The 18i insert gives a robust 18kw of heat with 14.4kw to water and 3.6kw to heat the room - which means that it is possible to run an entire heating and hot water system from this stove, or your can augment an existing heating system so as to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels.
This was the highest output boiler stove I could find for the space in my old cottage fireplace. It heats a 500l Akvaterm buffer tank fitted with an ESBE LTC100 heat charger system. This fire
will keep my 4 bedroomed cottage plus granny flat warm and with water at 50℃ as long as you keep it filled with timber. That includes 7 radiators down stairs and 6 radiators upstairs. If you follow the rule which says "Never pass a wood burning stove without throwing a log on it " you will have plenty of heat and hot water. This was an expensive system to put in and the labour charges went through the roof so I would advise anyone to buy from the same company that installs it. Get a job price and do NOT leave the installer any wriggle room for extra charges. The other side of the equation is that I have only bought 500l of oil in the last 2 years and I still have quite a lot of it left. My consumption before that was over 1200l per year so it will not take me long to recoup my investment. You need a good wood supply because an 18kw stove uses a lot of wood. I chain saw and split wood throughout the year which keeps me very fit and have a number of sources to harvest from. The stove has a very good door handle which never gets hot. Airwash system is only as good as the fuel you burn. You can put 18inch or .45m length logs on but I prefer shortened ones as they seem to produce more heat. I would say that this system needs a lot of driving and if you go away you will need oil/gas backup. The fire is well made and has performed very well. The 500l buffer tank is situated in the laundry room which get quite warm and is very useful for drying clothes in mid winter. Airing cupboard not really used to dry clothes any more and immersion heater is rarely switched on thus saving electricity. This stove does what it says on the box and works very well in my house but one must never forget that there are so many variables in every house ie double glazing, drafts, insulation, the efficiency of your existing central heating system, etc., etc., to take into account before you buy.
