The short answer is no.

Recent press coverage has been triggered by the decision to ban the sale of house coal and wet wood in England. It has not been suggested for Scotland. Since you should not be burning wet wood or house coal in a stove anyway, this should not have an impact but it is good to be aware of the ongoing situation.

Air Pollution in the UK

Air pollution, especially from fine particles (PM2.5’s ) that can infiltrate the lungs and bloodstream is a big issue in cities and towns across Britain. The main sources of these particulates are domestic wood and coal burning, industrial combustion, transport and industrial processes.

As you can see the vast majority of the affected areas are in the south of the UK. There is one very small section in Glasgow where figures do exceed 10 annual mean ambient PM2.5’s on this data source but otherwise Scottish records are below this level.

Air Pollution in Scotland

According to the Air Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland: 1990-2017 1, levels of PM2.5’s in Scotland have reduced by 68% since 1990. The map below shows the levels measured across Scotland in 2017.

According to the report “Emissions of PM2.5 were estimated to be 8 kilotonnes in 2017, declining by 68% since 1990. These emissions account for 8% of the UK total in 2017. As with PM10, PM2.5 emissions have a large number of significant sources. However, process emissions tend to produce coarser PM fractions and as such, combustion emissions are of greater importance for PM2.5 compared to PM10. For PM2.5, the residential, commercial and public sector combustion category (which includes agricultural combustion and fishing vessels – NFR code 1A4) accounts for 42% of 2017 emissions. The primary drivers for the decline in emissions since 1990 are the switch in the fuel mix used in electricity generation away from coal and towards natural gas, particularly in the early timeseries, and later reductions in emissions from the transport sector due to the introduction of progressively more stringent emissions standards through time. Since 2005, declines in emissions have been offset by increases in emissions from the residential sector, and in particular, the combustion of wood.”

So although the overall trend is very positive, we can see that the increasing contribution made by the burning of wood particularly in homes is a worry.

This trend of households burning wood in open fires or stoves is creating an even greater rise in pollutants in England which has no doubt triggered these proposed changes to legislation.

What is going to happen?

The UK and Scottish Governments have been tackling air pollution for a number of years and it is showing positive results. As one source is reduced they are moving on to target the next one, and this is why stoves and open fires are now under the spotlight, and quite rightly so.

In 2019 the UK Government published its Draft Clean Air Strategy which included the following proposals:

• banning the sale of the most polluting fuels
• only certified clean burn stoves will be available after 2022
• a campaign to educate the public about the environmental and public health impacts of burning

As air pollution is a devolved matter these changes will not directly impact us in Scotland, but it is thought that the Scottish Government may follow suit with similar measures.

Where we will feel an impact is in the stoves that will be available for sale, as UK and European stove manufacturers are already redesigning existing models and creating new models that meet these tighter regulations. These can be recognised by the Ecodesign Ready certification. So this is a benefit as more efficient stoves mean that more of the fuel that you are burning is being converted into heat in the room.

We published an article about this in February 2019 which you can read here: http://backwoodsman-stoves.co.uk/stoves-air-pollution/

Recent proposed ban on polluting fuels

The latest flurry of inaccurate reporting has been due to the proposals to ban sales of house coal and wet wood in England.  This will amongst other things stop the sale of small bags of unseasoned wood, and bags of house coal. It won’t stop people buying bulk quantities of logs to then season at home. It is not known if this measure will be implemented by the Scottish Government as well. The situation is summed up well by this article from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/21/coal-wet-wood-how-uk-restrictions-work

Should I still buy a stove?

A stove is an important part of the heating supply for many houses especially in rural areas like ours. The government is not trying to stop this. It is targeting the sources of pollution which are open fires, inefficient and leaky stoves, the burning of house coal and wet wood. So yes, go ahead and buy a stove but make sure that it is efficient. Think about the fuels that you are going to be burning and how you will source and store them. There is more advice about this in our earlier article: http://backwoodsman-stoves.co.uk/stoves-air-pollution/

If you still have concerns or would like some advice then call us up for a chat on 01631 720539.

Further Information

Clean Air Strategy 2019 
Stove Industry Alliance (SIA)
HETAS Approved Solid Fuel list 
Air Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland: 1990-2017
World Health Organisation Global ambient air pollution interactive map

The consumer group Which? has recently published a customer satisfaction survey for people who had bought a woodburning or multi-fuel stove in the last 10 years.  We were delighted but not surprised to see that the three manufacturers that we sell (Woodwarm, Charnwood and Morso) were all in the top five.
So well done to them all, but especially Woodwarm who came second, who are a small firm that we’ve been proud to work with for forty years and who offer such great products and service.
In the 40 plus years that we have been trading we have sold a wide range of brands, but have reduced down to these three because they make such good quality products plus their customer service is excellent. By selling just three ranges, we are able to know the individual products better and build a closer relationship with the manufacturers, both of which benefits our customers.
The Which? survey was rating each brand on quality and finish,  durability, ease of use & controllability, ease of cleaning and value for money.  Which? members can view the full article here: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/wood-burning-stoves/article/wood-burning-stove-brands-rated/best-wood-burning-stove-brands
 
 

We have put together a short video to show you how to change the rope seal on the door of your Woodwarm Stove.

