WOOD BURNERS NEW REGULATIONS
Air pollution is a significant problem in the UK and wood burners are seen to be a major contributor.
As part of the Government’s ‘Clean Air Strategy’, the UK will be following Ecodesign 2022 (A Europe-wide programme of rules to limit the emissions of wood-burners and multi-fuel stoves.)
What will change?
- New rules outlaw the sale of the most polluting fuels and ensures only the cleanest burning stoves are sold from 2022.
- Wood burned must be dry
- Domestic burners need to use smokeless fuel
- Penalties have been introduced, from March 2023 expect to pay up to £300 in England if your council decides your burner releases too much smoke. This could rise to £1000 for unauthorised fuel burned in smoke-controlled areas
- Building regulations need to be met, via either a certificate of compliance from a HETAS installer or having sought approval from your local authority if fitted by a non-HETAS installer
- If choosing to line your chimney it must follow the relevant regulations
- Hearths for a wood burner must be a non-combustible material and of a certain size: extended at least 300mm to the front; 150mm to the sides; full hearth size should be at least 840x840mm; at least 12mm thick, increasing to 250mm for untested hearths or ones that reach over 100ºC
- Carbon monoxide alarms must be fitted in rooms with wood burners – carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal; the fumes are odourless, so an alarm is necessary for safety.
