Electric or wood-fired sauna: choosing the right heat source
Deciding whether to opt for a wood-fired or an electric stove in one of our signature, bespoke, or commercial saunas is a key consideration for the sauna's long-term usability. While the final choice usually comes down to a clear personal preference or to obvious practical considerations, there are key factors that will likely influence the decision-making process. In this article, we’ve explored some key distinctions between wood-fired and electric-heated saunas and asked the Heartwood Saunas team to share insights on both options.
Start with the why of your outdoor sauna
While delving into the differences between an electrically heated sauna and a wood-fired sauna is often an essential part of the research phase, you can also be guided in the right direction by first considering your sauna ‘why’. If the primary intention is to spend more time immersed in nature and to benefit from the sensory rewards of being outdoors and physically connecting to the elements through collecting and preparing kindling and logs, then a wood-fired sauna would likely be the right choice. Alternatively, if your intention is to maximise opportunities to use the sauna and reap the health benefits of regular sauna bathing, then the convenience and speed of an electric sauna may be a better option.
Finding clarity on what is most important to you and understanding what is driving your purchase of a sauna early in the decision-making process can usually make it easier to choose the heat source that is most suitable. Knowing the ‘why’ can also guide the wider design consultation, ensuring choices are always rooted in the original intention for the sauna, making it more likely to be enjoyed consistently over the long term.
“If our clients are ever in doubt as to which stove to choose, my advice is to go with the one that will help them to use the sauna on a regular basis”
Olly, founder.
Onnen sauna fitted with a 9kw HUUM electric stove
Aire + sauna fitted with a wood-fired 17kw HUUM stove, Scotland
Wood-Fired Sauna Stove
A wood-fired stove is certainly the more traditional choice for saunas and has been central to sauna culture for centuries. Choosing a wood-fired stove connects you to this lineage and invites you to slow down, offering a more intimate connection with nature through the primitive ritual of sourcing wood and the commitment to building and maintaining the fire. Requiring no power supply, wood-fired saunas are also 'off-grid' and, as such, offer greater flexibility for less accessible or rural locations, which can also create a more adventurous dimension to the sauna experience.
For those who choose a wood-fired option, the ceremony of preparing the fire and heating the sauna manually, tweaking and adjusting the heat to get it just right, adds to the more profound, meditative practice of sauna bathing. The tactile aspect of handling the organic texture of the wood, the resulting ambience conjured by the smoke, and the visuals of the flames help the mind disconnect from the busyness and ‘always-on’ headspace we largely operate from in our daily lives.
While wood-fired saunas score highly on a more sensory level and offer a direct shot of nature, on a practical level, there are a few things to consider with wood-fired stoves.
Location is key. A remote sauna setting may require a wood-burning stove due to the absence of a power source; however, if the sauna is situated in a private garden, it may be necessary to consider neighbouring properties or other practical factors that might prohibit the use of a wood-fired stove. If installing a sauna in an urban area, for example, DEFRA regulations in the UK relating to smoke control may need to be reviewed. A first step to finding out what’s possible would be to look at the DEFRA Smoke Control Area Interactive Map (defra.gov.uk) to understand what the rules are in your local area.
While for some, the additional time and preparation implicit in the heating up of a wood-fired sauna is an integral part of the experience, it’s worth considering whether it’s possible to sustain this level of time investment and whether, in the long term, this might impact the regularity with which the sauna is used.
The running costs of a wood-fired sauna depend on where the wood is sourced. In order to ensure maximum efficiency and protect the long-term health of the sauna and stove, be sure to source the best quality wood, which is either well-seasoned or has been kiln-dried.
“Wood-fired saunas require a bit more forward planning if you want to get the best from the experience. Gathering the firewood and building up the fire to get it to temperature takes time. A really large sauna, such as the Arden, will take approximately 90 minutes, and the more compact Onnen will heat up in 75 minutes, so this needs to be factored in to the decision-making process.”
Robin, workshop manager.
“The ceremony of preparing the fire and heating the sauna manually, tweaking and adjusting the heat to get it just right, adds to the deeper, meditative practice of sauna bathing.”
Wood-fired sauna in an Arden V
Electric heated sauna
With digital heating controls that can be set remotely by an app, an electrically heated sauna can integrate more seamlessly into the fabric of contemporary life. The clear key advantage of an electric stove is the convenience and ease of heating the space, supporting regular sauna use.
In addition to the efficiency of an electric sauna, there are other advantages, including the fact that they are low-maintenance and easier to keep clean. There is also a subtle difference in the steam created by the electric stove, thanks to the greater stone capacity, which yields a gentle, long-lasting steam.
When it comes to the location of your electric sauna, the main factors to consider are access to a power supply and how that power will reach the sauna.
The cost of heating an electric sauna will be influenced by the current cost of electricity and your chosen provider, but as a guide, the unit costs for electricity multiplied by the kW output of the stove (for example, 12kW in an Aire+) would give an idea of the cost per kW hour. An electric sauna can also be an environmentally responsible choice when paired with an energy supplier that sources power exclusively from renewables.
“When guiding our clients on the decision to go electric or wood-fired, we’ll discuss how and when they intend to use the sauna. The HUUM electric stoves used in our saunas can be pre-set to be heated to a certain temperature by a certain time, meaning your sauna can be ready to step into as soon as you arrive home from work. Ultimately, it’s about what feels right for each individual, but certainly from a convenience perspective, an electric sauna is less labour and time intensive.”
Kam, Operations Manager.
HUUM 15kw ‘Hive’ electric stove
HUUM 9kw ‘Drop’ electric stove
A personal choice
Remaining true to your original vision and intentions of how you’d like to use your sauna, will ultimately guide you to make the right decision. It can also be helpful to remember that whether you choose an electrically heated stove or a wood-fired stove, the wider health benefits of one of our outdoor saunas are the same, and regardless of the heating element, the real joy comes from having access to a space dedicated to relaxation and well-being.
“It can be easy to get caught up in analysing the benefits of one heating source over the other. The team here is really familiar with helping clients navigate this choice and is always on hand to guide and advise on optimising your sauna design, whichever heating route you choose to go down."
Olly, founder.
For more information on the HUUM stoves used as standard in our saunas, you can visit HUUM sauna heaters and sauna controllers – HUUM.
You’ll find the available heating options for each sauna in our Signature sauna range on their respective website pages. Wood-fired and electric stove options are also available for our bespoke outdoor saunas and commercial saunas.
