yourself’ fitting of solid fuel stoves for a number of reasons.

Firstly the Regulations

This kind of projects are set out in Building Regulations, as the law does require certain standards to be met and, indeed, that a ‘Competent Person’ should be employed. The Government’s own leaflet on the subject states that work not completed under the regulations will be illegal and could result in prosecution. But surely rules and regulations are made to be broken? In this instance, there are excellent reasons to comply with the regulations as they are not simply there to keep officials in business (as others seem to be!) nor do they exist to allow a group of individuals to charge more.

One advantage of using a qualified professional to install your multi fuel burner or wood burning stove is they can deal with the Building Regulations without you needing to deal with the local authority direct. Although this obviously makes things simpler for a householder, there are still more fundamental reasons for keeping to the rules.

Fire and Air 

In January 2014, the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service recorded a total of 17 house fires were attributed to chimneys and wood burning stoves in 2013 (a 70{5dfef5ee4bdb9e4ccd342f82740f8c4bc135a5cd1b195e83ba9a769acb7c5569} increase from 2012).

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Sometimes it’s amazing how quickly people wrinkle their noses at us when we mention electric fires.

 We know exactly why they do it too. To them, electric fires conjure up images of three-bar heaters attached to a plug cable, trailed across the floor in granny’s cold and dingy little flat, or tacky fireplaces covered in faux-brass and plastic coal with a flickering light inside to suggest the presence of a flame. It was a nice try, but nobody was fooled.

But with the greatest of respect to granny, times have really changed.

Electric fires are now better than ever, and just the ticket for anyone who wants a fire that is both pleasing on the eye and a powerful source of heat for your home.

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Since the dawn of time itself, people have gathered around the fire to tell stories and share knowledge. Drawn in by its warmth and light, it’s always been the perfect place to come together. It’s no coincidence then that the fireplace continues to be centrepiece of so many homes, and has been for centuries.

Of course, as fireplaces evolved, so did their design. Houses in medieval England had thatched roofs and chimneys, at that point, did not exist. Instead, most houses would have a central hearth where heat would be generated, and food cooked. The floors were covered with straw and the house frames were made of timber, so fire was always a risk. In fact, in an early form of a fire safety policy, William the Conqueror (1028-1087 AD) required that all fires be extinguished at night. This was often done using a metal cover called a ‘couvert feu’ – which eventually led to the term ‘curfew’.

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Wastage. It’s something we all try avoid in our households. Leftovers from dinner get wrapped up and put in the fridge, taps are always turned off when they have been used. Nothing is wasted, and it saves you money too. Some friends of ours even “double dip” their tea bags…

So why do so many people go to all that effort to save money and prevent wastage and then, day after day, waste their earnings left, right and centre by allowing their electricity bills to spiral unnecessarily?

It’s often a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. After all, you can’t see piles of wasted electricity in the same way as you can a pile of leftovers in the bin or water gushing from a tap, but it is there. The only indication you receive is when the bill hits your doormat – and of course by then it’s too late to do anything other than pay – often more than you need. In fact, the World Energy Council believe that being energy efficient in buildings could result in energy savings of up to 40{5dfef5ee4bdb9e4ccd342f82740f8c4bc135a5cd1b195e83ba9a769acb7c5569} for the “standard” household.

Interestingly for many homes summer is the time where most electricity is wasted.  It’s the time of the year when we normally need the least electricity but often our usage habits don’t haven’t changed from the colder months.

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There’s no doubt that a warm, glowing fire is a welcome sight at the end of a long day in winter. And while winter is a way off yet, there are plenty of good reasons to consider making a fireplace a priority when it comes to improving the value of your house.

 A fully-working, naturally fuelled fireplace is a great way to boost the value of your property for the long-term or if you’re looking to sell. Not only that, but it can be a real money-spinner when it comes to arranging your heating budget, with great savings to be made on your bills.

You’d be in great company: the National Association of Chimney Sweeps recorded a 20 per cent rise in the number of householders choosing to have a real fire in their homes over recent years. It’s not hard to see why: a beautiful fireplace can become a stylish centrepiece to any living room that provides easy-to-manage practical heating, not to mention a healthy dose of charm and visual appeal.

Fireplaces for all homes and homeowners

No matter how big or small your house is, [Read more…]