Burning ambition

2:06pm Thursday 27th March 2008

Back to the future with wood-burning stoves. That seems to be the credo of a chimney sweep cum heating expert who claims to know more about flues than anyone else in Oxfordshire.

Now Ian Bush, 42, who has been in the business of supplying heating systems for 18 years, has decided to specialise in wood burning.

And his company, First Choice Stoves, this month plans to open a dedicated wood-burning stove showroom in the old farm shop behind Royal Oak Farm in Beckley.

Mr Bush said: "After more than a decade of installing gas and wood-burning stoves I have decided to concentrate on the fuel of the future - wood."

He added that the great selling point of wood was that it was carbon neutral.

"The carbon dioxide given off by burning wood is only equal to the carbon dioxide consumed by the tree from the atmosphere during its growth cycle."

Whether you agree with that point of view or not, there is no doubting Mr Bush's commitment to promoting green energy.

For instance, despite opening his new showroom, he refuses yet to stock stoves that burn smokeless wood pellets (which may be burned in smokeless zones) on the grounds that pellets are not produced in the UK.

He explained: "At the moment, the pellets manufactured from sawdust are made in Denmark. I don't want to sell stoves that need fuel imported from so far away. I think the transport would cancel out the green potential of the fuel.

"When pellets are produced in Britain, I shall stock the stoves, but not before."

First Choice Stoves already turns over about £150,000 and employs a full time IT manager, a fitter, and a part time administrative assistant. With the start-up of the showroom and specialist wood-burning company, it will be looking for another fitter and showroom assistant.

Mr Bush, who started his career as a fitter's mate before learning even more about flues as a chimney sweep, has now emerged as a registered HETAS (Heating Equipment Testing and Approvals Scheme) installer - still operating both sides of the business: chimney sweeping and fitting or refurbishing wood burners.

Stoves cost on average about £2,500 to buy and install, but Mr Bush says that modern models are now so good that they can be linked up to supplement gas central heating systems Speaking technically, he added that stoves had a great advantage over open fires.

He said: "Open fires draw heat in all the time. It's not really a good idea to have a great extraction unit in the living room!"

o Contact: First Choice Stoves, 01865 747454

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