Since January 2022, all new solid fuel stoves sold in the UK must be certificated in order to be Ecodesign compliant. This EU standard, adopted by our government, raised base level efficiency of stoves to 75% and set limits on four significant air pollutants.
Of these four, particulate matter, which is produced from several sources, e.g. road transport, combustion, industrial processes and domestic combustion (including emissions from solid fuel stoves and open fires), has been of significant concern.
Compared to 1990 levels, pollutants have decreased by over 40% and this can be attributed to a number of factors. Various surveys and fact- finding endeavours point to the popularity of wood burning over coal, smokeless and anthracite. The establishment of Woodsure (a quality assurance scheme for firewood) and the banning of domestic sales of bitumous or house coal, have played a part.
Popularity
The popularity of stoves over open fires is probably the single biggest contributor to this decrease. Open fires rarely achieve a net efficiency in excess of 30%, whereas stoves conforming to the new Ecodesign standards begin at 75% and some, such as Burley, achieve 90%+. This results in less loading, less fuel burnt, fewer particulates and a more satisfying user experience.
Despite figures from the Stove Industry Association showing record stove sales of around 200 000 in 2022, up 40% on 2021, particulate pollution accredited to domestic combustion fell by 4%. In fact, the average Ecodesign stove produces fewer particulates in an hour of burning, than the tyres of a family car produce in two miles of driving.
Information
Information is better than in the dark days of 1990. OFTEC began its competent person scheme in 2002, HETAS in 2005, while others such as NAPIT and NICEIC followed, creating a pool of knowledgeable engineers and fitters. DEFRA have published an England-wide Smoke Control Area map ending the reliance on individual councils.
Organisations such as the SIA do a good job of turning complex statistics into easily digestible facts, rating stoves on a simple scaleto allow consumers to assess the environmental impact at a glance, with its clearSkies scheme.
The message from this is clear: right stove, right fuel, accredited fitter and good customer information can ensure solid fuel is part of a renewable clean air future and as the SIA state: “Last year this clearly showed that PM2.5 emissions from Ecodesign stoves burning dry wood fuel accounted for less than 0.1% of the UK total.”
Andy Genovese trained in solid fuel in 2010 and has traded as Hove Wood Burners since then. Operating from his premises in Hove, Andy has three part-time employees. Self-taught, Andy has also trained four other installers and specialised in antique appliances for a while. He mostly operates in and around Brighton and Hove but has worked as far afield as South Wales, Cornwall and Birmingham.
