Currently there is lots of misinformation regarding wood burning stoves so we thought we'd clear the air.
Wood burning stoves are NOT being banned and remain a cozy, efficient and environmental friendly way of heating our homes.
FACT: Burning dry wood on an Ecodesign compliant stove, accounts for less than 0.3% of the total UK PM2.5 emissions.
Modern stoves are built to the highest environmental standards offering you more warmth with less wood and smoke. If used correctly, an Ecodesign stove will emit up to 90% less emissions than an open fire and up to 80% less than many older stove models.
FACT: Bonfire night created around 7.4 times more PM2.5 emissions than all the correctly burning Ecodesign stoves in an entire year.
Studies show that coming home to a wood burning stove can lower stress levels and boost endorphins. What can beat the image of drinking a glass of wine by a glowing fire?
FACT: Burning toast can produce 24 more PM2.5 than burning an Ecodesign stove. Using an air fryer can produce over 200 times more!
With correct installation, a high quality chimney, regular maintenance and , by using good quality, sustainably sourced, dry wood on an Ecodesign stove then you can save money and also reduce your carbon footprint. A wood burning stove is a safe and reliable heat source for your home.
FACT: Smoking a cigarette produces 4.7 times more PM2.5 than an Ecodesign stove burning dry wood.
A lot of the current data shows us wood burning stoves produce large amounts of particulate matter however wood burning stoves are generalised with all combustion. In reality this means a modern Ecodesign stove emissions numbers are placed along side open fires, outdoor barbeques, out door bonfires, biomass power stations and even crematoriums! There are stoves on the market that produce such tiny amounts of particulates that burning 1 open fire produces the same amount as burning 300 Ecodesign stoves!
Since 1970 the UK has been recording it's air quality which has been improving nearly year on year. Within this time frame, 2 big global issues effected the stove industry, the first being the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008 and the Energy crisis in 2021. Prior to 2008 around 40,00 stoves were sold within the UK annually. After the collapse this increased to around 110,000 stove sales as people raced to provide their own energy security. Particulate matter continued to drop afterwards until it reached it's current plateau. In 2023 the stove industry sold nearly 300,000 stoves with no noticeable increase in particulate emissions proving on both occasions that wood burning stoves are not the issue.
How is wood carbon neutral we hear you ask? As a tree grows it collects CO2 which is then released back into the atmosphere when it either dies, rots or if it is burnt for fuel. Correct woodland management is vital for our forests and wildlife. It is essential for a deciduous forest to be thinned out. This allows the stronger trees to grow, more light to reach the forest floor creating biodiversity and promoting health. If the thinned out or dead trees are not turned into logs for fuel then they will have to be chipped and burned anyway releasing all the CO2 back in to the atmosphere pointlessly.
Now you know the facts, what's stopping you from purchasing an Ecodesign stove and enjoying all the comfort and ambience that comes with it. Why not turn your house into a home?
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