02/07/2020
ARE OPEN FIRES AND STOVES GOING TO BE BANNED?
We've previously posted this but one or our customers (Monika in N8 - hi Monika!!!) suggested we post it again as many people she knows still think open fires and wood burning stoves are going to be banned in London. Please have a read if you haven't already.
ARE STOVES AND OPEN FIRES TO BE BANNED?
There have been a lot of exaggerated and misleading headlines over the last week, ranging from "wood burning stoves to be phased out", to "fireplaces are to be BANNED", and more with varying levels of inaccuracy.
We thought it a good idea to clarify what is really going on, and what changes there actually will be and how it will affect our customers in and around London, if at all.
Initially, fires aren't being banned at all. The rules for open fires are staying the same. In London, you still need to have a Defra approved stove fitted if you wish to burn logs on it as has been the case for many years. From 2022 if you have a new stove fitted it will have to be 'eco ready', but if you've already had a Defra approved stove fitted you'll be fine to keep it. 'Eco ready' is just a new standard of testing of performance, with new parameters for emissions.
The sale of wet logs is to be restricted so that you can only purchase it in volumes of over two cubic meters. This is really to prevent the sale of nets of damp logs being sold in petrol stations and convenience stores. For our customers in London, this won't really change anything. We rarely come across customers who are burning wet logs anyway. Instead of seeing wet logs in petrol stations, they should be replaced with nets of properly seasoned or kiln dried logs.
The sale of bituminous or 'house' coal is to be stopped completely. This isn't really an issue for London either, as we rarely come across anybody burning that kind of coal as it was banned from use in London around 60 years ago!!
Apart from the above, nothing is really changing. DEFRA still believe having a wood burner is a good thing, as mentioned in their 'Clean Air Strategy'. And in London, nothing really will change at all for people with their fireplace. When it comes to fireplaces in London, we really only find a problem when people don't know how to use their fire properly and don't know what type of fuel they're supposed to burn on it. If you need advice about this, please send us a message and we will be pleased to help. If we come to sweep your chimney, we can tell from the colour and texture of the soot whether it's being used properly and can advise accordingly. If we have swept your chimney recently and not said anything, you're probably doing fine.
Going forward, there are absolutely no plans to ban or restrict the use of solid fuel appliances. If you're burning locally sourced logs you're burning a renewable resource; logs from small local suppliers in London are generally waste from tree surgery which is then seasoned to reduce moisture content. If it isn't burnt on your fire, it'll be incinerated. There needn't be any guilt associated with using your fire. If you use it properly with the right fuels, the emissions should and will be very low, and smoke minimal to non existent.
Ps. It would be really helpful if you could share this, so the media don't demonise an entire industry based on untruths! Thank you.
