Traditional coal fires and wood burners are undergoing a resurgence in popularity as householders try to avoid rising gas and electricity bills, energy experts have reported.

Manufacturers of fireplaces and burners all over Scotland are recording a massive increase in inquiries from people desperate to cut fuel bills.

The news follows the price hikes announced at the end of July by Scottish Gas, who will be increasing prices by 12.4 per cent in September - the second rise in six months.

The company blamed rising wholesale prices and said parent company British Gas had made a record loss of £143 million during the first six months of the year.

Energy watchdogs warned there was a real danger that pensioners and other low income groups would be forced to choose between fuel and food.

Solid fuel is now a viable alternative for some

An unusual alternative

Now it has emerged that many consumers are choosing to convert back to more traditional ways of heating by having gas heating removed and smokeless coal fires and wood burning stoves installed instead.

A spokesman for the Solid Fuel Association said that the annual average cost of heating a room using solid fuel would be £154.

A three-bedroomed house could cost from £653 a year to heat using solid fuel to power central heating, while gas users would pay around £832 and electricity users between £1,078 and £1,930 according to the Solid Fuel Association.

Tom Brock, who owns Edinburgh Brock Gratebuilders, said: "We're doing about 30 per cent more than we used to these days and that's right across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

"The price of gas and electricity is definitely a driving factor. You will definitely be saving if you burn wood as opposed to smokeless or gas."

Lorna Swift, who works at Home and Hearth in Falkirk, said inquiries about solid-fuel fires had definitely risen.

She said: "The price of gas is the reason people give for looking into it - but the price of installation does put some people off solid fuel.

"But there has been a bit of an increase in solid-fuel installations compared to, say, five or six years ago."

A spokeswoman for Fireplace World in Bothwell, Lanarkshire, also noted an increase in inquiries about solid fuel.

She said: "People are also looking for more efficient gas fires. I'd say it was definitely to do with the cost of gas. People are looking for the most efficient option.

"A lot of solid-fuel fires are closed and you are going to get more efficiency compared to an open fire. But it all depends on what you pay for your fuel, no matter what kind it is."

Energy Efficiency

Graham Kerr, of Energywatch Scotland, said: "Given that gas prices are more than 80 per cent up in three years, it is hardly surprising to hear that cost-conscious consumers are considering other options.

"But renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines is also becoming increasingly popular and has the added advantage of reducing your carbon emissions."

A spokesman for Scottish Gas said all energy suppliers had to raise their prices because of a rise of more than 70 per cent in the price of gas.

He said the company was trying to minimise the impact of price rises by encouraging home owners to be as energy efficient as possible.

"For every £3 we spend on energy we waste another £1."

He said gas prices had risen dramatically as a knock-on effect of the high price of oil and because Britain had become an importer of gas, in which it used to be self-sufficient.

He said industry analysts believed prices would stabilise after this winter.

"In many ways this winter will be the crunch time and we are looking forward to more stable prices in the future."

Sources: http://news.scotsman.com

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