ᐅ Is a wood-burning stove just a gimmick when you have underfloor heating?

We are planning a new build with underfloor heating powered by a heat pump.

We would also like to have a wood stove in the hallway. The installer said such a stove is just an addition for show and wouldn’t save any energy at all. Since the new build will be very well insulated, it would have to be a really small stove. When you light it, it would take a long time for the slow-reacting underfloor heating to register the added warmth; by that time, the house would already feel too hot.

Is this really the case? I thought that any heat generated by the stove wouldn’t need to be purchased as external energy. I have a large stock of firewood here.

Also, is a stove compatible with an automatic ventilation system for supply and exhaust air?

A wood-burning stove is not cost-effective. However, we still installed one in our new build and consider it a great luxury. The cozy warmth and the atmosphere in winter are unique. But in a new build, you need to have a stove with integrated heat storage masonry, as a small wood stove won’t help. With a small stove, you would temporarily supply too much heat and the rooms would overheat completely.

That is why such a stove costs between 8,000 and 15,000 euros. This is roughly equivalent to the heating costs for 10 to 20 years in a single-family home. And you still have to pay for the wood.

The controlled mechanical ventilation does not affect the stove; you just need to have a pressure monitor installed by the heating engineer.

Conclusion: not necessary, not economical.

So yes, it is a "gimmick." Let’s call it atmosphere, mood, or ambiance... Nowadays, you don’t need a wood stove to heat a new house. And yes, it will get too warm quickly, so you’ll have to ventilate to let the heat out. Running underfloor heating continuously is too slow anyway. You won’t save money with it, but if you have wood and enjoy the flickering fire... why not. We are installing one too. The key is a large thermal mass to release the heat over a longer period. Therefore, a very small stove is not necessarily the right choice; rather, a heavier one is better. Also, stoves with very low heat output usually do not burn as cleanly.

With mechanical ventilation with heat recovery or an extractor hood (!) in the kitchen, certain things need to be considered. Either sensors that centrally switch off the devices when the stove is lit or a window contact switch that requires the window to be open. However, the sensors (pressure monitors) are quite expensive—budget around 1500€.

If it’s just about mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, there is also the option to buy a certified (!) room-air-independent stove, which is specially sealed, combined with mechanical ventilation that includes its own differential pressure monitoring (chimney control). In the case of an extractor hood, to my knowledge, the airflow is too high, so a shutdown function is necessary in any case.

All of this is handled differently depending on the region, as the local chimney sweep can often make god-like decisions at their own discretion on these matters.

But what about during the "transition period" when the heating is not turned on at all? Then you could enjoy a few cozy hours with the stove.

Of course. Women especially tend to appreciate that. I find it very important that you can turn on the stove whenever you want, but never have to, just to avoid being cold.

You simply need to have the money "left over" for it. Wood stove, chimney flue, inspection by the chimney sweep, ongoing chimney sweep fees... In my opinion, either do it properly or not at all. A cheap stove from the hardware store is not a good idea; it’s better to save the money then.

The question is whether you approach the topic objectively or emotionally.

Objectively: You don’t need a stove if you have another heating system. Furthermore, as @Bookstar says, a high heat output in a short time technically doesn’t fit with our highly insulated houses. Cost-effectiveness is rarely achieved with attractive stoves – here, effort and design are factors that simply don’t apply to other heating systems.

Emotionally: For those who enjoy watching a fire, a wood stove in a modern house brings joy despite its disadvantages. A beautiful stove can decorate a room even when not in use.

In our house section, we have a built-in masonry stove as the main heating system. You can see the fire, and the stove technically suits the house. In the guys’ apartments, each has a steel stove for cozy moments in winter. They can turn the stove on and open the windows... Economically – probably not. In terms of ecological sustainability, a masonry stove with controlled combustion combined with a forest next to the house is hard to beat.