A boiler stove is very similar in appearance to a multifuel or wood stove but the difference is they are connected to a boiler, either at the rear of the stove or located in another room and are used to heat the room in which the stove is situated and also to heat hot water for radiators and/or water supply for the whole or part of the house. Usually, located at the back of the burning chamber will be a heat exchanger connected to the boiler. As hot air passes through, it heats up water and carries it to the hot water cylinder where it is distributed throughout the house. Boiler stoves are becoming increasingly popular, due to rising fuel prices and especially in areas where gas and/or oil supply is not available. Some boiler stoves even have the function of an in-built oven or hot shelf, allowing you to cook and heat your house without being connected to the main energy supply. Perfect if you wish to partake in some off grid living!

Absolutely, but it is vital to get the right size stove and with the correct output for your home. It will also depend on how many radiators are going to be connected and how the water is going to be used- for radiators only or for hot water too? Another consideration is how many people are going to be using the hot water daily as this will affect the boiler size and frequency of lighting. As a very rough guide, the output to water is about 50% of the total heat output of the stove, when the stove is running at the maximum nominal output. So, a 12kW boiler stove could heat up to 6 standard size radiators and will give approximately 6kW of dry heat (heat into the room). This will vary depending on the manufacturer and design of the stove, so it is always best to consult with a plumber and Hetas registered installer before making a final decision. Similarly, it’s very unlikely that a boiler stove will be run at the maximum nominal output for long periods of time, as this would cause the room where the stove is situated to become too hot, which may result in damage to the appliance and the flue system. Running a boiler stove at the minimum output will cause more energy to be used heating the passing cold water, resulting in a significant reduction in heat output to the room. So, with boiler stoves, it is important to over calculate the kW output required to achieve the optimal balance of dry to wet heat, but only in relation to how much heat you actually need from the appliance.

An inset stove (sometimes called an insert stove) can be of the wood or multifuel variety and is designed to be inserted into a chimney breast or false wall. These types of stove are designed to have stainless-steel casing surrounding the appliance to protect the internal of the wall from radiating heat and to prevent heat escaping from the appliance into the surrounding wall. Freestanding stoves, as the name implies, are designed to be freestanding in a room or chimney breast and radiate and/or convect heat from all angles of the appliance. Both inset stoves and freestanding stoves work the same way internally and have the same design of firebricks and baffles, air-wash system and combustion technologies. Both types of stove are also available in modern and contemporary designs and with different outputs.

Inset stoves tend to be convection stoves, in that they draw cold air in, heat the air in the firebox and dispel it around the room. A more evenly distributed heat source is achieved during this method as heat is forced out of the appliance. Whereas freestanding stoves can be of the convection or radiating variety (sometimes both) and although they can dispel heat through convection too, it is inevitable that some of the heat will be lost up the chimney or through the walls surrounding the appliance. Because of this, and the level of insulation in the appliance and in the area surrounding the appliance, inset stoves do tend to be slightly more efficient compared to their freestanding equivalents- although this is frequently debated and is usually down to the installation, location within the room and contributing factors such as insulation in the house and natural draughts.