Where are you getting your fuel for your log burner or open fire?
Did you know burning wet wood (wood not weathered for at least two years) can:
- Be harmful to your health. Wet wood contains moisture which creates smoke and harmful particulates when burnt.
- Produce less heat than dry weathered wood.
- Can produce up to 50% more emissions.
- Produce more soot and deposits in your chimney making you more susceptible to chimney fires.
Wood is not suitable for burning until it has been dried. Wet wood contains moisture which creates smoke and harmful particulates when burnt. As well as being harmful to your health and the environment, this can damage your stove and chimney and is an inefficient way to heat your home.
Burning at home, particularly with traditional house coal or wet wood, is a major source of the pollutant PM2.5 – tiny particles which can enter the bloodstream and lodge in lungs and other organs. PM2.5 has been identified by the World Health Organisation as the most serious air pollutant for human health.
People with log burners and open fires should buy cleaner fuels – if you’re not already – such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels which produce less smoke. Both of these cleaner options are just as easy to source and more efficient to burn, making them more cost effective. Burning dry wood also produces more heat and less soot than wet wood and can reduce emissions by up to 50%.
If you cut your own wood, or have purchased wet wood, dry it in a sunny, well-aired space for at least two years, keeping rain off in the winter.
Radial cracks and bark that comes off easily suggests wood that is ready for burning.
Since May 2021 there have also been legal restrictions with regards to selling wood and coal for fuel:
- Sales of bagged traditional house coal and wet wood in units under 2m3 (two fabric 'skip' bags) are now unlawful.
- Wet wood in larger volumes must be sold with advice on how to dry it before burning.
Look for the 'Ready to Burn' certification mark (see below) which helps consumers to easily identify solid fuels that are legal to burn at home in compliance with the new Air Quality Regulations.
For more information see:
