Soots Us Fine-

Scotland’s Latest Innovation, More Chimney Sweeps

Chim chiminey, chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-oo

A sweep is lucky and you can be too

Business is booming for the chimney sweeps of Scotland. The modern trend for wood burning stoves, I have one myself successfully cleaned by a lady sweep just last week, has meant that there are now great opportunities for this once dying trade. Since the Clean Air Acts Auld Reekie has  cleaned its act up and there was a dearth of sweeps, but wood burners have turned the tide.

 The Rise of the WoodBurner

Scotland’s Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps says there has been a 700 per cent rise in companies registering as members since 2005. And now with the aspirational wood burner, which by the way chucks out an enormous amount of heat, a solid fuel training centre has been set up in Glasgow. Each year they have about half a dozen courses and people come from all over the nation- the Scottish islands, Aberdeen, everywhere.

New Data, New Jobs

According to new data, and you know my love of “new data,” sales of stoves are at an all-time high. The data reveals that a decade ago about 165,000 stoves were sold through retailers every year. But by 2014 that number had risen to 210,000. Now we also have stricter standards to keep us safe the sweeps are busy in the spring and summer, not like in the old days when they had little or no summer work. Now many young people see this as a viable career option, which at £60 a job isn’t a bad way to see where’s there’s muck there’s money.

Where’s There’s Muck There’s Money

And with the muck comes a switch to the luxury end of the market. People want a stove as a back up to their conventional heating and they want a quick fix to feeling cold and of course it adds value to your home. Of course make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector just to keep everything safe.

Toast Inside and Out

And when you are sitting near the wood burning stove, it would be nice to have a dram of the water of life so why not consider something from our terrific whisky gift collection  so not only can you and yours toast yourself on the outside you can toast on the inside too.

https://www.jamespirie.com/whisky-gifts.html