There are many ways to heat a home but nothing beats the sheer charm of a wood fire. However, it still needs to be effective! Here are some hints to heat your home efficiently.

How Much Heat Do You Need?

The first thing to look for is heat output, the single most important component of any wood fire. The output you need will rely heavily on where you live, how large your home is, how drafty it is, and how well insulated it is. Generally speaking, 10-16 kilowatts would be fine for a smaller, insulated and non-drafty home. Medium size homes could do with 12-18kW, and 20kW for large homes, or ones in cold locations.

Another Number To Look For

The information attached to some wood fires might include a wood burning efficiency figure. This is a useful guide to telling you how well it will burn firewood, but the type of wood you choose to feed your fire will influence burning efficiency.

Free Standing Or Insert

Freestanding fires are highly effective because heat radiates from all sides of the unit. However, if floor space is limited, or if you have a non-compliant open fire that you want to fill in, inserting a fire into that space could be an option.     

A wet back and a cooktop: Some wood fires have a radiant cooktop for a pot of soup or an old-fashioned kettle, while some wetback fires can be connected to plumbing to provide heated water in parts of the home.