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Elf & Safety – 8 Tips for Wood-Stove Users Over the Holiday Season

charnwoodstoves
10 Nov 2021

Winter is the season all wood-burning stove owners look forward to. With night’s drawing in and temperatures dropping it’s time for the wonderful ritual of wood-burning. Lighting a fire on a cold evening provides the perfect antidote to the elements and can dramatically boost your wellbeing. To enjoy the season to the max it’s important for stove users, particularly new users, to be aware of the following tips so that you and your family can enjoy your stove over the holiday season safely.

1/ Sweep your chimney 1-2 times a year

It’s important to keep your flue clear of blockages and soot and we highly recommend you have your chimney swept at least once a year – preferably twice. A Charnwood stove is fitted with a drop-down throat plate allowing you to sweep through the appliance with minimal mess.

2/ Inspect door seals

Take the opportunity to regularly check the rope seals on the doors and around the flue to ensure your fire box is airtight and the doors close firmly. A well-sealed stove will burn much more efficiently and effectively and significantly reduce any build up in your chimney.

3/ Don’t stack wood against your wood-burning stove

As well as being a dangerous fire hazard it can bring in unwanted outdoor critters. It’s best to store outside, sheltered from the elements and with enough airflow to allow the wood to continue to dry until it is ready to use.

4/ Keep decorations a safe distance away from the fire

This is easily overlooked, particularly as the focus is on merriment and preparing the home for festivity. However, it’s imperative to make sure that Christmas stockings, tinsel, candles and trees etc are kept a safe distance away from a fire and your safe clearances are maintained.

5/ Only burn wood with less than 20% moisture

Look out for the Woodsure Ready to Burn label which guarantees a moisture content of 20% or less. For everything you need to know about firewood click here!

6/ Don’t put candles on top of log burners

Not only can it cause a huge mess and ruin a perfectly nice candle, but it will damage your stove and is a fire hazard as well.

7/ Test your carbon monoxide meter regularly

Many household appliances present a carbon monoxide risk. A properly installed stove shouldn’t cause any problems and in fact, should help with circulation and airflow. However, it is prudent to have a fully functioning carbon monoxide meter in the home whether you have a stove or not.

8/ Double check your fireplace’s safety clearances

For all the info needed read: Setting Clearances & Installing Heat Shields for your fireplace.

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There’s no doubt that a wood-burning stove makes winter not only bearable but also a joyous time to be shared with family and friends. We hope these tips help you enjoy a wonderfully warm holiday season that leaves you feeling refreshed in the new year.

Which Stove Gives the Best View of the Fire? – Charnwood Top 6

charnwoodstoves
02 Nov 2021

With the clocks going back and Halloween pumpkins now looking the worse for wear, it can mean only one thing – next up Guy Fawkes night and fireworks! If you’re headed out to your local Bonfire Night, you’ll be keen to get a good view of the action. When it comes to a wood burner at home, although on a more intimate scale, a good view of the action is equally desirable. With this in mind, we’ll compare 6 Charnwood Stoves with large viewing windows that maximise flame pictures, giving everyone the best seat in the house.

The Cranmore


This is our latest stove collection which takes inspiration from the Regency era with a single framed glass door and archetypal detailing. The pleasing proportions of the Cranmore make it well suited to a traditional fireplace and with a large picture window, it is an ideal replacement for an open fire. The stove can also work equally well in a freestanding situation.

Available in 2 sizes the Cranmore uses Charnwood clean burn Blu technology and is exceptionally efficient with a clearSkies level 5 rating.

The Charnwood Cranmore 5

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 377 x 346mm
Output: 2-5kW
Energy Efficiency: 84% (over 75% is required for Ecodesign status)
Particles (mg/m3): 27 (below 40 is required for Ecodesign status)
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Charnwood Cranmore 7

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 438 x 348mm
Output: 7kW
Energy Efficiency: 82%
Particles (mg/m3): 22
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Charnwood Aire

 

A range of simply styled wood burning stoves delivering one of the most impressive flame pictures. Designed with a very large view of the fire we have also incorporated new and improved burn technology that not only meets but goes beyond the new 2022 Ecodesign standards and Defra exemption requirements.
The Aire is available in 3 sizes with low or store stand models to choose from in a choice of eight colours.

The Aire 5

Output: 2-5kW
Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 377 x 346mm
Output: 2-5kW
Energy Efficiency: 84%
Particles (mg/m3): 27
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Aire 7

Output: 7kW
Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 438 x 348mm
Energy Efficiency: 82%
Particles (mg/m3): 22
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Aire 3
 

An exciting addition to our Charnwood Aire collection. With a 3.6kW output delivering an impressive efficiency of 84% the Aire 3 has been designed for smaller spaces. Not just for conventional houses – but cabins, houseboats, yurts and other types of tiny homes. We also offer a standalone hearth and chamber enclosure for this model; the Charnwood Stove Pod.

