It can be rather exciting to walk into a fireplace or stove shop for the very first time because there are so many different options to choose between. It can get you thinking about your home and how it will look and feel when you have a stove installed, however, there’s lots of information to take in before you can choose the right one. Some people often walk into a showroom with an idea on the style they would like, but the next step gets a little bit more technical. You need to think about how many Kilowatts (kW) you will require, whilst there’s the fuel type, flue pipe, material and brand.

You should also keep in mind that not all stove shops are completely unbiased. There will be some models they push because they get a bigger cut from the sale, and others they do not push as much, so you can’t always presume their advice is given to you with your interests in mind. So let’s run through some of these aspects now, so you’ll feel a lot more comfortable when it comes to choosing a stove for your home.

The bigger the heat output, the toastier your room will be. That’s the general theme here. For most small rooms, depending on insulation, drafts and average room temperature, a 5kW stove will be sufficient enough to create you a cosy atmosphere, and it’s a nice size, as it does not take up too much room. Flue pipes are an important consideration too, and as a rule of thumb, most 5kw stoves require a 5″ pipe, whilst bigger stoves require a larger diameter of collar and pipe. Of course, your installer will tell you more about this and will know exactly what size is required, and quite often it’s provided as part of your package when you buy a stove, so you don’t always have to worry about this so much.

The material you choose can depend on the design of the stove. By this we mean many contemporary stoves are made of steel, whilst traditional stoves are constructed of cast iron. This is not always the case, but it’s handy to research the advantages of both materials. It’s fair to say that both will stand the test of time, and they’re both proven materials, but it’s worth keeping this in mind when deciding on a model that’s right for your home.

You may be the type of individual who doesn’t care too much about the brand, and that as long as there are a few good reviews of a stove, you’ll be happy to buy it no matter where it comes from. This will all change when you head into the showroom though, and there’s some branded bigotry involved. Some stove manufacturers pride themselves on building theirs in the UK or Europe whilst other brands have less of a positive reputation because their stoves come from China, which often gives off the view they are cheaper and not as well made. Price will of course play a big part, but you’ll soon learn about the leaders in the industry and the brands you may want to avoid!