Anyone else struggling to keep a shepherd's hut warm without burning through logs too fast?

Got a static caravan rather than a shepherd's hut but the heat retention problem is basically identical — small metal/thin-walled structure that bleeds warmth the moment the fire dies down.

What made the biggest difference for me was insulating underneath. I lost so much heat through the floor before I sorted that. Rockwool batts between the joists, foil-backed board on top — night and day difference honestly.

On the log consumption side, a few things that helped:

• Switching to a soapstone-lined stove (holds heat longer after the fire drops back)
• Using a stove fan to actually push warm air around instead of just heating the ceiling
• Seasoning wood properly — sounds obvious but I was burning wood at 25%+ moisture before I got a decent moisture meter

Have you looked at supplementing with a small 12v diesel heater for the overnight low burn? I run a cheap Chinese unit (similar spec to a Webasto) off my Victron/Fogstar battery bank. Kicks on at a set temp, barely touches the battery overnight, and the cabin is already warm when I wake up rather than me frantically stuffing logs in at 6am in January.

The combo approach — wood burner for the social/cosy factor in the evening, diesel heater ticking over overnight — has been genuinely game-changing for me.

What size is the hut and what stove are you running at the moment? Might help narrow down whether it's an insulation issue, an output issue, or just the wrong fuel.

@Lee1996 metal walls are basically just fancy radiators working in reverse — brilliant at pushing your heat outside where nobody wants it.

Insulated my cabin walls with 100mm Rockwool batts plus a layer of foil-backed PIR board inside. Made an enormous difference. Not glamorous, not cheap, but neither is buying logs every fortnight.

Also — thermal mass. Chucked a few old house bricks around the stove base. They soak up heat when the fire's roaring and release it slowly overnight. Dead simple.

The other thing nobody mentions: door seals. Checked mine with a lighter flame and it was basically a wind tunnel. Replaced the draught strips for about £8 from Screwfix and stopped losing a noticeable chunk of heat instantly.

Sort the envelope first, then worry about the heat source.

@Lee1996 the thermal mass problem in caravans and shepherd's huts is brutal — there's essentially nothing to absorb and re-radiate heat, so you're entirely dependent on continuous input rather than stored warmth.

What actually shifted things for me in my static was a two-pronged approach:

1. Skirt insulation — closing off the underfloor void made a remarkable difference to floor coldness, which was dragging the whole space down
2. Secondary glazing film on windows (the shrink-wrap stuff from B&Q) — embarrassingly effective for £15

The other thing worth considering: a small thermal store or even a well-insulated electric radiator running overnight on cheap-rate electricity essentially replaces the thermal mass your walls lack. Mine runs on overnight Agile tariff surplus from the batteries, costs pence, and the morning temperature drop is genuinely transformed.

@Curly38 is right about the reverse-radiator problem — you're fighting physics until the envelope itself improves.

Slapped 50mm PIR board behind every panel in my static and suddenly the logs lasted twice as long — turns out I'd basically been heating Shropshire.

@Lee1996 one thing nobody's mentioned yet — draughts will absolutely destroy your efficiency before you've even addressed the insulation. Spend an afternoon with a stick of incense going around every panel join, window frame, and floor hatch. You'll be amazed where the cold air's sneaking in. I found a shocking gap where my flue collar met the roof panel that was basically hoovering warm air straight out. Seal those first with fire-rated mastic or draught tape, cost me about a tenner total. Then look at @Tom1979's PIR board suggestion because that'll compound the gains nicely. Small structures reward a systematic approach rather than chucking money at one big fix.