Due to rising energy prices: wood-burning stoves are in vogue

Created: 03/24/2022, 09:00

Fire instead of heating: In view of rising energy prices and supply uncertainty, many people are getting a wood stove.

© Imago

The development of energy prices ensures high demand for wood stoves.

The security of supply also plays a role, report experts from the region.

Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen – When it's cold, you can turn up the heating: you could rely on that up until now.

Since Russia attacked Ukraine, however, there has been concern that this security of supply is no longer fully guaranteed or affordable.

For many people, this is a reason to buy a wood stove.

Martin Harrer from the Tölzer specialist shop for stoves of the same name can confirm this trend "one hundred percent".

"We're currently in high life in consulting," he says when asked by our newspaper.

Wood fires have always been popular in the Oberland because of their coziness.

Because of Corona, demand has increased because many people have invested in their homes.

Now there is the war-related energy cost aspect.

"We're noticing more and more that customers who have been thinking about it for ten years or who didn't want the dirt up to now are now afraid that at some point the house will stay cold."

Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen: High demand for stoves due to the Ukraine war

Despite the increased demand, ovens are still available, says Harrer.

But there are longer waiting times.

Before the pandemic began, the ordered model was there within two to three weeks, depending on the manufacturer.

“Depending on the supplier, delivery times are now 10 to 16 weeks.

We wait six months for some models,” reports Harrer.

Wood-burning stoves must be inspected by the responsible chimney sweep.

For the past two or three weeks, not a day has gone by without Harald Zwing having several appointments with Wolfratshausen residents who want to find out about a connection.

"People want an alternative if there is a blackout or they can no longer afford the heating," reports the district chimney sweep.

In the past, he had consulted 30 to 40 customers a year.

In most cases, however, they already had an oven and contacted him about purchasing a new one.

"Now there are several a day, some people who built a house with a heat pump or modern gas heating five or six years ago," says Zwing.

They would even be willing to invest in a stainless steel chimney installed from the outside for an independent heat supply should the worst come to the worst.

Heating with wood is not the best solution for everyone

District chimney sweeper Arthur Wolfseher in Geretsried has not yet noticed the rush for wood-burning stoves.

But he expects "that the wave will come when people see their bills or have to order oil," says Wolfseher.

However, he points out that there are large temperature amplitudes when heating with wood and that the wood has to be stored somewhere.

"One liter of oil or one cubic meter of gas corresponds to two and a half kilos of wood," says Wolfseher.

And that would also increase the cost.

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The development is also noticeable there.

"Prices are rising brutally," reports Sonja Plank, who is responsible for sales at Holz Arena Heimkreiter in Bad Tölz.

These days, a particularly large number of people would order wood.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get this.

“The farmers have sold their dry wood.

There is storm wood, but it hasn't been deposited yet," says Plank.

It cannot be said that the rising prices for firewood are directly related to the Ukraine war, explains Florian Loher, managing director of the forest owners' association in Wolfratshausen.

Rather, there were no damaging events in 2021.

"As a result, there has been a switch to planned timber management, and there is less available," says Loher.

From the point of view of the forest owners, he is very happy that prices are rising - but not to make a profit from the situation.

Loher: "But so that the forest owners can sell the by-product energy wood to cover their costs."

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