Wood Burning Stove UK Rules: What To Know Before Getting One

If you have or are thinking about purchasing a wood-burning stove for your home, you might have seen a lot of worrying information in the news recently. Can you be fined £300 for using your wood burner to warm your home? What should you keep in mind when installing a wood burner if you want to be kinder to the planet and ensure you’re not contributing to air pollution throughout the UK?

What Are The Rules?

Currently, there are rules in place to regulate the use of wood burning stoves in Smoke Control Areas across the UK. A Smoke Control Area is a built-up area, and this applies to most cities and towns across the country. If you are considering ordering an installing a stove from Stonewoods, understanding whether or not you live in a Smoke Control Area will help you determine the kind of stove you need. In a Smoke Control Area, your chimney must not emit more than 5g/hour of smoke currently – and this is set to be reduced further in the near future. If your stove meets these requirements, you won’t be fined for using it.

What’s The Best Stove For A Smoke Control Zone?

If you live in a UK Smoke Control Zone, the good news is that you can still heat your home with a stove. However, you’ll need to consider a few things to ensure you’re in line with the regulations. The type of stove you use is important. If you want to burn wood, you should get a ‘DEFRA approved’ stove. These have been tested and proven to release minimal emissions when burning wood. If your stove is not DEFRA approved, you can’t legally burn wood, but you can burn smokeless coal. In this case, you’ll need a multi-fuel stove.

What Can You Burn In A Smoke Control Zone?

The type of fuel that you burn makes a huge difference to the clean burning and emissions level of your stove. In a Smoke Control Zone, there are restrictions on the type of fuel you can burn. With a DEFRA-approved stove, you’ll be able to burn wood – but not just any wood. Get wood that is seasoned or kiln-dried, untreated, and with a moisture content of no more than 20%. Look for the Woodsure logo – this gives you peace of mind that your wood is ready to burn safely and efficiently.

How To Reduce Chimney Emissions

Along with using the right stove and fuel, there are several things you can do to reduce emissions from your chimney. One of the most important things to do is keep your chimney clean and well-maintained. A professional chimney sweep should be booked at least once annually – the best time to do this is just before, or just after a period of inactivity such as at the beginning of the winter or summer months. Regular cleaning reduces the build-up of creosote in the chimney, a substance that not only increases pollution but heightens the risk of chimney fires.

Wood burning stoves are becoming more and more popular – don’t let the recent news about fines put you off if you’re thinking of getting one. As long as you use the right stove and the right fuel, you’ll be within the law.