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 280 x 275mm
Output: 3.6kW
Energy Efficiency: 86%
Particles (mg/m3): 25
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The Country 4


A traditional, time-honoured stove, that is a sturdy, yet graceful little fire. With a rated output of 5kW, the Country 4 can be installed, in certain situations, without the need for external air. The single door gives a complete, crystal clear view of the fire – it has one of the largest view windows for a stove of its size. It takes a decent sized log length of 332mm (13”) making it a very popular choice in the small stove market. The stove is available in a choice of eight Charnwood colours and is finished with touches of solid brass and a turned wooden door handle. The Country 4 Blu is Defra exempt; allowing wood to be burnt in smoke control areas.

Glass Picture Window Dimensions: 280 x 275mm
Output: 5kW
Energy Efficiency: 84%
Particles (mg/m3): 20
Energy Efficiency Class: A+
Eco Design Ready and Defra Exempt

The festivities come thick and fast at this time of year and all occasions are enhanced by the wonderfully warming and captivating flames provided by a wood-burning stove. All the stove options presented offer a sizable viewing window while all meet and exceed the efficiency ratings required for Ecodesign classification. You can’t go far wrong with any of these stoves, and it comes down to your style and room size to guide your decision on which is best suited to your space.

Speak to our team or a local supplier to discuss your requirements.

Are wood burners bad for the environment?

charnwoodstoves
13 Oct 2021

Now that the dark, winter nights are slowly creeping in and the temperature is falling, many of us are already using wood burners to keep warm.

Wood burners are incredibly popular, and many people use them as an effective way of heating their homes. Combining cost effective heating and an aesthetic appeal which makes wood burners highly attractive, it is estimated that around 1.5 million households in the UK use this form of heating.

Many people choose a wood burning stove to lower their environmental impact by utilising a sustainable resource to heat their properties, rather than purchasing energy.

 

Are wood burning stoves bad for the environment?

A number of reports circulating in the news over recent years suggest that stoves are responsible for far more emissions than they actually contribute.  Many of these studies quote air pollution statistics that are inaccurate and group today’s modern, clean wood burning stoves together with other domestic fuels, open fires, and older wood burners.

Wood burners do give off fumes which contain microscopic specks of soot, which can cause air pollution. However, using approved fuels significantly reduces any potential harm.

If the wood you are using is burnt correctly, it can actually become part of a carbon neutral process. This means that the carbon released from the burning wood is balanced out by the carbon absorbed by the tree. It is also worthwhile remembering that burning wood can also be part of a sustainable energy process, providing trees are replanted and wood land is properly managed.

 

Are wood burning stoves bad for the environment? The myths and facts

There are many myths circulating about wood burning stoves and it can be hard to know the real facts. Let’s take a look at some of the most common myths:

 

Myth: Wood burning stoves are the biggest contributor in the UK of small particle matter

Fact: This is based on incorrect data.

 

This myth is based on a statement from Defra’s Clean Air Strategy, which claimed that domestic combustion accounts for 38% of fine particle matter. However, this figure was based on a government survey from 2015, which was found to wrongly overestimate the amount of wood being burnt on stoves and fireplaces.

In fact, a study carried out by the SIA in 2019 showed that the true figure was actually less than a third of what the Government quoted. This made the percentage of PM2.5 attributed to domestic combustion around 13% not 38% as their study concluded.

Later figures published by Defra supported SIA’s findings, reinforcing that, if accurate wood fuel volume figures were combined with the correct emission factors, the real percentage of PM2.5 attributed to domestic wood burning would be less than 10%.

 

Myth: All wood burning stoves create high emissions

Fact: Modern, eco-design compliant wood burning stoves create lower emissions

 

Defra’s 38% figure was based on emissions from older stoves and open fires. But it has since been proven that modern, Ecodesign compliant wood burning stoves produce 66% less emissions than older, outdated appliances.

 

Myth: Wood burning stoves create the same emissions as 18 diesel cars

Fact: This is misleading.

 

This myth is based on test results interpreted by the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG). However, the SIA has pointed out that the comparison is extremely misleading.

Firstly, the test looks at the appliances running at significantly different efficiency levels – car comparing exhaust emissions at an efficient run rate of 21mph to all the emissions of a full run rate for a stove. This doesn’t consider the small particle emissions generated by the car’s brakes and tyres, which are often greater than those produced by the exhaust pipe.

In addition to this, the different dispersal points of particulate matter from wood burning stoves and cars, is completely ignored. A car outputs emissions at face level for a child, meaning there is very little dispersal before it is breathed in, whereas a woodburning stove sends emissions out of the top of a chimney, meaning there is considerable dispersal of the emissions before they even reach human height.

