Log Burner Running Cost — UK 2026 Annual Breakdown
UK 2026 typical: £470-£870/year for regular use. £400-£770 in firewood + £60-£85 annual sweep + ~£10/year CO alarm amortisation. Per useful kWh: about 10-15p for bought-in kiln-dried logs, which is dearer than mains gas and much cheaper than electricity.
Annual firewood cost
- Occasional use (few evenings/week): ~2m³ per winter = £240-£440 at £120-£220/m³ kiln-dried delivered
- Regular use (most evenings, 6 months): 3-4m³ = £360-£880
- Heavy / all-day use: 6m³+ = £720-£1,320+
Buy bulk delivered (1m³+) from a local supplier for the best per-cubic-metre rates; nationally couriered bulk bags run about £250-£270/m³. Avoid petrol-station nets (£8-£12 for roughly 10kg, about £1/kg) — around three times the bulk cost per kWh.
Per-kWh comparison
- Kiln-dried logs, local bulk delivery at £120-£220/m³: ~10-15p per useful kWh. Logs hold about 4.1 kWh/kg at 20% moisture (Forest Research); a loose cubic metre weighs roughly 275-330kg; stoves deliver 75-85% of that as room heat. The Nottingham Energy Partnership August 2026 comparison puts kiln-dried logs at 10.7p/kWh.
- UK mains gas: 7.97p/kWh under the Ofgem price cap for 1 October-31 December 2026 (up from 7.33p), about 9p per useful kWh through a 90% boiler.
- UK electricity: 26.32p/kWh under the same cap (no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
- Nationally couriered bulk bags (~£250-£270/m³): ~20-25p per useful kWh.
- Petrol station nets (~£1/kg): ~30p per useful kWh.
At 2026 prices, bought-in logs cost more per kWh than mains gas. Wood beats electricity, LPG and roughly matches heating oil. A log burner only saves money if you heat one room and let the rest of the house run cooler, or if you can source wood cheaply. Where you buy matters more than species.
Sources: Ofgem price cap unit rates, Forest Research typical calorific values, Nottingham Energy Partnership energy cost comparison. Checked 10 September 2026.
Calculate your log burner install cost
Running cost depends on install scenario. Use the calculator for personalised install + running estimate.
Open the calculatorAnnual maintenance costs
- Chimney sweep: £60-£90 per visit. Required by most UK home insurance policies. 1-2× per year depending on use intensity
- CO alarm replacement: ~£25-£40 every 5-10 years (sealed lithium battery models). Amortised ~£3-8/year
- Rope seals around door: £20-£40 every 3-5 years for replacement. £4-8/year amortised
- Firebricks / vermiculite boards: £25-£50 every 5-10 years. £3-10/year amortised
- Stove glass: rarely needs replacement unless damaged. £50-£150 if needed (every 10+ years typically). Negligible amortised
Total annual maintenance: typically £70-£105/year for regular use.
Total annual running cost
- Occasional use: £310-£545/year (~£280 firewood + £75 maintenance)
- Regular use: £470-£870/year (~£480 firewood + £80 maintenance)
- Heavy use: £800-£1,400+/year (~£800 firewood + £100 maintenance)
Cost vs gas central heating
For the room you’d otherwise heat with gas:
- Log burner, regular use: 3-3.5m³ of logs is roughly 3,000-3,500 useful kWh a year, costing ~£470-£870 including maintenance
- Gas central heating delivering the same 3,000-3,500 useful kWh to that room: ~£270-£320/year at the October-December 2026 cap
On fuel alone, gas is cheaper. Any saving from a log burner comes from zoning: heating the room you are in while the thermostat for the rest of the house sits lower. How much that saves depends on your house and habits, and we have not found a verified UK figure for it. See our log burner vs gas comparison for the full economic analysis.
Total cost over 15-20 years
For a typical UK installation amortised over operational life:
- Initial install: £2,800-£5,500
- 15-year running cost (regular use): £7,000-£13,000
- Total 15-year cost: £10,000-£18,500
- Effective annual cost: £670-£1,230 amortised
Heating the same room with gas for 15 years costs roughly £4,000-£5,000 at 2026 prices, so a log burner does not pay for itself on fuel. The case for log burners is lifestyle, resilience in a power cut, and zoned heating, not pure economics.
Pair with these guides
- Log burner vs gas — when log burners win on economics and when gas does. Vs gas comparison →
- Best wood for log burners — bulk delivered kiln-dried is the difference between £400 and £770 a year. Firewood guide →
- What size log burner do I need — annual cost scales with kW. Oversize and you pay for it every winter. Sizing guide →
- How to light a log burner — top-down lighting extracts more heat per log, lowering annual wood spend. Lighting guide →
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a log burner in the UK?
Annual UK 2026: £400-£770 in firewood for regular use (3-4 cubic metres kiln-dried at £120-£220/m³). Plus £60-£85 annual chimney sweep (HETAS 2026 average £72). Plus ~£10/year amortised CO alarm replacement. Total ongoing: £470-£870/year for regular use.
Is a log burner expensive to run?
Compared with electric heating, no: bought logs at 10-15p per useful kWh beat electricity at 26.32p/kWh (Ofgem cap, October-December 2026). Compared with mains gas at about 9p per useful kWh, yes, logs cost more. The economics improve a lot if you can self-source wood.
How much firewood do I need per year?
Occasional use (few evenings/week): ~2m³ per winter. Regular use (most evenings): 3-4m³. Heavy/all-day use: 6m³+. Buy bulk delivered for best per-cubic-metre rates.
What about the cost of the stove itself?
Stove unit (£500-£8,000+) + installation (£500-£2,500) totals £1,000-£10,000+ for the install. UK 2026 typical: £2,800-£5,500 for a mid-range install. Amortised over 15-20 years of use, that’s ~£140-£275/year.
How does total annual cost compare to gas heating?
Heating one UK room with gas through winter: roughly £600-£1,200. Heating the same room with a log burner: £400-£770 firewood + £80 annual maintenance = £480-£850. Net difference is small per year, but cumulative savings over 15-20 years can amount to £2,000-£5,000.