Do you mean those electric and gas ones with a false flame!
Wow, NOT an ecological alternative! Not effective NOR pretty either.
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Wood burning stoves on the way out? Possible on-the-spot £300 fines
(84 Posts)Politicians and campaigners have called for an urgent review of wood-burning stoves, which cause large amounts of pollution in urban areas.
The calls follow the admission by the environment secretary that the government had set weaker air pollution targets than it would like. The admission came as she announced a new environmental plan for England that held back from banning wood-burning stoves and settled instead for “educating” people on their use.
The Times subsequently reported that the government would encourage councils to use their powers to issue householders £300 on-the-spot fines for flouting air pollution rules by burning logs at home.
But the Green party co-leader Carla Denyer said the government should go further and potentially end the sale of log burners.
She said: “Local authorities have powers to create smoke control areas in cities under the Environment Act 2021. This goes some way to preventing homeowners and businesses releasing smoke from a chimney. However, there are exemptions for particular stoves and fuels which still mean dangerous particulates can be released into the atmosphere.
“We need an urgent review into the impacts of smoke from chimneys on public health in high-density housing areas, with a view to putting an end to future sales of log burners and fuels if they are shown to have an unacceptable detrimental impact.”
The environment charity ClientEarth, which has won pollution cases against the government, has said the burners need to be phased out. Andrea Lee, from the charity, said: “Pollution from wood-burning is a growing source of fine particulate matter pollution in some areas, which is a serious threat to people’s health.”
The Liberal Democrats have called for more powers for local councils to stop the use of polluting burners. A spokesperson said they were disappointed that it had taken so long for the ban on house coal and wet wood to come through.
“The new eco-design has reduced air pollution from wood burners but more needs to be done including encouraging households to replace older wood burners with the new design. We believe local authorities should have more powers to tackle air pollution in their areas,” the spokesperson said.
Under the 2021 Environment Act, councils have powers to issue on-the-spot civil penalties of up to £300. The government’s plans to encourage councils to take action mean that criminal prosecutions could be pursued for the most persistent offenders, resulting in a fine of up to £5,000 plus a further £2,500 for each day a breach continues afterwards.
However, English councils have issued only 17 fines over six years, despite more than 18,000 complaints, as it is difficult and expensive to prove guilt and then take people to court. Few councils have the resources to vigorously pursue this specific issue.
There will also be tighter regulation of new wood burners, which in designated “smoke control areas” will be allowed to produce no more than 3g of smoke per hour, instead of 5g at present.
Sarah MacFadyen, the head of Policy at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: “We know that burning wood and coal releases fine particulate matter – the most worrying form of air pollution for human health – which can cause people with a lung condition such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to have a potentially life-threatening attack or flare-up.
“It’s therefore important to consider less polluting fuel options to heat your home or cook with, especially if coal or wood is not your primary fuel source.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/02/calls-grow-for-urgent-review-of-damage-done-by-wood-burning-stoves
VioletSky
There are alternatives for people who like the asthetic appearance.
It's been deemed they are polluting and being used irresponsibly so they should be phased out. Start taxing households using them and they will soon be removed.
Some areas will either need to be provided better alternate heating sources first or get some sort of license
I'd rather have a future for my grandchildren than a pretty fireplace
For some of us, it's a vital source of heat for our homes - nothing whatsoever to do with looking 'pretty'!
Yet barbecues are allowed? Surely no one actually needs a barbecue? Or patio heaters, come to that.
I have an all night burner which I use only when there is a powercut. A wood burner would have meant having major structural work.
When we replaced our old oil burner we looked at having an heat pump, but apart from being incredibly expensive, we were advised that they are not yet really efficient.
I really don’t know about ethanol fired heaters - we have oil (which is reasonable in cost to operate I believe) and an occasional open fire.
We have a women nearby selling rejuvenated French ‘ stoves’. Running in ethanol. She says they produce heat. Do they? Are they healthier?
We have a CD somewhere on the bookshelf of a crackling log fire, occasional sparks an’ all. It’s very realistic! It used to be nice to put it on during the winter. Strangely, it gave a very cosy feel to the room. I should find itagain!
I read a news article yesterday with a link to a list of approved materials for burning.
Even so I’m a bit inclear.
Is it ok to burn commercially bought dry wood in my wood burner? We only use it in the evening on on very cold days .
When I lived in Hull as a boy the city created a smoke free zone as a result of the Clean Air Act, itself a consequence of London smogs. All residential areas fell within the zone but they drew a line around the biggest industrial smoke generating industry so it fell outside the zone. Everyone had to go smokeless with one exception. Laughable.
There are alternatives for people who like the asthetic appearance.
It's been deemed they are polluting and being used irresponsibly so they should be phased out. Start taxing households using them and they will soon be removed.
Some areas will either need to be provided better alternate heating sources first or get some sort of license
I'd rather have a future for my grandchildren than a pretty fireplace
It's not the CO2, though, is it? It's the particulates that are causing concern. Does an eco burner woodburner, which gives off very little smoke, still give off particulates?
I don't know. But as we're in a rural area I don't feel too much concern about using ours.
I saw something similar, J52 - it was found that a lot of the scented candles which are so popular now were actually far worse from a health point of view.
