Our log burner installation service

In addition to having your stove installed, you may wish to have other decorative work to complete your design. This can include having a new hearth, a new surround, chamber boarding, brick slips or a new oak mantel. We can quote for all of these. We can also do repairs to the chimney stack, such as flaunching and re-pointing. 

If any internal plastering is required then we will recommend someone for that. If any painting is required then that's something that we leave to our customers to finish off.

Absolutely! Instead of using a steel liner within an existing chimney stack, we can install a log burner with a 'twin wall' system. This creates a pathway for the exhaust products to leave your home. The twin wall will typically be directed through an external wall or through the roof (depending on where the stove is). This is quite popular in conservatories and annex buildings, but is suitable for any other room without a fireplace.

We like to be open about our costs, because an installation may not be within everyone's budget, and that's important to know in advance. A typical installation will roughly start at around £2K (inc VAT) plus the cost of the stove. This is based upon a 'standard' steel liner installation into an existing fireplace with no additional remedial work (e.g. no new hearth or surround required, and no removal of an existing fireplace). Where possible, we also pass on a trade discount on materials.

There are excellent stoves available in the £500 - £600 price range, or you may be looking to spend closer to £1K. That part is up to you! We will always make 3 or 4 recommendations for you to choose between, depending on your budget and design / style requirements. 

Our estimate will be broken down into materials, labour, and appliance commissioning (for building regulations). This way you can see what work is required and use this for comparison to other quotes you may receive. We will answer any questions about how the costs are put together. 

The majority of our installations are likely to be completed within a day if no additional building work is required. If there are stages of work to be done though, then this will always be scheduled with you in advance.

The ventilation requirements will depend on the age of your house and the size of the stove being installed. They are as follows:

• Houses built after 2008 need 550 square mm of ventilation for every KW of heat ouput. Visually, this equates to a hole just smaller than a 50p coin (per KW).
• Houses built before 2008 need no additional air vents for a stove up to 5KW heat output. Thereafter, you require the 550 square mm of ventilation per KW. 

If an additional air vent/ kit is required, we can advise on where this should be placed so that it's only your chimney that feels the draught and not you. There are a couple of other nuances for certain types of stoves, but these are the main regulations!

Our log burner installations with be registered with OFTEC. 

In the UK, the two most recognised "Competent Technician Schemes" for solid fuel appliance installations (renewable technologies) are OFTEC and HETAS. 

Both are identically approved by the UK Government. This means that your installation will be carried out in accordance with building regulations, it will be registered with the local council, and you will receive a certificate for your insurance and personal records.

The full list of approved organisations can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/competent-person-scheme-current-schemes-and-how-schemes-are-authorised#how-schemes-are-authorised

If you are looking to update your stove, we will need to assess the quality of the existing configuration. Most steel liners have a warranty of 15-20 years, but this is highly dependent on how the stove has been used. We will therefore do a system inspection for you to decide what parts should be preserved and what new materials may be needed. We can then put together an estimate for you.

A steel liner is not a legal requirement for a wood burner installation. However, it is certainly recommended. This is for the following reasons:

• Having a steel liner creates a much smaller flue to be heated when compared to a large open chimney.
• This means that a pressure and temperature differential can be created in a far quicker time.
• This in turn means that your stove can reach an optimal operating temperature and efficiency (creating a draught) far more quickly. This can save you a lot of money on your fuel.
• A liner also creates an easier and quicker exhaust route for waste to leave your house
• A liner also prevents any waste (e,g. tar or carbon monoxide) from seeping through the chimney mortar into your home.

It is therefore your choice to have a liner fitted if you already have a stove. We always install a liner when fitting a new installation.

Yes! If you are looking to have a new liner installed we can do that for you. We will measure up for what you need, and make a suggestion on the liner type based on the fuel you are using. The new configuration would then be commissioned as an installation. Alternatively, if you just wanted a liner drop as you have a stove and installation planned already, we can also quote for that. 

The Clean Air Strategy 2019 

The UK Government set out its Clean Air Strategy in 2019 to tackle all sources of air pollution, making our air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and boosting the economy. For our industry, this included policies to:

• Improve the efficiency of appliances that heat our homes
• Reduce the usage of the most damaging types of solid fuel
• Create designated areas of cleaner air with reduced pollutants and clear enforcement mechanisms for the rules

Reducing Particulate Matter (PM)

Specifically, the aim is to significantly reduce the UK population's exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).  These are particles of <2.5 microns in diameter (anything less than 10 microns can be inhaled into the lungs). The target is to cut the number of people living in locations above the WHO guideline level of 10 μg/m3 by 50% by 2025.

Ecodesign Stoves

To accelerate these changes, from the 1st January 2022, all new solid fuel stoves (log burners) that are sold are compliant with Ecodesign regulations. These stoves are designed to:

• be more efficient (at least 65% seasonal efficiency)
• Reduce emissions of PM, carbon monoxide. organic gaseous compounds and nitrous oxide

The clearSkies rating is an independent assessment of new stoves coming to the market. It is administered by Kiwa Ltd. Any stove that has the clearSkies mark is certified as meeting the minimum performance level for Ecodesign regulations.

ClearSkies goes one step further though with 4 levels of rating:

• A level 2 mark - meets all Ecodesign standards
• A level 3 mark - meets all Ecodesign standards and the stove is DEFRA exempt (see FAQ on smoke control)
• A level 4 mark - is a 15% improvement on Ecodesign standards, and is DEFRA exempt
• A level 5 mark - is a 30% improvement on Ecodesign standards, and is DEFRA exempt

If you are in a smoke control area then the following rules apply:

• If you have an open fireplace you can only burn smokeless fuels. You cannot burn traditional wood logs (regardless of their moisture content).
• If you have a stove that is DEFRA exempt then you can burn traditional wood logs as long as they are certified as Ready to Burn. You may also use smokeless fuel if you are using a multifuel stove (and your liner supports this). You are no longer able to purchase traditional household coals.
• If you have a stove that is not exempt then you can only burn smokeless fuels.

In England you may have to pay a penalty of up to £300 if your chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area. You can also be fined up to £1,000 if you buy unauthorised fuel to use in an appliance that’s not approved by DEFRA. It's important to be aware of the rules!

For our customers, our nearest smoke control areas are Guildford and Crawley. You can check the map here: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/sca/

Log burners absolutely remain a safe investment. 

They are not going to be banned. 

Modern Ecodesign stoves, when combined with sustainable, dry, wood fuel sources are significantly driving down the emissions of particulate matter. In fact: 

• From 2020 to 2023, PM10 and PM2.5 emissions from the domestic combustion of all types of fuel fell by 17%
• The government is now well below its emission reduction commitment benchmarks
• Road transport has now overtaken (no pun intended!) domestic combustion emissions. This is all good news for household appliances. 

Log burners are an excellent way to heat your main living space and home. They can reduce emissions by up to 90% compared to an open fire, and purchasing a wood supply is a far more predictable affair compared to managing the fluctuating prices of electricity, gas and oil.

The government's latest statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/emissions-of-air-pollutants/emissions-of-air-pollutants-in-the-uk-particulate-matter-pm10-and-pm25