 

Myth: Wood burning stoves and fireplaces are harmful

Fact: Another misconception.

 

This view fails to consider the huge advances that have been made by the woodburning stove industry in recent years. Members of SIA, including Charnwood, were among the first manufacturers to develop ultra clean burn technology to achieve the forthcoming 2022 Ecodesign Regulations. More recently, SIA has supported and initiated the launch of clearSkies – an independent emissions and energy performance certification scheme for solid fuel stoves and fireplaces. Appliances that are certified under clearSkies will not only meet the performance levels set out under Ecodesign, but many will also go a significant way beyond. The majority of Charnwood stoves achieve level 5 clearSkies certification.

Find out more about our Ecodesign ready stoves here.

 

What are the regulations around wood burning stoves?

On May 1 2021, new regulations came into force, restricting the types of fuel that you can burn at home. This means that coal and wet wood are no longer allowed to be used.

At Charnwood, we welcome the announcement that, going forward, only fuels that reduce air pollution can be burnt in stoves and open fires in domestic settings. For many years, we have been producing exceptionally high-performance stoves designed to run on approved wood-burning stove fuel. Look out for the Ready to Burn label on bags of wood which ensures the moisture content is less than 20%.

 

How much are wood burning stoves?

There are lots of different wood burning stoves available and they all come in different sizes. The price you can expect to pay for a wood burning stove in the UK varies and is dependent on its size, specification, and design. However, the vast majority of stoves are priced between £800 and £1500.

Explore our range of stoves here.

At Charnwood all of the appliances we make now meet the Ecodesign ready requirements and virtually all are Defra exempt, so you can burn wood safely and cleanly, even in smoke control areas. If you have any questions about wood burners and the environment, please get in touch.

What are the wellbeing benefits of log-burners?

charnwoodstoves
21 Sep 2021

We recently released the fascinating results of The Charnwood Wellbeing Study 2021 which revealed 93% of 1227 wood-burning stove users recognise their stove’s positive impact on wellbeing. A further 6% answered maybe with only 1% replying no. The study also gave additional detailed insight into how these wellbeing benefits are experienced and this blog will take a closer look at these findings.

Relaxation

Lighting your stove is the perfect way to draw a line in the sand from the stresses of the day. It can become almost a ritual that readies the body and mind for repose. There is documentation of the power of fire playing this roll since the dawn of time. Studies have shown how hearth and campfires can influence arterial blood pressure and defray the costs of the social brain through fireside relaxation.

‘Results indicated consistent blood pressure decreases in the fire-with-sound condition, particularly with a longer duration of stimulus, and enhancing effects of absorption and prosociality. Findings confirm that hearth and campfires induce relaxation as part of a multisensory, absorptive, and social experience.’

So, in short, science supports what our survey participants reported below.

“I find the process of building and lighting the fire therapeutic and sitting watching the flames is very relaxing.”

A fire promotes feelings of safety and security which helps relaxation. Tension can also be held in the body and the warmth of the fire seems to have a physiological effect as well as a psychological one. The heat relaxes the muscles, and the mind follows.

“We love our log burner. It makes us feel warm, safe and secure. It helps heat the whole house, which has proved an asset in power cuts. Nothing beats sitting in the living room with the warmth of the fire in the depths of winter.”

“It’s extremely relaxing to sit by the fire and watch the flames dance away. So much so in fact, that we opted to cancel our Netflix subscription and we simply don’t watch it any longer. We’d much rather sit and watch the fire instead!”

Stress release

With stress widely regarded as one of the unhealthiest components of our lives, it is encouraging to know that a fire can change these negative states of being.

“You can just gaze into the fire and be taken away from the stresses of work. It gives opportunity for the family to come together and talk. Talking just seems to come easier when siting around the stove.”

“Chopping wood is a great way to relieve stress! Everyone congregates around the fire and the children like to help with the kindling etc. It just creates a special atmosphere.”

“All my problems seem very manageable when I feel the fires warmth, realising that life is good and that I shouldn’t stress out about the small stuff.”

Improves mood

 

Mood and happiness are intertwined and while we all have strategies to improve our mood, some are better for us than others. Lighting your stove is arguably one of the better ways to improve your mood and one that can be depended upon time and time again.

“The world seems much better with a stove! It has huge mental health benefit, particularly during pandemic “
Again, whether that is improving from a negative state or enhancing an already wonderful occasion, it appears a significant proportion of participants recognise a strong effect from their wood-burning experience on their mood.

“Really effective on cold winter afternoons with few outdoor options.
Definitely a mood lifter.”

“My stove helps with relaxation & mood improvement. It helps to unwind after a day’s exertions at work.”

