HOW HIGH IS THE EFFICIENCY OF A WOOD STOVE? AND HOW DO YOU CALCULATE THE REQUIRED OUTPUT?

Whether you choose a wood-burning stove for ambience or to heat a room. In either case, it is important to know the efficiency of your wood stove. In addition, it is important to calculate the required output so that you can heat your home comfortably. In this blog, we will tell you all about the efficiency of a wood-burning stove. Curious about the required output? You can easily calculate it using 3 factors.

We will answer the following questions:

What is the efficiency of a wood-burning stove?
What are the advantages of a high-output stove?
How do you determine the output of a wood-burning stove?
What are the consequences of too much power?
How do you calculate the required output of a wood-burning stove?

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Collection of wood-burning stoves

What is the efficiency of a wood stove?

The efficiency of a wood stove is the amount of energy you get back compared to the amount of energy you put in. We express this efficiency in percentages. The higher the percentage, the more energy is used directly to heat the room and does not disappear through the flue.

The level of efficiency of a contemporary wood-burning stove cannot be compared to that of a traditional fire. An open fire achieves an average of 15% efficiency, while a modern wood stove achieves an average of 80% efficiency. When both are used to heat the same room, the open fire turns out to emit up to 15 times more CO2 than a wood-burning stove. In terms of particulate matter, the difference is even greater: a wood-burning stove emits up to 50% less particulate matter than an open fire.

Compared to an open fire, combustion in a wood-burning stove is much cleaner and more efficient. This is due to the higher temperature range of a wood-burning stove. But that does not alter the fact that fine particles are always released during combustion, even if only slightly. This is why the government, with the EcoDesign 2022 legislation, imposes strict requirements on the emission of harmful substances.

What are the advantages of a high-efficiency wood stove?

Besides the fact that a high-efficiency wood stove is required by the government, it is also advantageous for you that your wood stove achieves a high efficiency. We list the three main advantages of a high-efficiency wood stove:

Lots of heat and little heat loss
Less firewood needed and therefore savings on heating costs
Less odour nuisance in the neighbourhood

How to achieve high efficiency

Unlike a gas fire, several factors influence the efficiency of your wood-burning stove.

Choose a new appliance with an EcoDesign label. When buying a fire, bear in mind a number of points, including the average efficiency. As we told you earlier, new wood stoves or fires have a higher efficiency on average.
Ensure proper installation. Have your wood stove installed by a licensed dealer or installer to ensure that the installation is done accurately and carefully.
Fire with the right firewood. Painted wood, wood with glue residue and wet wood are not suitable for firing in a wood stove. It is also important that the firewood is dry. The wrong kind of wood will cause odour nuisance and pollution. Stoking with the right wood gives a pleasant smell and clean and efficient combustion.
Stoke consciously. Your heating behaviour also affects the efficiency of the wood-burning stove. With our stoking advice, we will make sure you are a good stoker.

Looking for inspiration, advice or would you like to take a look at a specific wood-burning stove? Visit one of our dealers! Use our find-your-dealer-module to quickly find a dealer in your area.

How do you determine the output of a wood stove?

Power output is the heat that wood stove emits. Higher output, unlike higher efficiency, is not always better. The output of a wood-burning stove should be well suited to the room you want to heat. There are several factors to consider when choosing a suitable fire.

Determine the most important function. Is the wood stove primarily an atmospheric element for the occasional cosy evening? Or will the fire play an important role in heating your home? If heating is the main purpose, the stove will need more power than if it burns mainly for atmosphere.

At DRU we have a wide range of wood stoves and fires. There is always a suitable one for your home!

What are the consequences of too much power?

It is important that the wood stove has the right output to heat your home appropriately. This is because too high a capacity of a wood stove can have far-reaching consequences. If you have a wood stove that has too much power for the room, the room will soon become too hot. You can then not let the fire burn at its full power, which results in sub-optimal combustion. This causes odour nuisance, extra pollution in the flue and more particulate emissions. With too little power, however, you run the risk that the stove will not heat the room sufficiently.

The amount of logs that fit into the stove is the determining factor for a stove's output. But a large stove filled with too few logs will not have optimum combustion and a stove that is too small will not offer enough power. Does your stove have an important function in heating your home? If so, this is not desirable. Therefore, research what the required power is to heat your home optimally. We would like to take you through the three steps to calculate the power required for your wood-burning stove.

Would you like advice on the required output of your wood-burning stove? Our advisers will be happy to help!

How do you calculate the power required for a wood-burning stove?

Calculating the required power of a wood stove is done in three steps.

1. Calculate the volume of the room

Start by calculating the volume of the room you want to heat with your stove. Calculate the volume of the room using the formula: length x width x height = m3 of the room to be heated.

2. Map out the insulation of your home

Next, it is important to take stock of how well your home is insulated. The better insulated your home is, the less heat you lose and the less power you need to heat the room. To choose a heater with the right capacity, it is therefore important to take into account the insulation value of your home.

Type A: Your home is fully double-glazed and has wall, floor and roof insulation.
Type B: Many recent houses or houses that have recently been fully renovated are well insulated. Your home belongs to type B if it is partially insulated and you do not have double glazing everywhere.
Type C: Is your home (almost) not insulated and you do not have double glazing? Then your home belongs to type C.

Also take into account your living situation. Do you live in a terraced house where little heat is lost, or in a detached house? Your living situation also affects the amount of heat required.

Do you have doubts about the insulation value of your home? Then contact one of our dealers. They can provide you with information and advice.

Contact a dealer