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Woodburners are often cheaper to run than alternatives and they use a renewable source of energy. Modern burners are much more efficient than open fires and at 65% efficiency are on a par with gas heaters. Their downside is that they are not clean – emitting gases and particles and waste ash – however there are ways to minimise these impacts.
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Wood burners
It can be cheaper to burn firewood in an efficient wood burner than to pay for electric or gas heating. This is certainly true if you have access to free firewood. Furthermore, wood is a renewable source of fuel, whereas gas isn't. Assuming that it is regrown it is also carbon-neutral.
The quality and condition of the wood you use are important. It should be well dried and stored under cover. If the wood is wet some of the energy from the fire is needed to dry it which makes the fire less efficient. Where possible, use wood from plantation forests rather than native types such as Manuka.
When choosing a wood burner, consider the size of the area you want to heat, the thermal needs of your home and its layout. A draughty, uninsulated a house needs a bigger burner which will use more wood.
A wood burner can be inserted into a fireplace to replace an open fire. However this lets less heat into the room than a freestanding model, as heat is lost up the chimney. Wood burner installation needs a building consent from your local council.
If the layout of your house and its hot water system are suitable, wood burners can be equipped with a wetback system to heat household water.
Inefficient wood burners are very polluting. To address this problem, as of 1 September 2005 all wood burners installed on properties less than 2 hectares must have a discharge of less than 1.5 grams of particles for each kilogram of dry wood burnt, and a thermal efficiency at least 65%.
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Quick links
Ministry for the Environment
This provides a list of wood burners which have been tested and found to meet the national environmental standards at the date of testing. It includes links to the manufacturers websites.
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