With red-hot prices for electricity and knowing that about 60% of the energy costs of an average house are spent on heating, most of us wish there were more options that would allow us to enjoy comfort and cosiness without compromising on warmth.
Keeping our homes warm and cosy with a log fire is just as relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago, although the conditions now are slightly different. As well as spreading a cosy feel throughout the home, a fireplace or wood burning stove provides an efficient and affordable source of heat. We all know how enjoyable it is to sit and feel the heat from a wood burning stove. But did you know there are even more benefits to be gained?
The simplest way to cut heating costs is to use modern wood-burning technology. If your stove or fireplace is old, it won’t be very fuel-efficient. You’ll be using more logs to keep it stoked up and lots of particles will be escaping through the chimney.
By choosing a clean burn stove, you will be helping to reduce particle emissions by up to 90%, while achieving 40% more efficiency from every log you burn.
Norwegian heating association for eco-friendly fireplaces and chimneysThe requirement for clean-burn fireplaces was introduced in Norway back in 1998, while the European Union introduced regulations in January 2022 for the whole of the EU/EEA that all stoves sold and installed in homes after that date must be clean-burning. Scan has naturally had clean-burn technology since the start in 1998.
You can make a difference to the environment and contribute to a healthier climate for all of us by choosing a clean-burning stove with minimal particulate emissions. Since less heat disappears up the chimney and more is radiated into your home, you’ll be keeping your energy consumption significantly lower too.
By the way, did you know that you can save on firewood and be kinder to the environment simply by making and lighting the fire bed correctly?
We have a system called Scan Heat Storage that allows many of our stoves and log burners to be fitted with heat retaining stones inside their top chamber. Specially made to fit each individual fireplace and stove, the stones are crafted from a material with outstanding capacity to retain heat for a long time. In fact they retain and release heat for up to 12 hours after the last log has been placed on the fire! And since the wood burning stoves from Scan stoves are also fully compliant with some of the world’s most stringent test standards for emissions, you are doing a real service to your wallet and your local community.
The heat storage system is compact and positioned inside the top of the stove. The material has an exceptional capacity to absorb and store the heat produced by the fire. If you have the vent open, the fire will quickly heat the room. When the vent is closed, the heat is stored and the stove continues to radiate heat for up to 12 hours.
For those interested in technical details, this is tested in the following way:
The fire was lit in a cold stove with a normal 2.25 kg load of firewood. Thereafter, four 2.25 kg loads were added every 45-50 minutes. Total heat-up time was 3.5-4 hours. The final load of firewood is more than enough for the heat to be stored all night and the stove will feel warm the next morning.
A total of 11.25 kg of wood was used.
The chart shows the heat development some 45-50 minutes after the last log was placed on the fire.
Here at Scan, we are particularly fond of using soapstone when designing our stoves. The colour of soapstone is a beautiful grey with a cool, blue undertone and natural marbling, which means that each stove will have its own personal and unique look. When this is combined with a steel body that heats up quickly using wood for fuel, you get an unbeatable product that will help cut heating costs in your home.
Soapstone is a so-called soft natural stone, which is as heavy as granite (which means it has a large physical mass), but is porous too, which means it retains heat very well. The mass of the soapstone is important. The more kilos it weighs, the longer the wood-burning stove will release heat.
Many of our wood-burning stoves can also be fitted with a beautiful soapstone top plate (optional), which absorbs and stores heat while the stove is lit. The wood-burning stoves that are best at storing heat, however, are those that are clad either completely or in part with soapstone.
If you get a brisk fire going in a soapstone-clad wood-burning stove to begin with so that the stove heats up really well, the heat from the fire is transferred to the soapstone and stored there. When the stone feels hot to the touch, you can either reduce the intensity of the fire or just let it die down. When the fire has gone out, the stone continues to release heat for many hours before it becomes cold.
Another good way to invest in heat storage is to combine soapstone and heat retaining stones in the top of the stove – so you get maximum heat and value from every log you burn.
Benefits of fireplaces and stoves that store heat
Let’s sum up the many benefits you can enjoy from a wood burning fireplace that stores the heat it generates:
If you feel that the time has come to replace your old non-clean wood-burning stove with a new one, or if you are looking for a more heat-efficient wood-burning stove, our dealers will be happy to assist you in finding the right product for your home.
