When you’re buying a wood-burning stove, you’ll understandably want to find a wood-burning stove installer who will be able to fit your stove competently, safely and legally.
Here are a few measures you can take to find a wood-burning stove installer who will do a good job for you — and we’re going to discuss those in this article.
Types of Stoves
There are various types of stove available. These include:
- Wood-burning stoves
- Multi-fuel stoves
- Solid fuel stoves
- Gas stoves
- Electric stoves
While we’re primarily focusing on wood-burning stoves, much of the advice will apply to other stoves too.
If your stove requires a complex installation — electric stoves generally don’t unless you’re choosing to hard-wire the appliance — it is important to choose a professional installer specialising in the type of stove you want to install. We will go on to discuss in more detail how to find someone who matches that description.
How to Choose a Professional Installer
When choosing a professional installer, it’s a good idea to first build your understanding of the credentials and certifications an installer ought to have in order to carry out your stove installation. These will vary across different types of stove installation. Some credentials to keep in mind include:
Woodburner, Multi-Fuel Stove and Solid Fuel Stove Installer
- Registered on a competent person scheme
- Experience of logburner and stove fuel stove installations
Gas Stove Installer
- Registered on the Gas Safe Register
- Experience of gas stove installations
Ask Qualifying Questions
Before choosing a stove installer, you can ask questions to inform your decision: Good question to ask before hiring a stove installer include:
Are You a Member of a Competent Person Scheme?
Check that your installer is accredited for completing work in accordance with the Building Regulations and able to self-certify their work.
Can You Show Me Some Similar Jobs You’ve Completed?
Ask for photos or videos showing previous work to make sure the stove installer has relevant experience. Use ‘Search image with Google’ to see if these photos belong to another business.
How Much Will My Stove Installation Cost?
While you can use our log burner installation guide to steer you in the right direction, it is always worth getting quotes from more than one installer. You might not want to go with the most expensive stove installer but be wary of quotes that are much lower than the other options. Make sure the quotes are fixed prices for completion of the job.
What Would You Do?
If you’ve established that the installer has the credentials and experience you need, it is a good idea to ask for their ideas for the installation. They might have a better option for achieving the outcome you want.
Check Reviews and References
It is also important to check reviews and references for any stove installer you’re considering. A word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend or family member can be helpful — just double-check that the person making the recommendation checked the credentials and asked about the credentials above.
If you’re relying on online reviews and references, try to use a reputable source such as Trustpilot so that you can be confident of their authenticity.
Competent Person Schemes for Stove Installers
As a major retailer of wood-burning stoves, we’re often asked by customers to suggest the best wood-burning stove installers.
While it’s impossible to maintain a network of recommended wood-burning stove installers around the entire country and be able to stand by the quality of their work, there are organisations specifically created to do this: competent person schemes.
What Are Competent Person Schemes?
Competent person schemes are government-accredited organisations that allow installers who have joined the scheme to self-certify their work. This avoids the need to have to pay your local building control office to inspect and certify that the work meets building regulations.
To join a competent person scheme, a wood-burning stove installer will have to demonstrate that they install stoves safely, legally and in accordance with the Building Regulations.
Which Competent Person Schemes Cover Wood-Burning Stove Installers?
