Ban Woodburning stoves!

Cardew

A._Badger wrote: »

There's a tremendous amount of opportunism behind fuel prices, which rarely reflect changes in the actual costs of production. Even in a recession, oil prices have risen steeply, due to speculation, which has enabled steep price hikes by producers of just about every other fuel going - wood very much being no exception.

This has been compounded by the eco-warriors telling people to burn wood in preference to fossil fuel, thus helping to hype the market.

Ironically, just last night, I came across a fascinating attempt to compare the respective costs of heating your home. I have a strong suspicion that the figures aren't accurate - but they will give us something to go on (and which Cardew, of all the regular posters here, will be equipped to analyse).

http://www.johnsonfuelsupplies.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:looking-after-fire-chimney&catid=35:energy-conservation&Itemid=55

Agreed, the figures are a nonsense!

I have come across several similar sites from coal/log merchants that do not stand up to any form of scrutiny.

A._Badger

Cardew wrote: »

Where have I complained about the expense of heating my house?

Did you not understand that the thread title was a little TIC?? I can spell it out s l o w l y to you if you haven't understood.

My open fire is an indulgence - I have Gas CH and, to use your expression, in that room it is lit, on occasion, for the ambiance.

It was an attempt(obviously lost on you!) to point out in a humourous manner that demand for logs has driven up the price.

I have to agree about ambiance. I enjoy my stove - but even burning logs on it. the loss of sound, smell and all the other subliminal delights of wood burning are missing. Opening the doors is no substitute, either.

Come to think of it, I even feel the same way about the open coal fire in the living room a 1920s house I once owned. That had a charm of its own, as well. It also produced 'energy efficiency' denying levels of heat from a tiny grate!

rhiwfield

THIS is the best site I have found for comparison between different fuel types.

However, the info is about 6 months out of date and wood has shot up since then. Its now £80 per m3 locally for seasoned hardwood.


AB: This has been compounded by the eco-warriors telling people to burn wood in preference to fossil fuel, thus helping to hype the market.

AB, you seem to have a downer on people who care about the environment. Does that mean you feel we should not cut down on fossil fuel use?

crphillips

Cardew, appologies ofr missing the point. Wood is getting dearer but I think fires should be treated as ambiance. As pure heating you'll not save anything. My mother in-law has full solidn fuel central hgeating and spends around £180 a month on smokeless fuel and her house isn't toasty warm.

I'd agree with Badger on the electricity prices....we have economy 7 and our leccy bill is around £800 a quarter for a 3 bed semi!

Maybe we could organise some scheme where locals could get together and buy and manage some local woodland for their own use.

What kind of area would you need to supply say 100 households with enough wood to heat an average house?

A._Badger

rhiwfield wrote: »

THIS is the best site I have found for comparison between different fuel types.

However, the info is about 6 months out of date and wood has shot up since then. Its now £80 per m3 locally for seasoned hardwood.


AB: This has been compounded by the eco-warriors telling people to burn wood in preference to fossil fuel, thus helping to hype the market.

AB, you seem to have a downer on people who care about the environment. Does that mean you feel we should not cut down on fossil fuel use?

I have a 'downer' on the self-righteous hypocrisy of people who have fetishised environmentalism and use what should be a proper and genuine care for the world into a semi-religious, semi-political fashion statement, being burbled out of almost every TV programme by imbeciles and cynically capitalised on by businesses, who would put a 'save the planet' sticker on tinned landmines, as long as they make a buck out of selling them.

The issue of fossil fuel is extremely complicated (and OT here). Certainly, if people were sufficiently deluded as to switch to wood burning in large numbers, the environmental damage done to the country would be enormous.

Trees simply do not grow that quickly and it is wrong to promote their use as a mass source of fuel.

rhiwfield

A._Badger wrote: »

I have a 'downer' on the self-righteous hypocrisy of people who have fetishised environmentalism and use what should be a proper and genuine care for the world into a semi-religious, semi-political fashion statement, being burbled out of almost every TV programme by imbeciles and cynically capitalised on by businesses, who would put a 'save the planet' sticker on tinned landmines, as long as they make a buck out of selling them.

The issue of fossil fuel is extremely complicated (and OT here). Certainly, if people were sufficiently deluded as to switch to wood burning in large numbers, the environmental damage done to the country would be enormous.

Trees simply do not grow that quickly and it is wrong to promote their use as a mass source of fuel.

Seems to me that the increased use of woodburners IS the topic, an increase that you attribute to self righteous eco-warriors. I wonder if there could be other reasons, such as the oil price spike of $147 in 2008, or the projected 20-60% real increase in electricity prices over the next 8 years, or the prospect of power cuts as generating capacity is lost by 2015. No, it must be those pesky eco-warriors although I was glad of my wood burner when the oil tankers could not get through during the January feeze.

BTW, there is a balance of fuel that will come from logging, and most woodlands do benefit from responsible management. As with any commodity, price is a function of supply and demand.

savemoney

I have said this before fuel prices are going up, last year I decided not to buy logs due to 20% price rise

Now given what I spent on my log burner and installation and that at the time 3 years ago there was scares about fuel prices gas/electric etc, I decided to opt for it, green consideration was secondary concerns

Now I feel I was rather duped as I am sure others are too

There is only so much wood around, so due to supply and demand prices will rise

pinkmami

TBH I think its only fair for the price to go up. Supply & demand and all that. Many, many people (including me!!) are switching to as multifuel burner thinking its gonna save them money but in the long run you don't save that much.

I don't use my gas fire (main reason cos its broken!!!) & haven't used it for 3 yrs so I'm not one of those who like a fire "to look at" - unlike my MIL who has her gas fore on every day even in the summer!!

I don't intend on moving into the house where I'm installing the stove for another 3 yrs so I have ample time to buy wood & stockpile!

Cardew

crphillips wrote: »

Maybe we could organise some scheme where locals could get together and buy and manage some local woodland for their own use.

Although it doesn't burn well, we could go round UK and cut down some of the Leylandii monstrosities that have been allowed to grow unchecked!

P.S.
I like these as well trimmed screening.

navig8r

Cardew wrote: »

Although it doesn't burn well, we could go round UK and cut down some of the Leylandii monstrosities that have been allowed to grow unchecked!

P.S.
I like these as well trimmed screening.

Sorry I have to disagree with leylandii not burning well,in a WB that is.
My Son is a tree surgeon and cuts down tons and tons of them which he gave to us because he thinks they are rubbish.
We are lucky in having a small holding so have plenty of room to store, season and finally burn them which they do superbly.
The only downside is they have a larger volume to weight ratio than hardwoods so one has to make the fire more often.
He has since change his mind on conifir after feeling the heat from our fire so we don't get so much.

g8r