Gas Fire Benefits.......with Valor and Robinson Willey Gas fires

As  Christmas has now past however many more  cold  snap  on  their  way,  more  and  more households  will  be  reluctant to  turn  up  the  heating for fear  of  excessive fuel  bills.  Recent measures  announced  by  the  Energy  and  Climate  Change  Secretary  to  limit  increases  in household  energy  bills  will  provide  few  crumbs  of  comfort  for  the  estimated  2.5  million people across the UK people who are already looking to take out a loan of some sort just to make sure they can cover their fuel bills this year, according to u.switch.com. The elderly in particular are most at risk of fuel poverty this winter.  As many face a choice between heating and eating, turning up the fire in the event of a cold snap is completely out of the question. With an estimated 31,000 deaths in England and Wales - most over the age of 75 - caused by the cold weather winter in 2012, it’s an issue that raises serious concerns.

Richard Beaman, Commercial Director of the Gas Fire Division, part of the GDC Group  (Baxi, Robinson Willey, Valor and Wonderfire)- the UK heating division of the  multi-national Glen Dimplex Group, explains: “According to Age UK, more than three million older people are worried about staying warm indoors this winter -  with six million anxious about rising fuel bills.  The Government’s response to encourage homeowners to wrap up in jumpers and use electric blankets to keep warm is quite frankly not enough.” We want to reassure homeowners and the elderly in particular, that gas remains by far the cheapest fuel to run*  and  that gas fires  are  the most cost-efficient direct heating option available. Not only do gas fires offer warmth and visual comfort, they provide more than enough heat output to act as a primary source of heat for many living rooms.”The elderly can also benefit from the heat of a gas fire in other ways too. In freezing winters, it is reassuring to know that they can rely on a gas fire, even if their boiler breaks down due to condensate freeze, for example, as they can stay safe and comfortable until everything is back up and running.  Richard concludes:  “Despite the  Government’s  promises  to  restrict  energy  increases, homeowners  still  face  exorbitant  bills.  As a result, many remain ignorant to the cost efficiencies of running a gas fire and are reluctant to increase its usage during the colder months. It’s important that we all understand that a gas fire will not only provide affordable and effective warmth, it could help save lives,” stresses Richard.

The flame effect and authenticity provided by gas fires means they are still the number one choice for many homes, despite the advances in electric fires over recent years.  The gas guzzling decorative  gas  fires  from  the  1980’s  are  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  Thanks to developments in  technology,  gas fires today are capable of delivering  heat efficiencies of up to 89% and heat outputs of up to 4.8kW (such as the Valor Homeflame Harmony gas fire range). There are an estimated 11 million homes in the UK with a chimney and a gas point, although the absence of a chimney no longer restricts the installation of a gas fire. This is due to the wealth  of  balanced  flue gas fire models  now  available  that  simply  require  an  outside  wall  for installation. Gas  is  also  clean  and  convenient  with  no  ash  residue  and  odours.  It is never subject to disrupted power supplies, and with no complex electronics to worry about, maintenance is minimal. Natural gas is also one of the safest sources of energy, and homeowners can rest assured  that  their  gas  fire  has  already  obtained  independent  approval  to  qualify  for  CE marking.

This fantastic article was taken from the GDC Group Gas Fire Division, which is in turn part of leading multi-national Glen Dimplex Group incorporating there brands - Valor and Robinson Willey (both manufactures can be found on www.fires2u.com)