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Firewood sales to surge by a fifth as households turn to stoves to stay warm this winter

Firewood sales to surge by a fifth as households turn to stoves to stay warm this winter
Firewood sales to surge by a fifth as households turn to stoves to stay warm this winter

Sales of firewood are expected to surge by a fifth this winter as millions of households burn wood to keep warm in the wake of rocketing energy prices.

Britain's largest supplier, Certainly Wood, said that demand has already started to increase as consumers prepare for the weather to turn.

Nic Snell, managing director, said: “People are starting to stock up now, but I'd imagine we could see a 10pc to 20pc increase in demand this coming winter, because firewood prices have increased but nowhere near the rise seen in energy prices.”

It will cost customers around £600 for enough firewood to run a wood-burning stove on evenings and weekends over winter, he said.

Households who heat their homes using gas or electricity, meanwhile, are set to see their annual energy bills spiral over the coming months.

The average energy bill is set to rise to around £3,600 from October from £1,971 today, with those working from home expected to be paying £683 per month by January.

Uswitch said that running heating during the colder months will be the biggest contributor to higher energy bills.

Many households installed stoves in their house last year, as they sought to make changes to their homes following months of lockdowns. According to the Stove Industry Alliance, sales jumped 22pc between the start of 2020 and the start of 2021.

The group, which represents makers and retailers of wood-burning stoves, said it believed the increase was also down to a growing awareness of energy price increases.

Prices for firewood from Britain are estimated to be up by 10pc-15pc over the past year, although retailers which import from Europe have had to raise prices more steeply.

Mr Snell – whose company produces 16,000 tonnes of kiln dried firewood and 2,500 tonnes of kindling wood each year –  said this was because a large portion of the firewood which was imported had come from Russia and Belarus, which has since faced restrictions, while transport costs had also increased.

He added: “Our wood is British but quite a lot of places import from Eastern Europe, and the price impact has been dramatic.”