Promotes Family Bonding

With more of our lives being played out online, those of us who remember life before social media, recognise the negative impact on in-person interaction and connection. One can be in the same house, room or even at the same dinner table as others and still feel detached from the person gazing at their phone. As an antidote, a wood-burning stove can provide a focal point for the home, encouraging people to share space and spark conversation. Time shared in this way often leads to a deeper sense of connection and a tighter family unit.

“Something the whole family enjoy doing together and it makes us all feel incredibly relaxed and happy.”

“You can just gaze into the fire and be taken away from the stresses of work. It gives opportunity for the family to come together and talk. Talking just seems to come easier when siting around the stove.”

“After a day of sledging and building snowmen and having snowball fights with the family it was very relaxing and comforting for us all to warm up in front of the fire.”

“Having the fire going brings everyone to the same room. This helps with family bonding and discussions in general. With our digital lives, it is so easy to just stay in your room and get distracted. However, the fire brings us together and we can even share a warm drink together!”

Homely atmosphere

Now this one didn’t surprise us too much, gaining the most votes out of any of the options available. Relating to family bonding, the fireplace has long been the centre of the home and we are hardwired to respond positively to its influence.

“Winter evenings with friends. Whenever we have visitors during the winter, we always make sure the stove is running as this usually ensures nobody will request the television be turned on, leading to an altogether much nicer atmosphere with people actually chatting and engaging much more, rather than staring at the screen.”

“Chopping wood is a great way to relieve stress! Everyone congregates around the fire and the children like to help with the kindling etc. It just creates a special atmosphere.”

“Christmas especially. The stove just provides a much-needed atmosphere on a cold winter’s night. You feel relaxed, cosy and there is something about it that just welcomes you into the living room. I couldn’t live without it.”

Meditative

The recognition of meditation’s utility in our modern lives has grown exponentially over recent years. Online meditation apps, sound meditations as well as more traditional forms have all been widely adopted. Despite these great tools, it can still be very challenging to unlock the benefits of meditation through a strict dedicated practice. Perhaps equally beneficial and certainly more accessible are those everyday acts/experiences that encourage something approaching a mediative state. Hobbies, music, walks in nature etc. can, from anecdotal evidence, bring about these states to greater or lesser degrees. Wood-burning is certainly also on that list. A full sensory experience that allows the mind to detach from thoughts more easily, replacing with a spaciousness that is restorative. Detaching from thoughts and stilling the mind is so much easier when one has a focus, be it the breath, a mantra, or a fire…

“It draws the family (and pets) into the room, warms the atmosphere and the space and watching the flames is meditative too. “

“You can just gaze into the fire and be taken away from the stresses of work. It gives opportunity for the family to come together and talk. Talking just seems to come easier when siting around the stove.”

“Watching the stove in full display is almost hypnotic and has great relaxing properties. It also has a back to nature feel and without any electrical devices in the room is perfect for de-stressing.”

“Mesmerising flame watching takes us away from our worries and concerns. The room has a focus that isn’t a screen and gives warmth with it.”

Escapism

The process of lighting a fire taps into the more primal part of our brain and somehow allows us to switch off from the everyday stresses and escape from worry. A warm fire signifies access to cooking, warmth, and shelter and when these primary needs are catered for, we instinctively feel better about life.

“Fire is deep within the human psyche and sits in a happy place in our limbic brain. You get lost from the day to day in a fire – it’s a little bit of wilderness in the order of the day to day.”

“I’ve long felt a disconnect between earning money in the corporate world and home life. Here is something with a direct connection – the family stay warm through my simple effort.”

“Helps to switch off from the technology that takes over our everyday lives. You feel a sense of achievement when the first sparks ignite.”

Other

There are too many incredible quotes to list them all. To give a feel for the full range of benefits that a log burner can bring to wellbeing, here’s a list of the most used words and phrases in the ‘Other’ category:

Safety, protection, memories, therapeutic, comforting, unwind, switch off, tradition, better than tv, mesmerising, warmth, warm my soul, nicer atmosphere, joyful experience, encourages chatting, stove is a catalyst, congregates, less vulnerable, natural, sense of achievement, hypnotic, cosy, ritual, magical, toasting marshmallows, contentment, building a memory…

The results of the Charnwood Wellbeing Survey are the first of its kind. Whilst offering many fascinating insights into life with a log burner, as with many things in life, seeing is believing. Perhaps we can modify this expression to ‘experiencing is believing’ as far more than one sense is stimulated when nestling down in front of a toasty fire on a cold winters evening.

Read More:

Link to another blog [The truth about emissions …]

Net Zero 2050 – Our Commitment and Strategy

charnwoodstoves
27 Aug 2021

As a British based company that is passionate about the environment and sustainability, we were delighted when the government made the UK the first major economy to pass a law committing to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. These targets obligate the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero through a combination of reduction and carbon offset. In this blog, we will discuss our own commitments and strategy to achieve Net Zero 2050 as a business.

