STOVES AND HEAT PUMPS IN NEW BUILDS

The combination of wood burning stoves and heat pumps gives you the best of both worlds – consistent cheap background warmth backed up by quick abundant heat that warms the bones when you really need it and better still, is also great to look at.

Carbon-loaded coal fired electricity generation is now virtually a thing of the past and next on the Government's hit list is doing away with fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, not only in large scale electricity generation but also in the home. Since domestic heating is one of the biggest users of these fuels, then removing them from our homes has to be a priority and therefore heat pumps are being promoted as a major way to reduce a new home's carbon footprint. However, they're not perfect, but when incorporated with a wood burning stove together they become a much better and much more practical heating solution.
Although they use electricity, heat pumps, certainly lower carbon emissions and they're also said to be cheap to run (although for some people the jury is still out on that one). There are two types – ground source (GSHP) and air source (ASHP) and because of the way that they absorb renewable heat from the ground or air their heat output is significantly greater than the electricity input (roughly 3 to 4 times greater) than that needed to create the same amount of heat from a direct electric source and therefore it makes them a very energy efficient method of heating your home.

It would seem though that for many people heat pumps provide a disappointing type of heat. Unlike gas or oil central heating boilers, heat pumps deliver heat at lower temperatures, but for longer periods, which make them wonderful at raising the ambient temperature of a home, and this works fine for some people, but for many others a heat pump simply won't provide the level of heat and comfort they've been accustomed to. Cold snaps can also be problematic as it can take a while for a heat pump to cope with the sudden temperature changes.
This is where a modern low carbon wood burning stove can complement a heat pump. A highly efficient log burner with a wide heat output range can cost-effectively get around heat pump issues. It can provide you with a quick top-up of much needed heat on colder days, as well as during milder times when whole-house heating isn't needed. It will provide your home with an unrivalled warm and welcoming focal point and, let's face it, who doesn't love a stove when it's all fired up? Unlike a heat pump stoves operate off grid, so in the event of a power outage (they're more frequent than you think in new developments) or a mechanical failure with the heat pump you're still going to be able to keep warm and with the use of a trivet on most models you will also be able heat up food.

There's now a good choice of great value stoves specifically designed to work exceptionally well in low energy new build homes (take a look at our best-selling Wiking range for starters) and even when considering the installation costs a stove makes a practical 'belt and braces' low carbon secondary heating add-on to your heating mix, especially when a heat pump is likely to be your primary heating source.

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