Just popped over to MN where there’s a similar thread. Interestingly a couple of MNers with wood burning stoves have tested their own air quality. One found that the gas hob gave off a higher CO reading than the wood burner, another that a Jo Malone redd diffuser did and another a Febreeze sprayed chair!
We live on the outskirts of a small town in a single brick fairly old house.
We had our burner fitted about 3 years ago and used it rarely til now.
We Collect and dry our own wood and It is swept annually. This is a very cold house and I would be very upset if burners were banned because this small 5 kw burner supplements our CH, making a huge difference. especially this winter when energy prices have gone through the roof.
Casdon
Owning a wood burning stove is a bit like owning a dog. If you’ve been used to it, you know dry wood burns much better and gives off most heat, so you prepare years in advance and store it to season. Your stove behaves itself, you don’t emit toxic fumes and all is well. If you’re new to it and don’t read the manuals, learn how to do it most efficiently, burn wet wood or the wrong type of wood and wing it, to coin a dog ownership analogy, you get bitten.
I’m in the country too, we have no gas supply to the village, and everybody has woodburners or open fires because the electricity is unreliable in the winter. I don’t think they will ever be completely banned in our lifetimes.
Casdon everybody has woodburners or open fires because the electricity is unreliable in the winter. I don’t think they will ever be completely banned in our lifetimes.
Agreed.
Open fires w/ seasoned wood won't be banned in country areas.
We have a wood burning fire in the lounge. Here in Germany they are inspected twice yearly by the chimney sweep who also comes twice yearly - we don't have to call him, he calls us; this is, of course, regulated.
We have been told that we will have to replace or modernise our fire after the end of next year because the stipulations for fine particle emissions are changing.
Also the price of wood for burning (whether you buy it ready cut or if you go to the woods and get it yourself) has risen, along with all other fuels. For example, our central heating runs on wood pellets which have gone up from €250 per tonne to €400 since last year.
Nevertheless we shall definitely continue to burn logs as everyone loves a fireplace as the centre of the home.
Owning a wood burning stove is a bit like owning a dog. If you’ve been used to it, you know dry wood burns much better and gives off most heat, so you prepare years in advance and store it to season. Your stove behaves itself, you don’t emit toxic fumes and all is well. If you’re new to it and don’t read the manuals, learn how to do it most efficiently, burn wet wood or the wrong type of wood and wing it, to coin a dog ownership analogy, you get bitten.
I’m in the country too, we have no gas supply to the village, and everybody has woodburners or open fires because the electricity is unreliable in the winter. I don’t think they will ever be completely banned in our lifetimes.
Open chimneys should not be used regularly, as they are so wasteful of energy. They should have glass doors and sealed. We do have an ancient one we use VERY rarely in the 'library.
They certainly shouldn't be used in towns. In the country why not. We had a wood burner in Suffolk and it was brilliant after the storm in 1987 when we were without power for just under two week. I was able to cook on it and also to heat water - enough for washing but not hot enough for making tea.
We have one here in France and it's much cheaper to run than paying for electricity and heating oil.
We live in a very old home, a chimney and fireplace at each end and have added CH since we purchased from my GP.
We collect and dry wood on our property, I can't think of a reason why we'd not burn dry wood. Assume government have better worries.
DaisyAnne
Also, I wonder why we want to stop things before we have found and implemented a replacement?
Agree.
This, in the Telegraph today.
This ban only applies in built-up areas governed by clean air rules.
If I lived in a built up area I would not even contemplate having a wood-burning stove.
I live in a rural area in large 500 year old listed house. Most of the time our house is heated by gas CH, nothing else, but when we have the very low temperatures, as we have this year, then our heating cannot keep us warm enough, so we light the wood burner to keep the temperature at to an acceptable level. 18.5 dgrees, for us. Our usual guide is we light the stove if external temperatures fall below 0c at night and do not go above 5c during the day.
Quite a number of houses in our village have wood-burners. i cannot remember when I last smelt smoke fumes when outside walking round the village - even at Christmas, when most would have been in use.
We also always use it over Christmas/New Year and some Sunday afternoons.
A well maintained stove should not smell of 'burning' at all.
Fleurpepper
I think this would be correct in towns and cities- but not in rural areas. As Livey says, for many in rural areas that is the only choice, or oil, or a combination of both (our case). We use only good quality wood, beech or ash, and 2 year dried, never any coal, smokeless or otherwise, and in a very efficient stove, with all the proper filters and professionally cleaned + chimneys every year.
I remember this in Switzerland in winter. In the small town I was in, I wasn't able to have the windows open (always sleep with open window, year round) because of the burning smell. It was really bad and I remember being surprised it was allowed.
Well, we love ours and won't be getting rid of it. Without it - and our source of free fuel (wood) - we simply couldn't afford to heat our house. There are far worse things for the authorities to be taking action on.
I think this would be correct in towns and cities- but not in rural areas. As Livey says, for many in rural areas that is the only choice, or oil, or a combination of both (our case). We use only good quality wood, beech or ash, and 2 year dried, never any coal, smokeless or otherwise, and in a very efficient stove, with all the proper filters and professionally cleaned + chimneys every year.
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