 

There has been much in the news in the last year about the impact that stoves have on air pollution (most specifically particulates), and the proposed changes that are going to be implemented to tackle this. Regrettably there has been a great deal of inaccurate reporting so the document below lays out what the situation is at present (January 2019).

The Current Situation

Air pollution is a big issue in the UK, especially in cities and there are currently targets in place to reduce the harm to human health from air pollution by half by 2030. Much has been done to tackle the emissions from transportation and industry in the last 20 years and now the the spotlight is being turned on smaller sources of pollution including domestic heating.

As seen above, burning wood and coal in homes makes up 38% of the UK’s primary emissions of fine particulate matter. This statistic is including open fires burning house coal, which are hugely polluting, as well as much older, inefficient stoves and more modern stoves.
Not all forms of domestic burning are equally polluting. It depends upon what you are burning, how you are burning it, what you are burning it in and how well maintained the appliance is.

Proposed Changes

The Government’s draft Clean Air Strategy (published January 2019) lays out the next steps. The document only applies to England as air quality is a devolved matter, but as stove manufacturers will need to comply with the proposed regulations this will affect the choices that we have in Scotland. It is expected that the Scottish Government will follow suit.

Proposals include:

• banning the sale of the most polluting fuels
• only certified clean burn stoves will be available after 2022
• a campaign to educate the public about the environmental and public health impacts of burning

These proposals are not retrospective, so if you already have a stove installed you will not be forced to remove or upgrade it.

What are stove manufacturers doing?

The Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) and manufacturers have been heavily involved in the proposals and have a certification system in place already to ensure you can buy stoves knowing that they will meet the new requirements coming in 2022. These SIA Ecodesign Ready stoves are already available from a number of leading manufacturers, including those that we stock.

What can I do to reduce my emissions?

If you have an open fire: consider replacing it with a modern stove, preferably an Ecodesign Ready stove. If this is not possible, ensure you are burning dry wood or a smoke-free solid fuel.
If you have an old stove: consider replacing it with a modern stove, preferably an Ecodesign Ready one. If this is not possible ensure you are burning dry wood or a smoke-free solid fuel if your stove is multi-fuel. Also make sure you are getting the chimney swept and are maintaining the stove regularly. Leaking door seals can be an issue.
If you already have an efficient stove: ensure you are burning dry wood or a smoke-free solid fuel if your stove is multi-fuel. Also make sure you are getting the chimney swept and are maintaining the stove regularly. Check that you are burning your fuel efficiently using a stove top thermometer.

Why is dry wood so important?

Burning wet wood results in poor quality combustion, increased smoke and the production of tars and creosotes that will damage the flue. Much of the energy of the wood is being wasted boiling off the water in it, rather than heating your room. This means that even an efficient stove will not be operating at its full potential.
Sourcing dry wood can be difficult, and it is worth checking your supplies. Although the outside may appear dry it is worth splitting a log and measuring the moisture inside using a moisture meter. You are looking for a reading of 20% or less. This applies to wood you have seasoned yourself as well as that you have bought in. The proposed changes are not going to stop householders from sourcing and seasoning their own wood.
An alternative fuel is wood briquettes which are available locally. They tend to have a moisture level of only 7% and can be burnt alongside wood.
A government backed scheme called Woodsure has been created to certify wood as being dry enough for sale, but this is unlikely to be prominent in this area for some time.

What solid fuel can I burn?

You should only burn solid fuel that is recommended by your stove manufacturer and is HETAS approved. Therefore, you should not be burning house coal in a stove and any other fuels should be checked before purchase.

Central Heating and Domestic Hot Water stoves

One result of the proposed changes has been a significant reduction in the number of water heating stoves available on the market. As the firebox is surrounded by the cold water in the boilers they tend to burn at a lower temperature and are therefore less efficient than a dry stove. Some manufacturers are not putting these stoves forward for the expensive process of certification as it is not economically viable for them to do so, meaning that they are no longer available to buy. There are still a few very good boiler stoves available but there is much less choice than there was.

Further Information

Clean Air Strategy 2019 
Stove Industry Alliance (SIA)
HETAS Approved Solid Fuel list