More and more Greek consumers are turning to firewood and pellets to heat their homes.

Last year, demand increased by 20% compared to 2021 as, despite any increase, their price remained highly competitive against oil and natural gas.

As he explains, speaking to the Athenian/Macedonian News Agency, the president and professor of the Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences & Design Giorgos Dalos, director of the Institute of Wood Furniture & Wooden Packaging of the University of Thessaly, due to the “explosive” appreciation of oil and natural gas, Greek consumers remain firmly attached to the habits they developed in previous yearsthose of burning wood and pellets.

At last year’s – or even lower levels – this period the prices

At this time, the majority of Greek consumers are waiting, in view of the announcement of government subsidies, but also as a consequence of the high temperatures for the season, and the demand for firewood and pellets is still extremely sluggish. However, Mr. Dalos recommends that Greek consumers hurry up their purchases “now that the price of firewood remains at last year’s levelsi.e. 120 euros/cubic or 180-200 euros/ton and of pellets is formed at lower levels of 320 euros/ton, from 400 euros/ton in 2022″.

Especially regarding the price of pellets, which is an industrial product and is produced in very good quality in Greece, he emphasizes that very large quantities are imported from Bulgaria, Germany, Austria and Ukraine and “last year its price jumped, due to the situation in Ukraine , but now the importers have found other trade routes, so its cost is normalized this year.”

However, the aforementioned prices cannot be ruled out – according to him – to follow the upward trendwhen the demand will be high, as is traditionally the case in any free economy, where the law of supply and demand prevails.

The only thing that is certain is that, due to the international situation, again this year the optimal economic solution this winter for heating is expected to develop into a … crossword puzzle for strong solvers, says Mr. Dalos, assessing that “as is the case in many other states of EU, this is how Renewable Energy Sources should be subsidized in our country, since they are a basic source of heat”.

Recommendations for consumers ahead of winter

Mr. Dalos reminds that firewood – this solid material used for burning in boilers and stoves – is sold by the cubic meter and not by weight and emphasizes that “the fines for selling wood by the ton and not by the cubic meter start from 1000 euros”. Thus, he urges consumers to be particularly careful in the way they stack, making sure that it is dense, on the outside, but also in the middle.

In this context, it recommends to consumers who choose firewood for heating, to procure beech and oak and to be careful not to fall victim to coniferous trees, since burning them in closed hearths leads to the risk of fire on the roof. He also suggests that the wood be left in the sun before burning, so that it can drain any moisture it may have and offer the maximum possible performance.

For pellets, he emphasizes that consumers should pay attention to the color of the wood, which should be light if it is from conifers and a little dark if it is from broadleaf trees, and notes that in both cases, buyers should check the smell, which will must refer to fresh wood. Regarding the pellets, in fact, he points out that “it is not good to store them for long periods of time, beyond one year, since when this is done, their humidity rises, resulting in combustion problems”.