A wood-fuelled boiler could save you nearly £600 a year compared to electric heating.

Affordable heating fuel: although the price of wood fuel varies considerably, it is often cheaper than other heating options.

Financial support: wood fuel boiler systems benefit from the Renewable Heat Premium Payment & Renewable Heat Incentive.

A low-carbon option: the carbon dioxide emitted when wood is burned is the same amount that was absorbed over the months and years that the plant was growing. The process is sustainable as long as new plants continue to grow in place of those used for fuel. There are some carbon emissions caused by the cultivation, manufacture and transportation of the fuel, but as long as the fuel is sourced locally, these are much lower than the emissions from fossil fuels.

Log-burning stoves and boilers have to be filled with wood by hand; most pellet and chip burners use automatic fuel feeders which refill them at regular intervals. Logs require considerably more work, and you will need a lot of logs to heat a whole house, but they can be cheaper than pellets if you have a good local supply.