What to look for in a new woodburner

• Published date: 28 April 2022
• Publication title: Clutha Leader

A properly sized and installed woodburner can heat the whole home

Many people also like the toasty radiant heat a woodburner produces.

Some models can heat hot water and all of them can be used during a power cut.

Many have a flat top surface for heating a kettle — or even for emergency cooking.

Woodburners aren’t as convenient as heat pumps or central heating systems.

You ‘‘regulate’’ the room temperature through the amount of wood you burn and there’s no timer-controlled automatic starting system. You also have to buy firewood in advance and store it.

If you’re about to buy a woodburner, here’s what to consider:

Type

Freestanding models are generally the most efficient (for a given firewood load, they return the most heat to a room). They’re also the cheapest to install. But if you have an existing open fireplace, an insert model is most often the way to go. Although insert models are not as efficient as freestanders, they’re way better than an open fire.

Heat output

If you have a non-draughty, well-insulated home in the north of the North Island then...