Woodburners and burning wood: would wood be available...

I have noticed that wood for burning is expensive here.

I have only seen wood for sale on the island for use on open fires or in a wood burner and its not cheap.

Terry

Modern air conditioning is a better option, you can set temperature / humidity with just touch of the remote.

Terry

Pig Ear wrote:

other than heathens, as apparently they're not energy efficient?

Even in Gozo, heathens aren't burnt any more.

georgeingozo wrote:

Pig Ear wrote:

other than heathens, as apparently they're not energy efficient?

Even in Gozo, heathens aren't burnt any more.

Not even mildly scorched?

I'm guessing there's no coal either? (for the fire, not the heathens)

As to an air conditioner, this is the other (and more likely) consideration; however, I was worried it might cost a lot to run?

a modern aircon is the cheapest form of heating, but only if you are on the residential electricity tariff,

running costs for these will vary depending on usage and size of units.... 9000btu, 12000btus 18000btus and 24000btus and also whether you time them or use auto for controlling temps.

10hrs per day at the largest unit is potentially €5-6 per day.....approx €150-200 per month
but there are now much more efficient invertor units available

and despite the reduction due in march you must also remember any eco reductions due AND EARNED PREVIOUSLY through being energy conscious.. will be totally lost....as you will undoubtedly use more than the eco allowances

Toon,
            How did that liquid burning thingy you got last year work out?
(Sorry forgot what its called).

Terry

it certainly belts the heat out but to be honest its not a replacement for gas  -  too expensive to run = bio-ethanol 5L for  €12-€13 (and thats the cheapest i could find) will give you about 6-8 hrs of heating and our combined living are is truly massive.

its clean no ash no smell no smoke no flue/chimney

we now only use it when we want to be ultra snug and cozy...... more for effect than heating

toonarmy9752 wrote:

it certainly belts the heat out but to be honest its not a replacement for gas  -  too expensive to run = bio-ethanol 5L for  €12-€13 (and thats the cheapest i could find) will give you about 6-8 hrs of heating and our combined living are is truly massive.

its clean no ash no smell no smoke no flue/chimney

we now only use it when we want to be ultra snug and cozy...... more for effect than heating

...........and here is the thread relating to that very 'thingy'.

Heating in Winter

Pig Ear, you might like to visit this thread as it's full of great info on alternative methods of heating in the Winter, plus it has a link to another blog on the same subject.

Cheers

Mike

thanks for that Mike - we last used ours about three weeks ago when we had company round -  and three full, pots of approx 500ml only lasts about 2-3hrs - the rate of burn and its related heat output seems to be dependent on quantity available to burn  - so heat times vary dramatically - we did find that smaller quantities bunned for longer but with a resultant drop in heat output

Thank you all for your responses. That article is interesting if ultimately it doesn't offer the ideal solution. The one winter I spent in Gozo I took to wearing a black, woollen poncho that I found in the wardrobe. I felt like I was in mourning for about two months. We also melted our landlady's faux-leather couch with a gas heater.

In the homes we visited, locals seemed to partition their homes in the winter with big curtains to reduce the area they needed to heat, which I guess must help. A lot of people also said they went to bed really early and just hid under the covers (dutch oven? )

Another question on this topic, an estate agent once told me old properties are better for both staying cool in the summer and warmer in the winter, compared to the thin walls of modern builds. Would people agree with that?

Pig Ear wrote:

Thank you all for your responses. That article is interesting if ultimately it doesn't offer the ideal solution. The one winter I spent in Gozo I took to wearing a black, woollen poncho that I found in the wardrobe. I felt like I was in mourning for about two months. We also melted our landlady's faux-leather couch with a gas heater.

In the homes we visited, locals seemed to partition their homes in the winter with big curtains to reduce the area they needed to heat, which I guess must help. A lot of people also said they went to bed really early and just hid under the covers (dutch oven? )

Another question on this topic, an estate agent once told me old properties are better for both staying cool in the summer and warmer in the winter, compared to the thin walls of modern builds. Would people agree with that?

It will depend on the build quality of the new build but old houses are very cool in summer but tend to be very cold and damp in the winter unless they have some sort of heating that does not push out water into the room ie Gas.
New builds should have double glazing, modern air con and rooms with doors! so in theory will be have a more constant temperature. It will also depend on the way the property faces and its position within the block (if its a flat).
Truth is you never know until you have been through  at least one summer and winter.
The first house we rented was great in the summer but by the end of the first winter our wardrobes and clothes were black with mould.

Terry

I would also suggest it also depends upon location and aspect.
We are fortunate in that our apartment receives the sun on three sides and we are 'sandwiched' between floor above and below. Therefore winters are not that bad for us. Cold sometimes but not damp.

so a full sun sandwich sounds like the best possible option then. Thank you for your advice