Being an environmentally focussed business, we thought long and hard about our choice to advocate the use of wood-burning hot tubs.
Wood burners are charming, smell great, and have an amazing aesthetic, but are they eco-friendly?
Well, the short answer is – yes! The key is being responsible, sensible, and sustainable in your burning practices.
What type of fuel should I use? 🪵
You might be thinking that the obvious answer here is, well… wood?
Turns out, there’s loads of different biomass fuel options out there, some of which are better than others, depending on your requirements.
As a business, we’ve been round the houses (and then some) when it came to choosing the right type of fuel for our hot tubs. For us, we needed something that was fit-for-purpose, highly energy efficient, and kept our carbon emissions to a minimum.
We looked at all sorts of fuels, from eco sawdust briquettes to kiln-dried logs, and even re-purposing waste wooden pallets. There are also other environmentally friendly options such as soy logs and compressed paper bricks.
There’s pros and cons for all of these, but ultimately, we chose to go for what we believe to be the best and most environmentally friendly option – Woodlets Briquettes (more on these shortly).
Wood fuel at a glance 👀
For a long time, we were sold on using kiln-dried logs for our wood fuel. When managed properly, it’s a fantastic option.
The moisture content in kiln-dried logs is very low (under 20%), meaning less CO2 emissions, less smoke, and an all-round cleaner fuel. Furthermore, if sourced from sustainable forests and local suppliers, you can manage your wood burning practices responsibly and sustainably.
Saying that, there is still a carbon footprint associated with the kiln drying process, as the moisture in the freshly cut logs is essentially “cooked off” at a high temperature. As an alternative, you could use seasoned logs, however this requires a fresh wood source, storage space and a fair amount of time.
If you do choose wood fuel, the key to sustainability is by creating a ‘closed carbon cycle’. Carbon is a pollutant and is a product of the lifecycle of a tree. When trees are growing, they absorb carbon, and they release carbon when they rot or when they are burned.
If carrying out truly sustainable practices, enough trees should be re-planted to absorb (at least) the carbon released from the wood fuels.
Woodlets Briquettes 🪵
So, after exploring our options, here’s where we ended up – Woodlets Briquettes.
These fantastic wee logs are sustainable, highly efficient, and can be used in any type of wood burning stove.
All of the wood used to manufacture the briquettes are sourced from accredited and sustainable Scottish forests, and the briquettes are Clean Air Act compliant.
Here’s a quick snapshot:
♻️ Woodlets Briquettes are made in Scotland, from sustainable forests
You might find the best possible wood supplier, but if it turns out it’s shipped over from elsewhere in Europe, then that’s no use to you!
Land Energy collect all their wood within a 60-mile radius of their factory in Girvan, Ayrshire. Our briquettes then take a 50-mile trip from their factory to our hot tubs in Millport.
🔥 Woodlets Briquettes burn 20% hotter than kiln-dried wood.
This is due to their high calorific value and low moisture content (less than 10%).
Less moisture = more efficient & less emissions
♻️ Land Energy’s Used-bag Recycling Scheme
Since Day 1 of our business, we’ve tried to avoid single use plastics at all costs, which is why we were delighted to hear about Land Energy’s commitment to sustainability.
Although our Woodlets Briquettes currently come wrapped in plastics, we’re able to re-cycle 100% of the plastic through Land Energy’s “used-bag recycling scheme”.
We simply bag up all of our packaging, and post it back to Land Energy. Check us out in action:
Once sent back, the plastics are recycled, within the UK, into things like picnic tables, benches, planters, dog kennels, and much more useful stuff – pretty cool!
Land Energy are also working on a new product – Roastie Toasties – which ditch the plastics all together and come in 100% recyclable cardboard.
Unfortunately, they’re only able to distribute these small batches at the moment, but we’ll be first in line when they’re ready!
Do they work in practice? 🤔
So, equipped with all our research, Woodlets Briquettes seemed like a no brainer 🧠
All sounded good on paper, but do they work in practice?
When it came down to the testing in our wood-fired hot tubs, it’s safe to say the Woodlets Briquettes lived up to expectation.