Charnwood is a privately-owned, family-run business on the Isle of Wight. Founded in 1972, by Alfred J Wells and his two sons, sustainability and environmental considerations were at the forefront of their principles from the start. Amid an oil crisis and with Dutch Elm Disease prevalent, the 3 founders saw an opportunity to produce a small wood burning stove as an alternative way to help people heat their homes and directly reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Our product’s environmental credentials

Charnwood Stoves

Our stoves are among the most environmentally friendly appliances available on the market, using the very latest combustion technology. The majority of our range now meets the new EcoDesign regulations coming into force in 2022.
Eco benefits:
• 90% more efficient than open fires
• They can produce heat 24/7 allowing them to work in conjunction with wind and solar energy.
• Carbon neutral fuel
• Ability to source fuel locally and without fracking and deep-sea oil drilling
• A good quality stove can last many decades and comes with the right to repair
• The materials used to fabricate a Charnwood stove and its packaging are fully recyclable
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The Truth About Wood Burning Stoves and Air Quality Click here to read more
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A company-wide approach

The idea of being ‘green’ extends beyond the products and to every aspect of the company; from choosing raw materials, recycling packaging and even how we transport our materials and products. It is our view that it is environmentally unsustainable to transport heavy materials around the world, on the grounds of small savings, when the world’s finest materials are available here in the UK. With this in mind, Charnwood strives to buy British whenever possible. We are ISO 14001 accredited, Fors Bronze (A fleet Operator recognition Scheme), and working towards ISO 45001.

Green Investments
 

We have invested in our plant and equipment over many years to reduce our carbon footprint and be more sustainable. Across our site, there is currently 135kW of solar PV systems that have generated nearly 1000MWh to date. The vast majority of this energy is used on-site which equates to a reduction in CO2 of 368 tonnes. The rest of our electricity is sourced from a supplier providing renewable energy; however, we are planning to apply for further solar panels in due course.

By monitoring our half-hour data, we identified usage outside of working hours. By ensuring machines and compressors are turned off during these times we have achieved many thousands of annual savings.

When investing in machinery we always consider energy consumption. As a result of this objective, we have invested in 4 variable speed drive compressors, each reducing energy consumption by up to 50% when compared to fixed drive compressors.
Our investment in the latest fibre laser technology has resulted in a reduction in energy consumption of our metal cutting facility of over 500kWh per day due to advancements in technology.

Our sustainable network

Our suppliers

Our supply chains get evaluated on their environmental credentials. A recent example is our steel supply. We have placed a large forward order for 750 tonnes of hot rolled steel with our supplier who produce the material in South Wales. We have chosen to buy our steel with them here in the UK, as we feel they play a big part in making the steel industry more sustainable. We have agreed to pay a £10 per tonne carbon surcharge, which will be used to reduce their carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and help them be carbon-neutral by 2050.

Our employees

Since 2008 we have run a scheme, marketed internally as the “Green dog”, encouraging our employees to be environmentally friendly. This ranges from reducing energy consumption by switching off lights and keeping air-con between certain temperatures, to using the compost bin and offering them locally sourced fruit and milk.

We are part of the cycle-to-work scheme which has proven popular and provide showers to facilitate this. We avidly discourage printing in the office and have invested in a digital solution that delivers order information to the factory floor, thus cutting out the paper trail. We are looking to extend that solution throughout the company.

We also have a policy of investing in electric company vehicles and have multiple charging points at the factory available to all staff and visitors.

Our customers
 

At the customer level we are taking our commitment to greener packaging to a higher level by sourcing innovative, alternative solutions to pallet wrapping and reviewing every aspect of the packaging, right down to the tape, labels and documents enclosed. We have used recycled stationery throughout our offices since 2012 we are now looking to swap to even more eco-friendly, more visibly recycled versions so that our efforts do not go unnoticed by our customers.

Our commitments

Whilst the Net Zero 2050 initiative is currently the only formal sustainability initiative we are part of, many of the projects we are involved in, especially for Transport for London require us to commit to reducing our environmental impact. In recognition of this and other achievements, we were awarded the Green Business of the Year Award by our local chamber of commerce.

We believe Net Zero 2050 is an inevitable step for all companies and we are committed to leading the way in a domain that we are passionate about. We will continue to analyse our approach and actively seek ways to improve the business’s environmental credentials. Factoring in our interventions to date with our plans for the future, we are well placed to reach ‘carbon-neutral’ status before 2050.

