The high price of gas makes many consumers think. How can I reduce my energy bill? Wood burning is seen as a cheaper alternative. The wood-sellers, the stove-mers, the wood-burning stoves, the stone- sweepers: most of them are so busy now that they don’t know what hit them.

“It’s weird, just so busy,” said chimney sweepsman Rob Kaikes of Alvin Ann den Rhine.. “People who haven’t fired in years suddenly start using the stove or wood-burning stove again. And yes, the chimney has to be cleaned of course, or else you’re going to have problems,” says Kax, who has also been a firefighter for years.

“I know how it goes, going out to light a chimney. If it’s bad or not, all the dirt and soot inside the chimney ignites. It’s not appropriate.”

distribute more equitably

At Haardhout Bunnik, they have also seen a massive influx of customers. “Unfortunately, due to a smooth selling process, we currently do not have any timber stored in containers or in bulk. At the moment we only have dry lumber in mesh or jute bags,” the site says. A company spokesperson adds: “We still have some inventory, but now we only sell smaller packages. To distribute them more fairly among people, I’ll just say.”

There is also a lot of searching for energy-efficient products on Marktplaats. In particular, the demand for firewood is very high. In the first half of October, more than 450,000 searches for firewood were made at the trade site. That’s nearly double compared to the entire month of October last year with nearly 257,000 searches.

The search term “wood stove” is also popular.

harmful substances

Independent information organization Milieu Centraal says wood burning is not very effective. “90 percent of the heat of an open fireplace disappears through the chimney. With a wood-burning stove, this ranges from 20 to 40 percent,” says Paulin van der Geest. “And you emit all kinds of harmful substances like particulate matter, carcinogenic hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.”

Milieu Centraal recommends using heating only in exceptional circumstances. Van der Geest: “Research shows that one in three people suffer from wood burning. It feels very comfortable, but you don’t make lung and asthma sufferers happy with it. Especially if you’re heating in windy or foggy homes.”