Multi-fuel Stove? Currently Have a Gas Flue: too expensive to install?

Adamc

Hi folks 

I appear to have a gas flu but I was looking into getting a multi fuel stove. Given that a full installation would've cost me £3.2k when the engineer thought we had an appropriate flue, I am wondering if it's actually worth investing in especially as the government are pushing heat pumps. 

I have an old house which despite some modifications to insulate suffers from being cold.

Has anyone made a similar choice and which way did you go?




I have an old house which despite some modifications to insulate suffers from being cold. 

ArbitraryRandom

I can't see in your post what your new quote is, but I had a stove installed in my property about 4 years ago now - and it cost around the same amount as you were quoted to knock out the chimney, line the flue, put in a hearth and install the stove. 

I think it's great. I'm not sure of the physics of it, but it seems better at heating the structure of my home than the CH - meaning it keeps the damp out and my gch doesn't come on most days in a mild year as the residual heat of a fire in the evening lasts until lunchtime the next day. 

Pros: I have a lovely fire; it acts as a centre point for my lounge, gives me pleasure, and also gave me some peace of mind last year when they were talking about blackouts and when the cost of energy was skyrocketing (that if I had fuel in the store then I'd always have the ability to be warm and cook). 

But it's not moneysaving and is unlikely to recoup my investment (I can get some free wood but have to buy some fuel). Plus if I was relying on it as my sole form of heating then guessing in advance what the winter is going to be like so you can buy in the summer when it's cheaper would be a stress (for me) and does require up front investment, plus the actual physical work to use it daily vs flicking a switch.

So, while it's certainly not the cheapest way to heat the property in terms of pence per kWh, there are positives - it really depends on what you want and what your budget allows.