There are multiple competent person schemes operating in the UK that allow wood-burning stove installers to self-certify their work. They include:
APHC
Full name: Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (Certification) Limited
Telephone: 0121 7115030
The APHC is a not-for-profit trade body for the plumbing and heating industry. Its members include plumbing and heating businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to large companies. It encourages installers to commit to high standards of workmanship, high levels of customer service and compliance with UK standards. Learn more
BESCA
Full name: Building Engineering Services Competence Assessment Ltd
Telephone: 0800 652 5533
BESCA allows businesses to self-certify that their works comply with the building regulations across a range of building and engineering works, including solid fuel stove installations. It works to ensure installers meet UK industry standards, compliance and best practices. Learn more
HETAS
Full name: HETAS Limited
Telephone: 01684 278170
HETAS is a not-for-profit organisation operating a competent person scheme specialising in the installation of solid fuel and biomass appliances. It also works to promote the highest standards of fuel, appliances and installers to encourage the safe, efficient and environmentally responsible use of woodburners. Learn more
NICEIC
Full name: Certsure LLP trading as NICEIC
Telephone: 03330 156625
NICEIC offers a certification programme covering electrical and other building services installation, including solid fuel systems. The NICEIC competent person scheme aims to champion technical and professional integrity to make it easier to find trusted contractors. Learn more
NAPIT
Full name: NAPIT Registration Limited
Telephone: 0345 5430330
NAPIT is a government-approved accredited membership scheme covering all aspects of the building services and fabric sector, including woodburner installers. NAPIT-certified scheme members have demonstrated their competence and the correct processes and procedures to achieve compliant installations. Learn more
OFTEC
Full name: Oil Firing Technical Association Limited
Telephone: 01473 626 298
Oftec is a trade organisation and UKAS-accredited registration scheme covering the heating and cooking industries. Its registration scheme includes solid fuel installations. It is particularly focused on households that are not on the gas grid and opt for alternative forms of heating, such as woodburners. Learn more
Wood Burning Stove Installation Cost
The average wood burning stove installation cost in the UK is around £2,000. Stove installer prices will usually vary between £500 and £3,000. This depends on several factors including:
- The cost of the stove
- The complexity of the installation
- Whether any building work is needed
- Whether you need a new chimney, flue line or hearth
- The height of your property
- Where in the country you live
If you only need to install a flue liner and stove within an existing chimney, stove installer labour costs are likely to be £650 - £1,000.
Find Out More About Wood-Burning Stove Installation
If you would like to learn more about wood-burning stove installations before deciding on the best approach, you can take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Log Burner Installations. You’ll find an array of information covering cost, considerations and configurations.
FAQs
How Can I Find a Wood-Burning Stove Installer Near Me?
Many of the competent person schemes we’ve mentioned above have a postcode search function on their websites. This will help you to narrow down your search to wood-burning stove installers in your area. Simply enter your postcode and the type of service you need and you will be shown local wood-burning stove installers.
Different schemes use different terms, so you could be looking for an installer specialising in wood-burning stove installations, solid fuel installations, solid-fuel appliance installations or a similar term.
Which Competent Person Scheme Is Best?
All of the competent person schemes mentioned are government-approved so none of them are necessarily better or worse than the other. Having said that, it is worth investing a bit of time to read up on the various merits of each of the schemes to check on their particular specialisms.
For instance, some schemes have a stronger focus on biomass installations than others, while some specialise in wet installations for boiler stoves and others only offer dry installations. You may find that the registered stove installers from one particular scheme specialise in the sort of wood-burning stove installation you have planned.
What Is a Wood-Burning Stove Installation Certificate?
A wood-burning stove installation certificate is written confirmation that your wood-burning stove installation has been completed in accordance with the Building Regulations. Ordinarily, you need to arrange for your local authority’s building control office to visit your home, carry out an inspection and issue a certificate. However, any wood-burning stove installer from a competent person scheme can self-certify their work.
This means they can issue a wood-burning stove installation certificate without the need to incur the cost of a building control inspection. Your stove installation certificate is important for insurance purposes and if you want to sell your property.
Can I Install a Wood-Burning Stove Myself?
It is possible to install a wood-burning stove yourself, but there are some downsides. Firstly, wood-burning stoves are dangerous if they are not installed correctly. You want to ensure that potentially poisonous gases are sealed into the system and do not seep into your house. A DIY wood stove installation is not something to dabble in unless you know what you’re doing.
Secondly, you will still need to arrange a visit from your building control office — and incur the costs involved in that — in order to get your wood-burning stove installation certified.
If you have any queries or questions, feel free to get in touch with our friendly cosiness experts
