Design: The burning issue

Summertime and the living is, well, still a bit chilly, frankly. You've dug the garden furniture out from the shed and risked the odd drink outside, if not yet a barbecue. But the evenings still have a nip in the air, and after the washout that was last summer, it might be time to consider some form of outdoor heating.

But it looks like it's the end for those gas-powered patio heaters which are the most obvious choice. The charity Friends of the Earth has denounced them as "ecologically evil" and worked out that using one for just one hour takes the same amount of energy as it would to make 400 cups of tea.

Last year, the garden centre chain Wyevale announced that it would stop selling them, and that it planned to phase out at least 90 per cent of its peat and peat-based growing products as part of a new green agenda for its 108 stores – a laudable decision for a company that rakes in an annual turnover of £250,000 from gas – and electric-powered patio heaters. The DIY store B&Q has followed suit following a survey of its customers which found that 64 per cent of them did consider a product's green credentials before buying it. The company will sell off its remaining stock this summer and there will be no more after that. So products such as the, admittedly rather stylish, retro-looking Memphis will no longer be on sale next year.

In February, the European Parliament also announced it was backing an outright ban of these heaters. But at up to £300 each, gas-powered heaters can be big business for retailers as the trend for outdoor living and al fresco dining continues apace. And let's face it, we all enjoy a little extra heat after the sun goes down. So what's the alternative?

Wyevale hopes that customers will turn to outdoor heaters that use sustainable energy sources, such as wood-burning stoves. Firepits are also growing in popularity. The garden designer Charlotte Rowe (020-7602 0660; www.charlotterowe.com) has gone one step further and built a fireplace.

"I had the idea ages ago and really wanted to try it," she says. "Then when it came to doing my own garden, it seemed like the perfect solution. There was a huge wall at the back of my garden which rather dominated the space and I decided to put the fireplace there as a way of covering it up.

"It's like a giant barbecue but I followed building regulations and had it all properly built so the chimney would draw properly. It looks like a proper fireplace, with a hearth and lamps either side, and there is a shelf at the top so you can cook on it as well."

To celebrate her new garden, Rowe threw a party for 120 people and found that, true to form, many of the guests congregated round the fire just as they would indoors.

"Even on a lovely summer day, the evenings do become chilly and having the fire can prolong the evening. I have always loved having a fire and it's great to have the lovely smell of the burning logs," she adds.

But for those of us who can't afford a bespoke fireplace, there are other solutions which can be installed to take the chill off a summer evening.

Electric patio heaters are not exactly eco-friendly but they're better than the gas ones and can also be connected to sensors, which means they can be rigged to produce heat only when someone is actually standing near them – that's at least a step in the right direction.

Firepits are exactly what their name suggests. Available in a range of designs, they can double up as barbecues or have a safety grills over the top to offer some protection against inquisitive little fingers.

Heatstrips, from £475

These electric heating strips were initially used in the catering trade but have been adapted for domestic use. Simply bolt the strips on to the spokes of your parasol, turn them on and they will run off your normal electricity supply to provide heat while you eat. As they don't give off any glow, they are practically invisible, leaving you to provide your own ambient lighting.

(0870 240 3606; www.mode.co.uk)

Steel firebowl barbecue with hanging grill, £99.99

As Wyevale led the way in banning gas patio heaters from its stores, it seems only fair to look at what they are selling instead. There are lots of pretty firepits and chimineas, but this combination of heater and barbecue seems to tick both boxes. Without the grill, the firebowl will simply chuck out some heat, but with the grill on, you can keep warm while cooking the supper.

(www.wyevale.co.uk)

Mini Tech infrared patio heater, £99

Using surface combustion technology rather than a traditional burner, this model provides strong heat and is also economical to use. It emits infra-red light, so the heat isn't blown away by wind, limiting the wasted energy. Despite being small, it can heat an area of about three or four metres and is reckoned to be one of the greenest heaters available. For those who like the details, the amount of gas used is 185g per hour, which means that a 13kg propane bottle will last 100 hours. The same bottle in a more standard patio heaters will probably last a maximum of 24 hours. Its reflector increases the heat efficiently and as it has to be clamped to a table it can't be knocked over.

(0870 1221 007; www.prezzybox.com)

Small Palma chiminea, £64

Like the cast-iron chimenea but a lot cheaper, this one comes with a removeable barbecue grill so you can kill two birds with one stone – or, indeed, cook them. The cast iron radiates heat from all over so you need to be careful about touching it, but the good thing is that it will still give off heat after you've stopped stoking the fire. It is completely frost-proof.

(01844 345 433; www.castironchimineas.co.uk)

Mexican pizza oven, £198

Ever since Jamie Oliver started cooking in his pizza oven on the telly, demand for these has gone through the roof. This cast-iron version is about 4ft high. Kevin Nicosia, managing director of the company, says he can't get hold of them fast enough. "I've an order of 150 coming in this week that are all pre-sold and another 150 coming every month after that."

(01844 345 433; www.castironchimineas.co.uk)

Bullet firepit, £159

Contemporary-looking stainless-steel round firepit that burns wood, charcoal or coal. It comes with two grills, making this a barbecue as well as a heat provider.

(www.theurbangarden.co.uk)

Yo Yakatori grill, £25

Now this is cool. A table-top barbecue that can double up as a little heater either before or after dinner. It's made from clay and after about five years you can dispose of the metal bits responsibly and bury the clay bit and it will return to the earth from whence it came.

(0870 240 3606; www.mode.co.uk)

Cast-iron Chimenea Cesar, £169.98

This is the future of garden heating, B&Q-style. Originally made from clay and used for cooking in Mexico, chimeneas have arrived in the UK as heaters. They look lovely in the garden so even when not in use, they are a decorative feature. Now, there is an argument about how green it is to burn charcoal, but B&Q has tried to mitigate that by working with BioRegional. This company supplies charcoal and firewood to B&Q using the most local supplier to the store to minimise transportation.

(www.diy.com)