selfbuild99
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Not so sure how reliant you can be on growing trees specifically for fuel - the OP has a few acres but any tree, no matter how fast growing, will take time to get established. There will then be a considerable fuel 'bounty' which will be short term and you're back to square one again.
I'm not saying that I think it's a bad idea, but there will be considerable time and effort required for this.
Just to give you an idea, we had the wood from about 20 x 8-10m trees cut into logs last February which we used on our open fire.
Our supply is now completely used up - we burnt the last log last night.
BTW, we only used the logs as a 'supplement' to our coal - it was by no means our main source of fuel.
Not so sure how reliant you can be on growing trees specifically for fuel - the OP has a few acres but any tree, no matter how fast growing, will take time to get established. There will then be a considerable fuel 'bounty' which will be short term and you're back to square one again.
I'm not saying that I think it's a bad idea, but there will be considerable time and effort required for this.
Just to give you an idea, we had the wood from about 20 x 8-10m trees cut into logs last February which we used on our open fire.
Our supply is now completely used up - we burnt the last log last night.
BTW, we only used the logs as a 'supplement' to our coal - it was by no means our main source of fuel.
You burned your logs in an open fire, what a waste!
If you used a stove, or better again a high efficiency log boiler, your logs would have gone 6 times as far
What about the whole environment issue etc?Maybe, but we have neither and the logs were free, so the waste issue doesn't really come into it for us.
We use our stove about the same as you, but with a fraction of the fuel. We get fantastic heat from it, because it's quite a large stove. It heats most of the ground floor.Maybe the stove or boiler would use one sixth of the logs, but you have to consider that presumably these would be lit and continually fuelled 24/7 for 6 or 7 months of the year.
Our fire is only lit 5 times a week, from 7PM and is allowed to die out overnight, with coal as the main fuel, so the usage may actually balance out in comparison with our experience.
What about the whole environment issue etc?
We use our stove about the same as you, but with a fraction of the fuel. We get fantastic heat from it, because it's quite a large stove. It heats most of the ground floor.
We had an open fire in our last house but never used it. It never seemed to heat up the room and was almost more decorative.
The point here is whether or not it is cost effective/worthwhile to grow your own fuel -
Just the inefficient use of fuel and associated emissions. You say that you have used '20 x 8-10m trees' since Feb in an open fire. Maybe you should consider a stove?What about the whole environment issue etc?
In what sense, specifically?
Yes, we use oil.OK, fair enough - but do you then not use an alternative heat source the other two days of the week and before 7PM?
Just the inefficient use of fuel and associated emissions. You say that you have used '20 x 8-10m trees' since Feb in an open fire. Maybe you should consider a stove?
lol! No, it wasn'tSince Feb 07 BTW - in case it wasn't clear.
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