Our house has gas fired central heating, but 2 years ago we had a wood burning stove installed, as an alternative means of heating. I made friends with a local tree surgeon who keeps me busy with a constant supply of freshly cut logs. It seems that winter is more or less over now, so I feel confident that we can claim that this winter we didn’t need to use the gas heating once.

Its been more than a year since we used the gas to heat the house; an achievement we are proud of. It takes a lot of work to cut, stack and dry all our fuel. Lighting the fire every day and keeping it burning is a small chore but it requires attention.

There were several factors that made this possible. Firstly this winter was relatively mild. Secondly we had built up a big supply of wood over the last two years which mean we had enough seasoned wood to keep us going.

Relying on the stove as our only means of heating is challenging but also rewarding. By using this free supply of wood for heating our house, we save a money on our fuel bills, and also help the environment but reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.