Cycle to Work Day 2021

charnwoodstoves
11 Aug 2021

On the 5th August 2021 a number of our employees took part in the Cycle to Work Day. As part of our company’s commitment to Net Zero 2050 we agreed to partner up with The Woodland Trust and plant a tree for every 10 miles cycled. True to British tradition the summer weather didn’t disappoint and we experienced some very heavy rain on the day but this band of brave souls managed to clock up 214 miles between them – equating to 21 trees!

We hope to repeat this event again very soon to encourage our employees to use their cars less. The weather will hopefully be kinder next time so we can persuade more people to participate  and in turn plant more trees!

Did you know?

The average person in the UK is responsible for at least 5.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year. So when it comes to climate change native woods and trees are one of the best ways to tackle the climate crisis. Check out this short film from The Woodland Trust

Charnwood’s Commitment to Net Zero 2050

We have always put sustainability at the forefront of our principles and the idea of being ‘green’ extends past the manufacturing process to every aspect of the company; from choosing raw materials, recycling packaging and even how we transport our materials and products. We are ISO 14001 accredited, Fors Bronze (A fleet Operator recognition Scheme), and working towards ISO 45001. We are looking to become Net Zero 2050 as we feel this is an inevitable step for all companies and we would like to lead the way in a domain that we are passionate about.

The Warmest Welcome

charnwoodstoves
01 Apr 2021

Sarah Knight reviews the cosy new yurt accommodation at the Isle of Wight's famous Garlic Farm

A visit to the Isle of Wight is special in its own right; the scenic coastline, rambling hills and stunning countryside make it a great place for a staycation holiday especially during these uncertain times. Finding the perfect accommodation is a must and we would look no further than the unique and welcoming experience that the Garlic Farm yurts have to offer. Each yurt has been carefully constructed right here on the Isle of Wight and filled with all the essential amenities to make you truly feel at home. The newly installed Charnwood stoves create a centrepiece for your evening activities, bringing together family and friends who can enjoy the warmth and comfort they provide after a busy day exploring the beautiful island.

Designed and manufactured by AJ Wells, a family run business here on the Isle of Wight, their Charnwood stoves have been made to the highest standards, sourcing materials locally within the UK. The Garlic Farm have clearly invested in a quality product with the Charnwood Aire 3 model, taking pride of place in all of the available yurts. This particular model uses the latest clean burn technology, meeting the criteria for ‘Eco Design 2022’ with a clearSkies rating of 5 stars, making it environmentally friendly whilst still maintaining the impeccable design expected from Charnwood.

These small but mighty stoves are neatly enclosed in their own pod with a Vlaze enamel hearth surround that not only looks stylish but creates a safe designated zone for heating and cooking. The Isle of Wight has an abundance of local places to eat and drink but you can’t beat a bit of home cooking and what could be better than serving up a tasty treat direct from the cooking top supplied with each one of these stoves. With the Garlic Farm shop only a stone’s throw away from the accommodation, you won’t find yourself in short supply of amazing locally grown produce to add a flavoursome punch to your cooking. There are some fantastic recipes on the website, incorporating some of their most popular products, which you must try out during your stay. If home cooking isn’t for you then keep things simple using the toasting forks provided. Nothing tastes better than a toasted muffin slathered in the Garlic Farms very own garlic butter with a slice of Briddlesford farm cheddar.

However you wish to make the most out of your stay, the Garlic Farm Yurts and the Charnwood ‘Aire 3’ are sure to make an impact giving you an exciting new way to enjoy the adventurous outdoors, whilst wrapped up in the comfort of indoors, providing you with the ultimate glamping experience.

 

 

Rustic Living Room Design Reimagined

charnwoodstoves
10 Dec 2020

Serving Up Country Chic With a Twist

With more time being spent at home in 2020 due to the global pandemic, many of us have put our focus into rethinking our home design to create living spaces that are a pleasure to spend time in.
With this in mind, today we’re going to be shining the light on the living room, looking at ways you can conjure up the beauty of much-loved rustic interiors with a modern twist – ensuring your home is the perfect blend of classic and contemporary.

What is rustic interior design?

Rustic interior design can manifest itself in an array of different guises, from traditional country cottages and farmhouses to wooden ski lodges, French chateaus and Tuscan villas. However, at its core is the presence of raw, natural and organic materials and features that instantly conjure up that rural vibe. Put emphasis on these elements in your living room makeover and cleverly tie them in with modern features and you’ll have a new take on rustic interiors.

Lay the foundations with flooring

With any decor theme, your floors act as the foundation that sets the tone of the entire room, so getting this aspect pitch perfect is key to tying together classic and contemporary rustic style. Your first thought may well be hardwood floors that give your living room a homely and snug feel. However, in the name of modernity, this isn’t your only option. Instead, why not consider a more practical and durable material like wood-look luxury vinyl flooring?

