The short answer
An open fireplace gives atmosphere but sends much of its heat up the chimney and needs the most cleaning. A wood burner gives far more usable heat from the same wood but needs dry logs, which are hard to find in Malta. A pellet stove is the most convenient and controllable, but needs electricity, good pellets and an annual service.
Three ways to heat with fire
Malta’s winters are short and mild compared with northern Europe, but old stone houses, farmhouses and townhouses can feel cold and damp from December to February. Many people want a fire for comfort as much as heat. The three common choices each suit a different kind of household.
This guide compares them from the point of view of daily use, fuel, storage and cleaning. For installation, flues and anything involving building works, speak to an installer.
Open fireplace
The appeal: the look, the sound, the smell. Many farmhouses and older townhouses already have one.
The trade-off:
- Much of the heat goes up the chimney. An open fire warms the area right in front of it, but it also pulls warm air out of the room.
- It burns through wood quickly.
- More smoke and soot. Open fires burn less completely, so more soot and creosote build up in the flue.
- Sparks and smoke. A guard is essential, and older chimneys are prone to smoking into the room.
Cleaning: an open fireplace needs regular ash removal and at least one sweep a year before the season, more with heavy use.
Wood-burning stove
The appeal: a real fire behind glass, with much more heat from the same wood.
The trade-off:
- Needs dry wood. A wood burner only performs well with seasoned logs below 20% moisture. In Malta, good dry firewood is limited and often has to be bought rather than collected. See the best firewood for a wood burner.
- Storage. You need somewhere dry for a season’s logs.
- Installation. It needs a suitable flue, often a liner in an existing chimney.
Cleaning: the stove glass and grate need regular care, and the flue needs sweeping at least once a year, with a second sweep mid-season for heavy use. See how often to sweep a chimney.
Pellet stove
The appeal: convenience. You fill a hopper, set a temperature or timer and the stove feeds itself. Many models can be controlled by app.
The trade-off:
- Needs electricity for the auger, fans and ignition. No power, no heat.
- Needs good pellets stored dry. See choosing and storing wood pellets.
- More moving parts that need servicing.
- Some fan noise, which bothers some people.
Cleaning: daily or weekly emptying of the burn pot and ash pan, regular glass cleaning, an annual professional service and a flue sweep. See our pellet stove cleaning guide.
Which suits your home?
| Open fireplace | Wood burner | Pellet stove | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat for the room | Low | High | High, steady |
| Fuel | Logs | Dry logs | Pellets |
| Effort day to day | High | Medium | Low |
| Needs electricity | No | No | Yes |
| Storage | Logs | Logs | Bags of pellets |
| Cleaning and servicing | Most soot, sweep yearly | Sweep yearly or more | Daily ash, annual service and sweep |
A simple way to choose:
- Occasional fires for atmosphere, in a house that already has a fireplace: keep the open fire, sweep it every year and use a guard.
- Real heat from a real fire, and you can get and store dry logs: a wood burner.
- Easy, regular heat through winter, with little fuss: a pellet stove.
Storage in a Maltese property
Space is often the deciding factor. A season’s logs or pellets take room, and both must stay dry. Garages and roof washrooms often get damp, and balconies and yards catch rain and sea air. If you have nowhere dry, buy smaller amounts more often.
Whatever you choose
- Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the room. See carbon monoxide alarms for homes with stoves and fireplaces.
- Sweep before the season every year, in September or October.
- Do your pre-winter safety checks.
We arrange chimney sweeping for open fireplaces and wood burners, and pellet stove servicing, across Malta and Gozo. Get a quote.