Our first impressions were how easy to handle the Woodlets were. They are the perfect size for our stoves, and can also be broken up by hand in to smaller pieces. Due to their uniform shape they were also stackable, making them very easy to store.
The most impressive thing about it was the heat up time. We found that we could heat up our hot tub to temperature in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes. When compared to kiln-dried logs, this was about 30-minutes quicker.
Woodlets were also brilliant at retaining heat and seemed to keep the water at temperature for a longer time. As an added bonus, there was also remarkably less ash and mess left over from the briquettes, so it felt like a cleaner fuel.
We’ve now been using Woodlets Briquettes since April 2023, and are confident that we’re using fuel which is both highly efficient, and gave us the feel-good factor of using a product which is made 100% sustainable.
What type of wood-burning appliance should I use? 🔥
If you’re going to choose to burn any fuel, it’s only right that you chose a modern and efficient wood burner.
In general, enclosed wood burners are engineered to get the maximum amount of energy, and thus heat, from your fuel. In fact, when compared to open fires, they are dramatically more efficient and release up to 10 times fewer emissions!
For us, we use a company called Skargards to supply our wood-fired hot tubs. They are the very best in Swedish hot tub manufacturing and are built sustainably for efficiency and durability.
Check them out:
We also chose to use purchase their ‘insulated cover’ which accelerates the heating process by up to 30% in winter and preserves the heat after use for the next day.
The efficiency of the hot tub and the heat retention of the insulated cover is very noticeable. We’ve previously put the insulated cover on after a full night’s use and found that the water is still at a welcoming 35 degrees the next morning!
This means less fuel used, and an easy heat up for the next day – nice one.
Fancy a dip in one of our tubs?
Why not check out our Unique Hot Tub Cabins here in Millport.
Welcome to the next generation of self-catering accommodation in Scotland.
We think of our one-of-a-kind Cabin Concept as a crossroads where quirky interior design meets eco-consciousness, in a stunning island setting.
Why not electric hot tubs? ⚡️
This is something we get asked quite often. Again, there are pros and cons to both options.
One of the deal breakers here was the heat-up time. Wood-fired hot tubs can reach temperature in 2-4 hours. Electric hot tubs can take 8-12 hours from, which for our use case as short-stay tourist accommodation, simply didn’t work.
The only alternative to avoid the heat up time would be to keep the hot tub “switched on” at all times, which a lot of people do in domestic settings. Of course, this is just churning through masses of electricity.
Ultimately, we just found it difficult to justify electric hot tubs for our use case. Besides, they also don’t have the same natural charm and aesthetic as the Skargards tubs do 😉
How are we aiming to achieve a ‘closed carbon cycle’? 🌎
From the outset, we’ve been determined to create a genuinely sustainable business.
Firstly, we recognise that we’re producing carbon through things like Coffee Log fuel and ferry travel. Secondly, we look at how we can reduce, then off-set our carbon footprint.
Through our partnership with Ecologi, we currently donate a set amount each month to fund carbon capture and reforestation projects around the world.
Further, with the help of Ecologi, we’re vowing to plant a tree for every single booking at Jack’s Alt-Stays!
Check out our impact so far:
2 YEARS
of Climate Impact |
39 TONNES
of CO2e Avoided |
2546 TREES
In Our forest |
To find out the 11 ways we’re doing our bit for the planet, check out our Climate Action Plan.
So, there you have it…
If you’re like us and care about the environment, but also love the warmth and aesthetic of a charming wood burner, then not to worry!
The fact is, burning wood comes with a lot of responsibility. Wood burners are brilliant, but it’s important to do your research.
To summarise, you should use responsible practices, choose sustainable suppliers, and always think about the bigger environmental picture.
With proper practices, it’s easy to make your wood fuel an environmentally-conscious fuel.
Who are The Jacks?
We’re two cousins with a passion for adventure, quirky stays, and the environment.
Welcome to the next generation of self-catering accommodation in Scotland.
We think of our one-of-a-kind Cabin Concept as a crossroads where quirky interior design meets eco-consciousness, in a stunning island setting.
👉 Discover The Cabins