The cost of wood is variable and will likely increase in coming years. The environmental impacts are strongly dependent on your fuel source. Fallen timber is not fair game: it is vital habitat for some animals, so should not be burnt. Particulate emissions are a concern as well.
Gas is great in that it can deliver astonishing amounts of heat quickly, with lower greenhouse gas emissions than grid electricity, but not as low as renewable energy, and the future costs are quite uncertain. Gas heating is traditionally considered to be pretty cheap, but gas prices are tipped by many analysts to climb steeply in the next few years , much as electricity has in the last few years.
That leaves electricity. Unintuitively, its the only option which can have zero emissions. Switching your electricity supply to GreenPower, an accredited and audited scheme which supplies 100% renewable power, means zero emissions electricity any time you want it. But how you use it is very important, as all electric heaters are not created equal.
There are two distinct classes of electric heater; plug-in heaters, and heat-pumps (or reverse cycle air conditioners).
All of the plug-in heaters end up at the same efficiency; they convert electricity into heat, the most basic form of energy, and will only ever produce a maximum of 2.4kW. It doesn’t matter how it does it - radiant bars, a hot wire and a fan or a clicking oil-heater - 2.4kW of electricity becomes 2.4kW of heat and not a drop more. Buy the cheapest one you can.
Heat-pumps have an advantage over the plug in units as they use electricity to move heat around, not create it.
Heat-pumps have access to the ambient heat outside your house, even in small amounts, and can concentrate it and put it in your house. Even well below freezing there is enough heat available for this to be worth doing.
To summarise then: insulate your house, as much as you can, in every way available. Then think about how you want to heat it. If emissions are important to you, go for GreenPower and a heat pump. If you just want heat, then gas is probably your best bet, but be warned the price is on the way up and likely to outstrip electricity price rises in coming years.
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