For Scots, the most important thing to consider when choosing between a gas or wood-burning stove is how effectively it can heat their homes. If you live in an area where natural gas is not available, then a wood-burning stove may be your only option for heat. For others, the price of fuel and how easy it might be to get supplies are more important considerations.
So what is the difference between a gas and wood-burning stove? What factors should you consider when choosing one over the other? There are many factors to take into account before making this decision, which will help you decide which type of heater best suits your needs. In this article, we will explore these differences in detail.
Wood Burning vs Gas Stove
Wood burning stoves are a type of heating appliance that burns wood to provide heat for your home. They come in many different shapes and sizes, with the most popular being traditional brick-style designs. The main differences between gas or wood-burning stoves are their efficiency, cost, how much pollutants they emit, and how long it takes them to get up to the appropriate temperature.
Gas has an advantage over wood because it’s cheaper and easier to maintain. However, there are some trade-offs when you consider that gas is not as environmentally friendly as wood or other types of fuel like natural gas or propane. Let’s now dig deeper into the pros and cons of each type of stove.
Pros of a Wood Burning Stove
The effect of a real wood-burning stove is beautiful and nostalgic which is why many people like it. Most people think about cozy wintertime with wood-burning stoves not just because of the sight but also because of the burning smell of wood. A lot of gas stove brands recreate the feel of a real burning stove but lack the smell of the real wood-burning stove.
Those living in areas where wood is abundant often prefer wood-burning stoves. Aside from accessibility, wood is much cheaper than propane or natural gas so it’s a great choice to make if you’re considering the price. This kind of stove is not only cost-effective but is also stable in terms of stable heating your entire home. And lastly, you won’t need to worry about power outages, because it doesn’t need one in the first place.
Cons of a Wood Burning Stove
Like the gas stove, the wood-burning stove also has some cons that you need to consider before making a decision. First is, you have to consider the proper storage facilities for a wood-burning stove. You’ll be needing ample space to store the dry logs.
You also need to consider the time and effort to sustain and light the wood-burning stove. You need to manually gather dry logs, light the fire and keep the fire from burning by adding more dry logs. This means you need to keep watch of your stove to make sure that it continuously warms your home. Another thing to consider is the labour in cleaning your chimney and stove regularly.
Whilst a wood-burning stove can be cost-effective by using natural wood instead of natural gas or propane, this kind of stove may become more expensive than a gas stove given all the considerations mentioned in the cons.
If you’re particular with air quality and the detrimental effects of smoke in the body and in the environment, then this wood-burning stove can fail you as it does emit smoke. So if you ever decide to use this kind of stove, then use cleaner fuels and always keep your stove clean.
Conclusion
Choosing the right stove for your home can be a challenge especially when you consider both the pros and cons of the gas and wood-burning stoves. It will all depend on your preference, whether you love the smell of burning wood or if you want to eliminate the smoke. Do you prefer to make your life easy by using a gas stove or would you prefer to manually light the fire using a wood-burning stove? The choice is yours to make but we hope that this article sheds some light on the things you need to consider before making your final decision.
Stove Scotland can help you choose between gas and log burning stoves in Scotland. We supply the top brands of stoves without you worrying if the style and the dimensions of your place can accommodate your stove choice. Contact us today if you’re interested to know more!
