Sauna Stove: Wood-Burning or Electric?

This decision can later only be changed by altering the structure and the electrics. Make it deliberately, not because it is what happened to be in the quote.

Wood stove: when it makes sense

The biggest advantage is that it needs no electrical supply. If the sauna stands at the far end of the garden, by a lake or on a plot without a power connection, it is often the only sensible solution.

The second advantage is harder to measure but decisive for many people: the character of the heat. Wood gives a drier, stronger heat and a scent no electric stove can imitate.

Running costs are low: a full heat-up of a 3 m barrel sauna takes roughly 8–12 kg of wood.

The downsides: the stove needs tending. You light it, add logs and remove ash. You need dry wood and a covered store, and the flue must be cleaned once a year.

We recommend the wood-fired Etna 12 with the firebox outside, so the fire is lit and tended from outside the sauna room.

Electric stove: when it makes sense

Switch on and you are done. With a controller and timer the sauna is warm at the time you choose, so you can step straight in after work. That feature often decides whether a sauna is used twice a week or twice a month.

No smoke, no ash, no chimney, and no arguments with the neighbours about smoke.

The main drawback: larger stoves (about 8–9 kW) need a dedicated, properly protected circuit with enough capacity, and some models require a three-phase supply, which many homes do not have. Running a cable deep into the garden can cost more than the stove itself.

We offer electric Harvia stoves as an alternative to wood.

Check before you buy

Is there a suitable supply at the house? Is the consumer unit adequate and is there room for another circuit? Always have a qualified electrician do the connection, and ask them which stove ratings your supply can take.

Heat-up time: a smaller difference than you think

Both are similar: 30–45 minutes depending on size and outside temperature.

The difference lies elsewhere: an electric stove can be started in advance by timer or app, while with wood someone has to go out and light it.

Safety

Wood stove: open fire, a hot flue and flying sparks. A spark guard, correct clearances to the timber at the flue passage and supervision are a must.

Electric stove with controller: switch-off after a set time and overheat protection. If you let the sauna to holiday guests or other people use it unsupervised, that is not an extra but a requirement.

In short

No power on the plot: wood.

Sauna by the house, used after work: electric with a controller and timer.

Holiday home or holiday let: wood for the experience, or electric with automatic switch-off for guest safety.

Tight building plots and close neighbours: electric, to avoid trouble over smoke.