Cirencester's burning desire for real fires and stoves

If you've just received a big bill for gas and electricity, with the prospect of bigger bills to come this winter as the big energy companies hike their prices, one home improvement that could take the edge off is fitting a stove. And Cirencester is a great place to go shopping for the right stove, expert advice and the best methods to fit them.

Whether a woodburner or multifuel, traditional or modern, flued or

flueless, there are plenty of options. Woodburners use properly sustainable fuel, generate a lot of heat and, if you are lucky, it's

possible to find a source of free or low cost wood, such as building

projects or yards where pallet would otherwise be thrown out.

Multi-fuel give more options on what to burn, such as coal. Even if you don't have a chimney, you can still have lovely stove fitted, although it's a bit more complicated and you need to fit something called a twin wall flue system. It's important to check whether you need building regulations to fit a stove - if you already have a chimney it might not be strictly necessary, but it's almost certainly advisable as older chimney might be cracked and the tar build-up more difficult to shift than in a new flue.

As always, it's vital to have working chimney swept and flues cleaned

on a regular basis, at least once a year. And it's also a vitally

important requirement to have a carbon monoxide detector fitted near

the new stove and to make sure all ventilation is flowing freely - carbon monoxide is a silent killer but it's easy and cheap to fit a monitor.

So where to look in Cirencester. One good place to start is Corinium

Stoves, on the Love Lane Estate. They have a big selection of multifuel, woodburners and gas stoves, with people who are expert at giving good guidance. Makes include Morso, Contura, Bosca and Westfire.

Also on the Love Lane Estate is Austin's Country Store, which has an extensive sold fuel and stove store, including well known makes such as Villager, J**** and Redfyre.

Gardiner Haskins in Lewis Lane also sells stoves, alongside electrical

fires, gas fires and fireplaces. Their lines tend towards the traditional, including makes such as Serrano. On the edge of Cirencester, at the Spine Road Junction, the Cotswold Agricultural Store (also known as Countrywide Farmers and formerly West Midlands Farmers) is another option for stoves. Selling online and with the price on their website, they offer a wide choice, including Araba, Bayswater, Villager and Romotop.

For stoves and ovens on a completely different scale, there's the AGA

shop in Castle Street, which offers range cookers, cookware and regular

demonstration of the ovens' benefits, albeit for a somewhat higher

pricetag.