Stove chooser quiz
The calculator needs JavaScript. The worked example, formula and figures below show exactly how it works, so you can do the sum yourself. A guide, not advice. Check the figures against your stove's manual, your supplier and your installer.
Short answer
Answer six quick questions about the fuel you'll burn, smoke control, your fireplace, the look you want, heating water and how much cost decides it. You get a shortlist of stove types (wood-only or multi-fuel, freestanding or inset, boiler) and the points to raise with your HETAS-registered installer. It never picks a model for you.
Worked example
| You enter | Value |
|---|---|
| What will you burn? | Logs only |
| Do you live in a smoke control area? | Don't know |
| Where will it go? | Existing fireplace and chimney |
| Which look do you prefer? | No preference |
| You'd like it to heat water or radiators too | No |
| How much does cost decide it? | Somewhere in the middle |
Your shortlist: Freestanding wood-only stove (wood burner) and 1 more
Stove types to look at
- Freestanding wood-only stove (wood burner)
- Inset wood-only stove (wood burner)
Points to raise with your installer
- Find out whether you're in a smoke control area (your council's map): check with your council and the Defra exempt-appliance list before you choose a stove or fuel.
- Ask whether the stove meets Ecodesign, and check the maker's listing.
- Inset stoves fit into the fireplace opening: your installer will check the opening and the chimney suit one.
- Size it to the room: see our stove size calculator, then let your HETAS-registered installer confirm it.
Show the working
- Fuel: wood-only stove (wood burner); look: freestanding or inset
- 2 stove types on your shortlist
How it works
- Fuel: logs only → a wood-only stove (wood burner); logs and smokeless fuel → a multi-fuel stove; not sure → both
- Look: freestanding, inset or both; heating water or radiators adds a boiler stove
- Smoke control area (or not sure) → check with your council and the Defra exempt-appliance list
- No chimney (or not sure) → ask your installer about a flue system; every route ends with a HETAS-registered installer's survey
A shortlist of stove types, not a recommendation of a model. Your HETAS-registered installer checks the room, hearth, chimney and ventilation before you choose.
We explain the rules and link the official pages; we never say an appliance is allowed where you live. Check with your council and the Defra exempt-appliance list.
Assumptions and sources
The figures this calculator starts from, and where each comes from. Your stove's spec plate, your supplier and your own meter readings come first: change any figure to match.
This calculator has no built-in defaults: every figure comes from you or your product's data.
What to buy
FAQs
Should I get a multi-fuel stove or a wood burner?
If you'll only ever burn logs, a wood-only stove is built for it. A multi-fuel stove also burns approved smokeless fuels. See multi-fuel vs wood burner.
What's the difference between a freestanding and an inset stove?
A freestanding stove sits on the hearth; an inset stove fits into the fireplace opening. Your installer checks whether your opening and chimney suit an inset.
Can a stove heat my water or radiators?
A boiler stove can. It connects to your hot water or heating, so your installer and a heating engineer plan it together.
What if I live in a smoke control area?
Check with your council and the Defra exempt-appliance list before you choose a stove or a fuel. See smoke control areas explained.
Guides
How to choose a wood burner: size, type, fuel
Choosing a wood burner step by step: size for your room, freestanding or inset, wood-only or multi-fuel, and the Ecodesign label.
Multi-fuel stove vs wood burner: the differences
Multi-fuel or wood-only? How the grates differ, what each can burn, and which suits your fuel supply and smoke-control status.