Demand for wood-burning stoves surges to keep energy bills down amid cost-of-living crisis

Demand for wood-burning stoves has surged as Brits opt to heat their homes the old-fashioned way amid soaring energy bills.

Retailers are reporting a shortage of stoves, as manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand following Covid supply chain issues and a shortage of materials like cast iron.

Some dealers have reported people buying several log burners at a time as temperatures plummet, according to the Telegraph.

Consumers are snapping up burners as they battle rising bills, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine continuing to push up gas prices.

Retailers are reporting a shortage of stoves, as manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand following Covid supply chain issues and a recent rise in demand

Choice Stoves, an online dealer in Lancashire, posted on its website that it had suspended online orders due to the ‘UK stove shortage’

Wood-burning stove sales leapt by 40 per cent between April to June to over 35,000, compared to 25,000 for the same period last year. 

Choice Stoves, an online dealer in Lancashire, posted on its website that it had suspended online orders due to the ‘UK stove shortage’. 

Backwoodsman, a retailer in the Highlands, has reported a 165 per cent increase in sales in the last year.

The seller posted a notice on its website saying they are ‘exceptionally busy due to the effects of the energy crisis,’ with surveys taking up to six weeks.

Lancashire stove fitting company Bowland Stoves also announced that they are fully booked for installations until next year. 

‘If you are still thinking of having a stove installed to beat the Gas and Electric prices, why not book your survey and installation for next year now,’ the company wrote on Twitter.

Homeowners are opting to heat their homes the old-fashioned way as gas and electricity bills remain high going into the winter months

In September, DIY store Toolstation revealed that its sales of chainsaws had also risen by a third in a matter of weeks.

A spokesperson for the firm said at the time: ‘We suspect the demand is being driven by customers firing up their chainsaws to cut logs and timber for woodburners as many try to soften the impact of energy hikes.’

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed electricity and gas prices had increased by 54 per cent and 99 per cent respectively in the 12 months to September. 

Backwoodsman posted a notice on its website saying they are ‘exceptionally busy due to the effects of the energy crisis,’ with surveys taking up to six weeks

And after the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the energy price cap will rise from April, it is expected that millions of households face will face a rise of up to £500.

With the end of the Energy Price Guarantee, a typical household will see prices for gas and electricity go up from £2,500 a year now to over £3,000. 

But the rise in woodburning could result in greater pollution, experts warn. 

Earlier this year, it was estimated that wood and coal-burning stoves account for 38 per cent of particulate matter air pollution

The Government plans to reduce this 30 per cent in total by 2030, and on January 1 this year brought in rules which state that all stoves sold must comply with ‘Ecodesign’ rules, meaning they have been tested for efficiency.