Greeks opt for woodburning stoves to beat soaring fuel prices

I've just been reading a fascinating article about the rise in popularity of woodburning stoves in Greece as a result of the economic crisis there.  Apparently, rising heating costs and a levy on electricity bills have led many families to turn to woodburning stoves instead of their normal central heating - and they're finding it's not only cheaper with wood costing about a quarter of the equivalent in heating oil, but also a lot warmer, too.  

Here, we're along way from the kind of huge demand that they're seeing in Greece but we have noticed that more and more people are interested in stoves, many of them with fuel bills in mind. Even in London, you can have a woodburner as the latest Defra-approved models are suitable for use in smoke free zones.  At Westcombes, we have one showroom dedicated to stoves with more than fifty different models on display and can offer advice on the right sort of stove for your home as well as arranging for fitting.  

Carbon monoxide detectors

When you're buying a stove or fire, you should always install a carbon monoxide detector.  It's a legal requirement now to have a detector when you fit a new or replacement fire or stove, and although problems are rare, they are potentially very dangerous.  Carbon monoxide poisoning  can occur if a chimney is blocked or if there are issues with the fitting of a fire or stove.

I'm particularly concerned about this at the moment as my own father-in-law discovered that his gas cooker was leaking carbon monoxide and it had to be disconnected and scrapped immediately.  He was fortunate as he'd started to feel unwell and the cooker was checked just in time. Carbon monoxide is odourless and tasteless and doesn't irritate in any way, so it can only be identified by having a carbon monoxide detector.  At just £22.50, they're a small price for a safe home.

The busy season...

It's been very very busy in the shop over the last few weeks - the kind of busy where every time you put the phone down, it rings again. We just wanted to take the opportunity to thank all our customers for their patience and to reassure you that we do always call everyone back - it just takes a little longer than we might like during this busy time. It is important to us that all our customers benefit from our full care and attention - which unfortunately does mean that when there are lots of you all wanting that at the same time, a little waiting is sometimes necessary but we hope that you will feel that the level of service we offer makes it well worth the wait.

Don't leave it too late...

We've had some wonderful weather over the last month, but it seems that finally the autumn chill has arrived - and people are starting to think about fireplaces and stoves again.  We've got the stove burning in the shop today, and it's a great hit with everyone who comes in and sees how lovely and warming a stove can be.  We always find that with the first colder weather, we start to get busier - and the fitters start to get longer waiting times.

There's still plenty of time to get your stove or fire in time for Christmas, but please don't leave it too late.  We can order stock in right up until the last minute, but you want your fire or stove fitted and working - and our fireplace fitters won't be able to fit without at least a few weeks notice.

Do come and visit us at Westcombes sooner rather than later if you're thinking about a fire or stove - and then we can make sure that you're ready for a very cosy winter!

The latest additions to the Westcombes family...

We promised to let you know when the new arrivals for our window display were here - and we're delighted to present Freddy and Felix!  They joined us last week and are living very happily in Westcombes window, lying contentedly next to the stove.  We've already noticed lots of people stopping to peer at them to check whether they're real (and have had some banging on the window trying to wake them up which isn't so good!).

Seasonal Sunday opening

Westcombes is now open on Sundays!

As this is our busiest time of year, we're extending our opening hours for the autumn through until December. It's not too late to get that fire or stove for Christmas, and you'll find us here between 12 and 4 every Sunday as well as our normal opening hours of 10am to 6pm Monday through to Saturday.

Our new window display

We've just installed a new window display to show some of our lovely stoves - it doesn't look quite as much like an authentic sitting room as the image above, but you get the idea...

We've got more than fifty different styles of stove in stock in our showroom downstairs at Westcombes, but we found that many people coming into the shop weren't even aware that we sold stoves.  So, we hope our new display will make it clear. We'll post a picture later, but we're just waiting for the latest addition to our shop window and once he's arrived, we'll let you take a peek!