Londoners are unblocking fireplaces in a bid to reduce their fuel bills. They plan to keep their homes at a cosy heat this winter with an open fire or a wood burning stove rather than turn up the thermostats for the gas fired central heating.

Daniel Hodgson, director of education for the Guild of Master Sweeps, told a TV reporter on BBC Breakfast and BBC News 24 last Sunday his members were coping with an 80 per cent increase in business.

“There are three reasons why people are planning to have open fires as soon as the weather gets colder,” he explained to The Times on Tuesday. “One is to reduce fuel bills. It’s much cheaper to burn wood or smokeless fuel than gas. The second reason is they don’t want to be 100 per cent dependent on a gas or electricity supplier in case there’s some reason why the supply is cut; and the third incentive for unblocking fireplaces is the eco reason. Wood is a renewable fuel, whereas gas and electricity are not.”

David Rymer at the Ealing company Firecraft in Northfield Avenue confirmed that homeowners are reverting to traditional forms of heating.

“We’ve been busy putting in solid fuel stoves for the past four or five years,” he reported. “There’s much more interest in open fires.”

At Winkworth’s estate agency in Ealing, Narendra Gandhi says more and more buyers are looking for period properties. “The expectation is that they will have fireplaces and cornicing and stripped floors. It’s certainly the preference at the moment and purchasers are less prepared to compromise. They want all the period features.”

One of the properties on his books is a double-fronted late Victorian house built by a local builder, RT Butler, for himself. It has four double bedrooms, two bathrooms and three reception rooms with the original fireplaces. It’s on the market for £795,000.

At the Acton office of Robertson Smith & Kempson, Phillip Harrison says the sight of an open fire makes buyers’ eyes sparkle. “Fireplaces have been back in fashion for a few years,” comments the agent. “It isn’t only the cost of fuel bills that has added to the appeal of an open fire, it’s the welcome it gives you when you come home on a winter evening.”