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Installed 2 multifuel stoves at our last house. The novelty does wear off, they're dirty and proper kiln dried wood is expensive. We now have a freestanding gas stove in our new house. Looks lovely and the convinince means it wins hands down. It's even got a remote control so I don't even have to move from the sofa, result.
Don’t do it. Not because of heat, but because it’s a terrible place to put a TV.
How so?
In utopia do I burn wood or oil ?
In utopia, neither! Practically, I would always advocate a "fabric first" approach where you reduce your energy consumption as much as possible, with the result being that the source of your residual demand matters much less.
That seems sound, reduce need for energy can only be good.
proper kiln dried wood is expensive.
and also pointless.
Practically, I would always advocate a “fabric first” approach where you reduce your energy consumption as much as possible,
For sure.
The problem with UK housing stock is that it's old, mostly shit, difficult to convert to modern specification and 'people' are pretty clueless about energy conservation in general.
In utopia, neither! Practically, I would always advocate a “fabric first” approach where you reduce your energy consumption as much as possible, with the result being that the source of your residual demand matters much less.
ok and when you have done all the insulation your house can take - and its still cold . what next ?
knock all the houses down and start again ?
Some of us would rather not spend money to heat the house but back in the real world we have to use something - and it appears that every option is evil.
You're learning.
as i said - in utopia .
mean while back on planet earth.
I had my fireplace modified to take wood burner, but after researching the environmental impact could not bring myself to buy one. That said my mains 'green' energy comes from importing and burning trees...
Galloways, and there is a shit load of piles of cut timber that have been lying rotting for years, can’t get my head round that, what a waste of energy.
Carbon sink, innit?
How so?
As a proper nerd I'm pretty disappointed you don't know the reason. Same as a monitor innit, you ideally want the top third of the screen at eye level.
As a proper nerd I’m pretty disappointed you don’t know the reason. Same as a monitor innit, you ideally want the top third of the screen at eye level.
Ah, yes. I assumed you were objecting to it being in the centre of the room.
It's a tricksy one really. The front wall is where the fire is, one side wall is all window, the other facing the window, and the back wall like 9m away. Wherever I cite it it's going to be a compromise.
ok and when you have done all the insulation your house can take – and its still cold . what next ?
knock all the houses down and start again ?
Some of us would rather not spend money to heat the house but back in the real world we have to use something – and it appears that every option is evil.
There's no free lunch: heat pumps are a low carbon solution but not well suited to many applications.
But you'll note I said "as much as possible" and not "entirely", the point being that if you can substantially reduce your demand, the heating source is substantially less important. The alternative is to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. My own (old, solid walled) house is very far from perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than it was, with the residual heating demand from a condensing gas boiler.
as i said – in utopia .
mean while back on planet earth.
Are you complaining because someone took your question at face value and gave you an answer in good faith?
In utopia do I burn wood or oil ?
Neither.
In Utopia, methane gas from the arse of cows shall be collected and piped to your house for burning lest it become another greenhouse gas.
We are in the country, have no mains gas and for 25 years have heated the house with a Stanley solid fuel stove which runs runs on smokeless ovals and stays in all the time outside of summer to power the central heating and hot water
Snap, but Trianco anthracite unit which stuffs out 25kw or so and has no trouble heating the entire house via the rads.
Plus we have a multifuel in the cold lounge which runs 24/7 on smokeless for frosty cold periods, or for the odd quick wood burn when its not yet cold enough to fire up the main boiler.
The air quality inside your home is way worse than outside when using wood stoves, as measured by numerous studies. We got one 3 years ago and since reading much more on them, I don't use it. Head over heart.
I also hate the smell outside knowing what I am breathing when I smell the neighbours. We need to progress beyond them at least in built up areas.
OP - save your money.
I've often thought, a pipe and a small device on the cows back... Store the fart gas and collect at the milking shed... The fart gas could be more valuable than the milk! If it could be a small and cheap device that is. I know there are certain metals that absorb many times there own volume if hydrogen, releasing it when warmed. If such a material existed for fart gas this could be a goer.
I’ve often thought, a pipe and a small device on the cows back… Store the fart gas and collect at the milking shed
How often have you thought this? Are you ok?
😁. Ok... Not all that often, but often enough to think it's a brilliant idea
Are you complaining because someone took your question at face value and gave you an answer in good faith?
Not so much that just when folk get all preachy without offering realistic alternatives. A very extinction rebellion thing to do.
@ransos in management terms, fell to waste occupies the space you want to regenerate and encourages things such as bramble and bracken that create an impenetrable layer for regeneration. It also hinders further management because you can't move for tripping over the stuff. Left on the floor it is also a wasted resource that could be doing something to say reduce fossil fuel use.
As an FSC accredited organisation, we are already leaving circa 20% felled material, so hardly stripping the woods bare. Also working a continuous cover system.
What is needed is a better understanding of timber uses so that is used more widely in applications that lock the carbon in for another lifetime such as in construction. Too much fixation on 'pine and 'oak', many more species out there.
Not so much that just when folk get all preachy without offering realistic alternatives
Good job that's not what's happened, then.
Thanks @timber. I absolutely agree on the role for timber in construction, as you say, it stores carbon for a long time. I'm less clear on the benefit of using wood waste that would otherwise be left on the ground: there it decays very slowly and allows the soil to act as an effective carbon sink, something that is degraded significantly by forestry operations.
@ransos Forestry is moving away from more post-war mass production methods (unlike farming perhaps), however the lead times are slower and only now seeing the end cycle of processes started 80 years ago. Possibly gone too far the other way now, too much focus on biodiversity without consideration for usable timber, that reduces import reliance and associated carbon. Forestry is a long-term industry, always planning for the next 2 generations and trying to guess the market, climate, disease, soil condition and every variable in 200 years.
I think for a lot of us in rural areas, wood is nearby and reduces oil consumption. Better to keep the oil in the ground, that took thousands of years, firewood will be mostly reabsorbed by the new trees in 40 years.
Re: Cows. Its the burping front end that's the problem. not the trumping back end.
Really? They burp methane? I guess 4 stomachs do different things to your food then one.
My device could be a head cover instead of a bottom tube.... Still works.
I guess 4 stomachs do different things to your food then one.
They burp up partially digested food to re-chew continually IIRC...
My device could be a head cover instead of a bottom tube…. Still works
You are but a step away...
Yeah so it looks like the answer is gas. How much do these cost including fitting 3.5k?
How wide is the hole it goes in?