A new study funded by Impact on Urban Health, a charity concerned with urban health inequalities, has found that it is generally more expensive to use a wood burner to heat your home when compared with a modern gas boiler.
The study modelled various scenarios for using a wood burner that has been approved by Defra for a portion of a home’s heat. It then compared it to the cost of using a central heating system with a gas boiler. When including installation costs, a wood burner is 24% more expensive to run when using it for 20% of a home’s heating needs. This rises to 50% more expensive when using it for 80% of heating needs. Even when a wood burner is already in place, and therefore there are no installation costs, it is still 15% more expensive when the gas boiler is providing 80% of heating.
Impact on Urban Health’s Rachel Pidgeon said that increased wood burning was also having serious health consequences for people, adding:
“This research dispels the myth that wood burning is a cheaper energy alternative whilst shining a light on the toxic effect it has on the air we breathe. It’s vital that urban communities understand the connection between burning and the air pollution it creates.”
If you feel that a gas boiler is the right option for you, Xgas can dispatch heating engineers to Wrexham, Oswestry, Chester, and other locations in the area. Speak with a representative to get a no-obligation quote today.