Easy to clean, hardwearing and mimicking the look of wooden floorboards, you can have all the aesthetic appeal of wood with an innovative material that’s designed to last and requires minimal upkeep. You can even invest in underfloor heating mats that will bring your wood-look floors well and truly into the 21st century.

Add texture and layers to walls

The next step is to give your walls the attention they need to project that quintessentially country feel. For those with older properties that have original features, this is your time to let them take centre stage. From wooden beams and exposed stone to elegant open fireplaces, you can emphasise these traditional accents by giving them a more up-to-date look.

This could be painting wooden beams in white or a pale grey or applying a glossy lacquer to exposed stone and brick work. Similarly with original fireplaces, swerve quaint and kitsch Victorian tiles in favour of a more contemporary design for the surround and hearth that will give it a more edgy feel.

Of course, not all homes are blessed with period features. You can still get authentic-looking rustic decor in modern homes, however, using materials that portray the textures you get with the real deal.

This is where the modern concept of feature walls comes into play. Using rugged materials like split-face wall tiles or untreated wooden panels on one wall in your living room will instantly inject that essential texture and layering.

Finished with flourishes of classic and contemporary decorative accents like brass hooks, gold gilded ornaments and metal-framed mirrors, you’ll have an eclectic mix of old and new that contrast and complement each other in one fell swoop.

Create warmth with heating

 As a place to relax and unwind after a long day, your living room needs to be the epitome of comfort. Rustic-inspired decor is perfect for creating a homely, warm and lived in space. This is where choosing the right heating for your room can make a difference. Yes, you can make your rustic living room feel snug with just radiators, but there’s something special about a real fire that transports you from your average home to a rural farmhouse scene.

The addition of a traditional-style wood burning stove could be all you need to encapsulate that country aesthetic with the benefit of modern heat efficiency to keep you warm on those chilly nights. Take a look at log burners such as the Charnwood Bembridge (a collaborative stove created exclusively for the trail blazers of the modern rustic movement, Country Living)

Finished with a neat stack of wood or a wicker basket for kindling and some brass fire utensils, these stoves will effortlessly integrate into new and old homes, delivering a striking and practical feature for your rustic-style living room.

Embellish with finishing touches

When it comes to successfully combining country-style decor with contemporary design, the finishing touches you choose really count.

The key is to unify old and new furniture, soft furnishings and other decorative elements for a cohesive look that pays homage to both eras. An effective way to do this is to select a few genuine rustic pieces like a driftwood side table or a worn leather sofa and offset it with more modern materials like glass and metal. The smooth, shiny surfaces of newer materials will play well with the rough, lived in look of the older pieces to allow them to sit together harmoniously.

You can apply this contrasting principle to all your finishing touches, like setting a modern-style sofa with straight lines next to a hand-carved bookshelf or coffee table. Or adorn the room with funky light fixtures and raw wooden mirrors and picture frames. Take your time to experiment with different items and textures to get the combination just right and you’ll be left with a country chic living room that gives you all the charm of old with modern comforts.

Regardless of where you live, we hope you’ll find plenty of ideas on how to inject that countryside character into your living room, leaving you with a space that’s primed for relaxation every day of the week.

 

Author bio:

Alex Jones is a content creator for Trendy Floors, the home of discount flooring products with all the hallmarks of luxury – from affordable luxury vinyl tile to engineered parquet.

Setting clearances & installing a heat shield behind your stove

charnwoodstoves
19 Oct 2020

The importance of wall protection when installing a freestanding stove

As the cold season is fast approaching, many homeowners are rushing to prepare for the winter, and one effective way is to get your fireplace ready. As you will be aware, the fireplace serves to keep you and your family warm and comfortable during the winter months. Whether it’s a wood-burning or multi-fuel burner, it produces controlled heat that can warm your home’s space.

However, did you know that a vital part of the overall equation in your wood-burning stove is the heat shield? As the name suggests, it is typically installed behind a freestanding stove and it is designed to protect your wall from heat damage. However, while most wood stoves come with heat shields, some don’t have one.

In this article, we’ll specifically cover how to set clearances and install heat shields for wood stoves:

Have adequate clearances

When it comes to a wood stove, there are two key safety features you must keep in mind – sufficient clearance and wall material behind. A properly installed and maintained wood stove can ensure the safety of your appliance. Yet, inadequate clearances can be extremely dangerous for your home.

The Fire Protection Association recommends that the common radiant-type stove must be spaced out at least 900mm (36 inches) from a combustible wall although different wood burning stove manufacturers will offer their own tested safe distances. This is extremely important as your wood stove can get very hot when in operation. As a result, combustible materials too close to the stove can catch fire. By cheating on your wood stove’s clearances, you can potentially create a fire hazard.

