Wood Burning Stove, Gas & LPG Fire fuel Comparision
The general rule is that is 1kW of heat output will heat up to the average temperature, (23 °C /73 °F) and maintain it in:-
- A 10 Cubic Meter poorly insulated room
- A 15 Cubic Meter partly insulated room
- A 20 Cubic Meter well-insulated room
Some fires give heat output in BTU (British Thermal Units) to convert between BTU and kWh use this calculator
How Much Bang For Your Buck?Comparative average fuel heating costs per kWh. |
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Fuel |
Unit |
kWh Heat output per unit
|
Average Cost per kWh (Nov 2021) |
| Electricity | 1kW | 1 | 17.8p (inc VAT & standing charge) |
| Mains Gas |
1m3 (0.717grams) |
10.55 | 4p (inc VAT & standing charge) |
| Butane (Calor gas blue bottle) |
1kg |
20 |
20p (based on 15kg bottle) |
| Propane (Calor Gas red or green bottles) |
1kg |
14 |
17p (based on 13kg bottle) |
| Bulk LPG |
1kg |
14 |
7p |
| Domestic Heating oil (kerosene / Paraffin oil) |
1 litre |
10.35 |
5.6p |
| Domestic coal |
1kg |
8.34 |
3.2p |
| Anthracite (Nuts) | 1kg | 9.2 | 6.5p |
| Coke | 1Kg | 9.3 | 6.3p |
| Peat (Briquettes) | 1kg | 5 | 13p |
| Kiln-dried hardwood |
1kg | 5 | 8.3p (kiln dried <20% moisture) |
Wood Burning Stove Heating Costs |
Energy Unit CostsKiln-dried hardwood costs about £195 for just over 1m3, cheaper if you bulk buy. Heat output per Kg is 4.kWh - 5kWh. Running a 5 Kilowatt stove this way costs about 10p an hour. Source your own wood for free and the costs drop significantly, cutting heating bills by up to 90% |
Buying CostsWood burning stoves 5.5 kW from £300, up to £1000 for 20kW Stoves with back boilers vary in design & quality from around £600 to £3000 |
Installation CostsA wood-burning stove should be fitted by a HETAS engineer who will give you a certificate of compliance to meet building regulations. Always get an estimate before you buy as unexpected issues can boost the installation costs to over £1000 |
Mains (Natural) Gas Heating Costs |
Energy Unit CostsMains gas costs about 6p per kWh, including standing charges and VAT, depending on the supplier Running a 2 Kilowatt mains gas fire costs about 12p an hour. |
Buying CostsMains gas fires cost from about £150 for a basic model to £3000+ for a high spec unit. Mains gas is used to power most central heating systems, some fires have back boilers, these are not as efficient as combi boilers and are being phased out. |
Installation CostsQuotes will vary depending on the type of heater and whether it is a new or replacement installation. A Baxi 800 30kW Combi Boiler will cost approx £1000 (VAT inclusive) excluding fitting.
|
Fixed installation LPG Heating Costs |
Energy Unit CostsBulk buying LPG can range from 40p to 70p+ per litre, call around suppliers to get the best price and get it fixed. See this Mail on Sunday article about LPG prices Running a 2 Kilowatt LPG heater will average about 12p an hour. |
Buying CostsWood burning stoves 5.5 kW from £300, up to £1000 for 20kW Stoves with back boilers vary in design & quality from around £600 to £3000 |
| Installation is comparable with mains gas fires please visit Our Gas Fire Buying Guide.
To install an LPG bulk tank system in your home, call a specialist company such as Calor Gas or Flogas and compare quotes. |
Electricity Heating Costs |
Energy Unit CostsElectricity averages about 17p per kWh de[ending on your supplier and tariff. Running a 1kW electric fire (any type) costs about 17p per hour, to compare tariffs visit Energy Helpline. |
Buying costsFreestanding and wall mounted electric fires can cost from £100 to over £1000. See our Electric Fires Reviews for a selection |
Installation CostsElectric fires are plug-in free standing or wall hung models which do not require any special installation. Some more advanced electric heaters may require professional fitting, have look at our Electric Fire Buying Guide for more info. |
Wood burning stoves- Pointers
A Wood-burning stove can be the cheapest heating solution, up to 90% cheaper than gas if you have access to a free supply of suitable wood.
We advise sourcing your own wood supply as buying kiln-dried wood can be more expensive than using mains gas or LPG.
A Multi-fuel stove is a cheap option as you can switch between wood and other solid fuels taking advantage of lower prices,
Other fuels:- Mains Gas is the cheapest – LPG is next best, then electricity with bottled (Calor) gas being the most expensive.
Catalytic gas fires convert nearly 100% gas energy to heat and are more efficient and cheaper to run. They are described as 'Flueless' gas fires as they do not produce toxic waste gases so do not need flues.
Installing Gas/LPG fires, and Wood/Multi-fuel stoves can be expensive as they need to be fitted by qualified professionals.
While fitted electric heaters are more expensive to run, they can be moved around quite easily and used anywhere there is an electricity supply.
If you need occasional heat in another room you will need a portable heater.
Portable Calor Gas heaters are a self-contained portable heating solution and are essential for emergency heating if your heating system breaks down or during power cuts.
Please visit The Home Heating Shop for advice on Calor gas and other types of portable space heaters.
