Whether you’re looking to upgrade your existing fireplace or stove, add character to your home or narrow down on a decor that’s reflective of your home’s era and architectural style, it’s easy to feel exhausted by the sheer volume of fires, fireplaces and stoves available. In recent years, stoves have seen somewhat of a resurgence.
In 2022, regulations came into play which stated all new log burners and wood-burning stoves must restrict their emissions to an agreed level, known as Ecodesign. Now, we know that some of the big wins with eco-design stoves is that they substantially reduce emissions and the level of harmful air pollutants, whilst bringing enhanced burning efficiency into play – generating more heat with less fuel. When you combine this with inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, it’s easy to understand why more people are looking at stoves as a way of heating their home for less, and that’s before even considering the fact they can also add value to your home and introduce an abundance of character.
If you’re sold on the idea of a stove but just don’t quite know whether to go for a log burner or a multi-fuel stove, don’t worry. Each offers distinct benefits and drawbacks such as fuel type, design, cost, environmental impact, controls, and ease of use – and that’s what we’ll explore below!
Fuel Type
Wood burners, as the name makes perfectly clear, are specifically designed to burn wood. They are ideal if you have access to a steady supply of logs, and today’s Eco Design models are engineered to burn wood far more efficiently, often resulting in a cleaner and more effective burn. Independent tests have shown that an Ecodesign Ready stove delivers 90% fewer emissions than an open fire and 84% fewer than a traditional log burner – one you’d find a decade ago. Of course, if you’re looking for flexibility and some freedom in terms of fuel type, multi-fuel stoves are ideal because they’re more than capable of burning a variety of fuels, including wood, coal and smokeless fuels. This flexibility is a huge win if you would like the ability to switch fuels based on availability or price changes.
Design
Look, styling and functionality are always going to be important factors, and wood burners will often feature large glass doors with a clear view of the flames, adding an aesthetic appeal to the room. While multi-fuel stoves come out top in terms of fuel types, their design is slightly more complicated. These stoves will usually include features like a riddling grate, which allows for better combustion of coal, and a removable ash pan for easier cleanup.
Cost
The overall cost of wood burners and multi-fuel stoves can vary significantly based on size and design sophistication. Just pop into our showroom if you ever want a quick run-through, where you can begin to see clear differences in size, heat outputs, features and of course pricing. That said, operating costs are often lower if you have access to free or low-cost wood. We’ve touched on the fact that multi-fuel stoves are slightly more complex in terms of design, and they can generally be more expensive, yet it’s worth pointing out that having the flexibility to use cheaper fuels like coal could offset the higher purchase price over time.
Eco-Friendliness
Wood-burning stoves offer a low-carbon alternative to heating your home using fossil fuels – the carbon dioxide released during burning is approximately equal to what the tree absorbed over its lifetime. Modern wood burners are designed to be highly efficient and produce fewer emissions. There have also been huge steps forward for multi-fuel stoves, yet the level of eco-friendliness depends on the fuel used. For example, coal will produce more CO2 than wood but with that comes a lot more smoke, so this is certainly something to consider.
Controls
Setting the perfect ambience is not necessarily easy from day one. If you’re new to the world of stoves, there can be a bit of a learning curve involved. Loading wood and cleaning out ash is easy enough, and newer models make these processes as clean and easy as possible. Today’s log burners will generally have simpler controls since they are designed to burn only wood, while multi-fuel stoves typically have more complex controls to adjust air flow and fuel types, which can take time to master.
Conclusion
We’ve probably made this pretty clear throughout the article, but there’s no easy answer here. Choosing between a wood burner and a multi-fuel stove depends largely on your specific needs, circumstances and budget. If you prefer simplicity and have a good supply of wood, a wood burner might be the better choice. However, if you value flexibility in fuel choice and feel confident managing a handful of additional complexities, a multi-fuel stove could be more advantageous. Here at Something Different, we know each and every stove manufacturer inside out, which means we assess your needs and provide suitable recommendations.
Our showroom is brimming with a huge range of freestanding wood and multi-fuel stoves, many of which have been DEFRA-approved as smoke-exempt. To learn more, or to speak to us about your needs, please send us a message, call us or visit our showroom.
