DEMAND for wood-burning heaters and stoves is at its highest since the fuel crisis of the 1970s, according to experts, as householders face massive gas and electricity bills during the cold winter.

Suppliers say orders for alternative fuel heaters have been "growing fast" during autumn as the forecast big freeze draws closer.
Households in Scotland have seen gas prices rise by about 40 per cent in two years.

Most recently, half a million consumers were hit by a 13.6 per cent price rise by Scottish Hydro Electric, while ScottishPower, Scottish Gas and Npower have also announced a string of similar increases.

Although very expensive to install, the wood-burning heaters can be up to five times cheaper to run than conventional gas versions - with consumers using garden debris, wood-chip, logs or pellets.

The average annual energy use of a Scottish household is 21.4MWh, so wood fuel would cost about £215 a year - about £85 less than the same consumption of mains gas.

And the Energy Saving Trust is encouraging homeowners to make use of more renewable energy sources, offering grants of up to £4,000 for installing fully-fledged wood-fuel - or "biomass" - heating systems.

Paul Musgrove, of Forest Fire stove merchants in Edinburgh, said: "The amount of interest is at the highest for years - the most since the late 1970s and early 1980s.

"With winter coming up, more people are thinking about fuel costs and conserving energy," Mr Musgrove said.

"There are significant savings to be made, particularly in comparison with natural gas or oil, and recent price increases may have proved to be a tipping point," he added.