The Pros and Cons of Wood Burning, Multi Fuel, Gas and Electric Stoves and Fires

WOOD BURNING AND MULTI FUEL STOVES & FIRES

PROS:

They are the 'real thing'. Visually superior, crackling sounds and associated ambience
Can provide heating during power cuts
Low running costs for those with a free or cheap source of wood
Lower carbon emissions on balance

CONS:

Expensive to run, particularly if buying only kiln dried logs
Inconveniant next to gas or electric as you have to fetch fuel, light and clean the fire
Increased amount of dust in the house
Storage space is required for fuel
Stoves that only burn wood don't tend to stay alight long. This is negated with a multi fuel stove burning just solid fuel or a mixture of both solid fuel and wood. Read our article Choosing Between A Wood Burner or a Multi Fuel Stove for further information
Increased fire risk as although unlikely and virtually impossible with correct use, embers could potentially cause fire
High particle emissions

GAS STOVES & FIRES

PROS:

CONS:

Initial installation can be expensive especially if gas needs to be routed to the fireplace
Can be expensive to run if using bottled gas
A gas stove generally costs more to buy than a wood burning or multi fuel stove
Non renewable fuel source

ELECTRIC STOVES & FIRES

PROS:

CONS:

Poor heat output, most are no more than 2kw
Noisy in operation due to the fan
Can smell if dust gets into the heater, much like electric bathroom heaters of old
No real flame, although effects are getting better it doesn't compare to that of a gas or solid fuel fire
Unable to use during a pwer cut

Article written by Ryan Brocklehurst