Reduce wood stove clearances

On the other hand, know that you can reduce the clearance of your wood stove without compromising your home safety. Although you cannot completely eliminate the clearance, you can significantly reduce it. There’s only one solution to this, and that is to install a properly constructed heat shield.

For your reference, there are various types of heat shields you may want to consider for your wood stove. Be sure to follow the guidelines set forth by the HETAS for the heat shielding requirements, from the appliance selection down to its actual installation.

Vitreous Enamel heat shields

When it comes to wood stoves, installing a wall mounted heat shield is an excellent way to reduce clearance and promote home safety. A vitreous enamel heat shield is a great solution.

Vlaze Heat Shields are designed to protect and enhance the wall behind a wood burning stove creating a modern fireplace.

The vitreous enamel panel features a dual skin that provides thermal protection and an effective convection system that distributes heat back into the room. Using their rail mounted system the heat shield is quick and easy to install and is available in 3 sizes and over 30 luxurious glazed finishes. When installed on a wall the shield reduces the stoves distance to the face of the panel to 95mm and in the case of a Charnwood stove to just 75mm – a vast improvement on HETAS regulations.

Conclusion

At this point, you now know several valuable tips for your wood stove. As mentioned above, be sure to have adequate clearance or reduce wood stove clearances by installing heat shields. Furthermore, it’s best to deal with a reliable manufacturer when purchasing and installing a heat shield for your wood-burning stove. Doing so will help you make the most of your stove, protect your home, and keep you warm during the cold season!

 

 

The story of Charnwood Stoves

charnwoodstoves
15 Oct 2020

Home is where the hearth is: Tradition and forward-thinking technology are the fundamental tenets for this family-run Isle of Wight firm with more than half a century of history.

Back in 1972 when Charnwood Stoves founder Alfred Wells and two of his sons John and Alistair sat by an open fire in the village of Niton on the Isle of Wight, little did the trio know that their small engineering firm would become a 21st-century market leading company.

That night saw the three men come up with the notion to create a compact, efficient woodburning stove that was to become the cornerstone of the company. Fuelled by rapidly rising oil prices and the advent of Dutch Elm disease, meaning there was a plentiful supply of wood across the UK, their idea soon became a reality that today encompasses both traditional values and forward-thinking technology in the form of clean, green and efficient woodburning and multi-fuel stoves.

The privately owned family company employs around 140 people – ten of whom are family members – and continues to operate in the same location, to the same exacting standards set out by the three men some 50 years ago, with all stoves and accessories made on site with British parts. “Though we’re constantly innovating, our products are designed to last a lifetime,” says Ced Wells, grandson of Alfred and creative director of the company. “We still hold spare parts for our original stoves – we firmly believe that when you purchase a stove it is a long-term relationship.”

Tradition and prescient thinking are held in equal stead by the Wells family. Whilst the gentle crackle of burning logs and the soothing allure of flickering flames has long held a romantic appeal, as evidenced in Charnwood’s stylish designs spanning contemporary through to traditional, happily the reality of using wood as fuel equally sustains its draw. In order to best utilise the material’s properties as a renewable, sustainable and CO2-neutral fuel, technological solutions employed by the company include stoves with emissions so low that they are DEFRA-approved for burning wood in smoke-control areas, whilst the latest clean-burn technology in the Aire models amongst others ensures that the strict new Ecodesign regulation planned for 2022 is met as priority (the regulation being the stove industry’s response to the DEFRA Clean Air Strategy, which itself aims to improve air quality and reduce emissions and pollution).

Alongside its products, the relationships fostered by Charnwood are rooted in the family’s close-knit ethos and Christian beliefs, and extend into the community and beyond as a reflection of their deeply held values. “The concept of ‘relationship’ is probably the most important thing in our lives and business,” explains Ced. “We believe it’s important to take care of others, which in business terms manifests itself in supporting people – so our employees, our suppliers and our customers – and in connecting with the environment.”

In addition to using local suppliers and materials where possible, Charnwood’s commitment to the island pays homage to the intrinsic it plays in the company’s origin story. “The people that work for us have shaped what we have become,” says Ced. “They are our most valuable asset and are an extension of our family – many of them have been with us for more than 30 years.” As well as being well-connected to schools, colleges and businesses, the company offers apprenticeship schemes for young people in engineering, design and manufacture, “as job opportunities can be scarce on the island – and we very much want to see it thrive and grow as an economy.”

Plans for the future include a continued focus on uniting tradition with innovation: “We’re soon to be launching the world’s first intelligent woodburning stove that automatically burns your fuel to optimum efficiency,” outlines Ced. “The idea is that you load it, light it, close the door and then the stove does the rest” – a concept which doubtless is as faithful, loyal and consistently aligned with the core values of the company 50 years ago as it is today.

Words: Eve Middleton for The English Home November 2020