Over the years we have seen the emergence of many trends in the wood-burning and multifuel stove market, a number of which have heavily influenced stove manufacturers. Some of the changes have been subtle, some of them have been more telling but the future success of the industry does revolve around moving with the times. Let’s not forget this is an industry which has been around for thousands of years and until recently and experienced very little change.
Widescreen stoves
What started as a trickle of new stoves to the marketplace with wider screens has very quickly turned into powerful river. We have seen the likes of Arada, Broseley and Stovax to name but three stove manufacturers, introducing their own widescreen stoves. The beauty of a widescreen viewing area is the fact you can watch the flickering flames and the burning embers as these modern day stoves create significant heat output. Akin to the old coal fire place, there is nothing quite like watching flickering flames and burning embers to relax you, chill you out and very often send you to sleep.
The new stoves come in both wood-burning and multifuel variations. As we await the launch of the new Arada widescreen stove it looks as though this is a trend that will continue for some time to come.
Tertiary air supply
Even the quickest of glimpses at the news will show that governments around the world are introducing tighter regulations with regards to wood-burning and multifuel stove emissions. In many ways the industry has been sold short, often coupled together with the coal fire sector which boasts but a fraction of the efficiency of the stove industry. To give you an example, a modern day wood-burning/multifuel stove can be anything up to 80% efficient while a traditional coal fire is only up to 30% efficient. It is not difficult to see the waste in fuel and the level of emissions which must be escaping into the atmosphere.
A stove tertiary air supply ensures the flow of hot air around the stove, entering and exiting the combustion chamber. The initial combustion process will burn the fuel, the secondary process will burn fumes and particles and the third process will quite literally mop up the rest. This means that not only are stoves more efficient today because of this system but we have seen a massive reduction in emissions. This will be very important going forward as regulations continue to tighten!
Switch back to traditional designs
This is a tricky one, as many new stoves today seem to have backtracked towards traditional designs as opposed to contemporary. Even though many of the traditional designs do have a kind of contemporary twist in relation to for example the edges, the corners and the rounded doors, to all intents and purposes they have maintained more traditional than contemporary design elements. It seems that many people still expect to see a traditional design stove although they are often surprised to learn about the groundbreaking combustion technology installed within.
These trends tend to go in cycles; we have big moves towards contemporary designs and then switch back to “something different” in more a traditional mould. In reality it is a horses for courses scenario, some home designs will best suit a traditional stove while others will best suit a contemporary design. At the end of the day, there are more than enough options out there!
Double sided stoves
Those who have followed the stove industry for some years will be well aware that double sided stoves are not new. There have been around in some shape or form for a good 20 or 30 years although recently there seems to have been an increase in interest. This could be down to something as simple as a change in home designs, now more compatible with double sided stoves, or a move towards something different in the stove market. From one side, a double sided stove looks like any other stove but when you realise it is double sided, your mind begins to wander.
We now have double depth double sided stoves which can create enormous heat output, more than enough to fuel two large rooms. We can only imagine the technology associated with this type of machine, the structural challenges and the need to shield components from the excessive heat which they can create. In a similar fashion to widescreen stoves, we are likely to see the introduction of more double sided stoves in the months and years ahead.
Entry-level stoves
The jump from a traditional heat system to an all singing all dancing wood-burning/multifuel stove is too much for some people who often decide to try “entry-level models”. Over the years some of the more popular entry-level brands have included the likes of Hamlet and, more recently, Firefox stoves. In years gone by they were incorrectly labelled as “cheap and cheerful” when they may well have been relatively cheap but there was nothing wrong with the standard of work. Firefox stoves (and Tiger stoves) are actually made in China but even on close inspection it is difficult to find any fault with the standard of work, standard of finish and their design.
The Hamlet range now has the reputation it deserves, a quality stove at an affordable price. Taken over by Arada when the previous parent company got into financial difficulties, it is fair to say improvements have been made and the range has been expanded. Indeed, the introduction of widescreen viewing areas to the Hamlet range has caused significant excitement in the market. So, there is no need to discount so-called “entry-level stoves” as cheap and cheerful because there is nothing wrong with the standard of work or their durability.
Summary
Over the years we have seen some significant changes in consumer demand with regards to wood-burning and multifuel stoves. We have seen a change in designs, switching from traditional to contemporary and back again. We have seen the introduction of high-tech combustion systems which burn, re-burn and burn fuel again, reducing emissions and increasing heat output. It is also fair to say that the general standard of work in the industry has picked up dramatically and those previously labelled as “entry-level stoves” have managed to shake off this unfair tag.
Widescreen stoves are the latest trend in the industry, what next?