But what does this actually mean?

• STOVES ARE NOT GOING TO BE BANNED! 
• Rather, the burning of dry seasoned wood is now highlighted as the cleanest and most efficient fuel available
• The sale of coal and wet wood will be phased out as these produce the highest level of air pollution and are least efficient

We at Thaxted Stoves think this is a big step in the right direction for improving the way we heat our homes.

Many of the moves being legislated are actually here to help by improving the quality of fuel we burn in our homes. By encouraging the use of dry and seasoned wood, we are ensuring we are using the cleanest possible fuel to power our stoves.

By working with the government on this issue, the stove industry is ensuring that we can continue to burn solid fuel in a way that is sustainable, efficient and doesn’t pollute the air we breathe.

What Should You Do Now?

If you already have a wood burning stove:

• If you already have stove it’s time to put some thought into how clean and efficient your fuel is.
• If you are using house coal, find an alternative manufactured smokeless fuel to burn instead.
• If you are using unseasoned wood – or, worse still, old furniture, pallets or fence panels – start to make the change to suitable seasoned firewood.

If you are looking for a new wood burning stove:

Whether you are looking to buy a stove for the first time or want to replace an older model, take into consideration how clean burning and efficient your options are.

The best way to ensure your stove is producing minimal emissions is to invest in an Ecodesign stove. These actually already exceed the current European directive on how much air pollution wood burning stoves can make by up to 75%.

The environmentally-friendly option

The seemingly ever-increasing cost of heating a home alongside the awareness of the environmental impact that we are having on the planet has seen an increase in the installation of more environmentally-friendly methods of house heating.

The most efficient, most cost-effective and least environmentally damaging by some way is the wood burning stoves.

Wood is an abundant naturally-replenishing resource that is carbon neutral. This means that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by burning a log is the same amount as that given off were you to leave the tree to rot where it fell.

We must now take into account the fact that the carbon footprint of the wood being delivered by a local timber merchant is miniscule when compared to that of coal and oil which are extracted thousands of miles away, transferred on a variety of modes of transport and passed through the hands of numerous people before they arrive at your home!

Also as the costs of running your home continue to rise, the cost of wood at approximately 40% cheaper than oil is a rather appealing option.

Additionally, modern-day technological advancements allow the average wood burning stoves to operate at over 80% efficiency. This means that of the heat created by a wood burning stove, 80% radiates out into the room with only 20% being wasted up the chimney. When you compare this to a standard open fire, that has an efficiency of 15% (meaning that 85% of its heat goes out the chimney) the benefit of a wood burning stove for both the environment and your home are obvious.