Burn Better: Use cleaner fuels and regular chimney maintenance is key to reducing pollution from open fires and stoves used for domestic burning.
To reduce emissions and to improve our people’s health, the “Burn Better” campaign is appealing to those with a wood burning stove or open fire in their homes to act now and follow some simple steps to improve air quality.
Properly drying freshly cut wood or servicing the stove and chimney regularly makes a real difference to the air we breathe in the home. With the use of better fuels will result in more heat for your home space, as well as less smoke and less soot – this is a more pleasant experience for the homeowner and reduces maintenance costs.
The ‘Burn Better’ campaign provides advice to improve the way you burn, such as:
- Choose the cleanest fuels: Before you purchase, do make sure you check what fuels are suitable for your appliance. When buying wood, look out for the ‘ready to burn’ logo and make sure you store it in a dry place. Choosing manufactured solid fuel such as fire logs or briquettes, choose a brand that indicates that it’s ‘suitable for use in smoke-controlled areas’ these give off less smoke.
- Ready to burn wood: Burning dry wood will produce less smoke and more heat. When you are producing your own logs for burning, store them in a dry area. This allows them to air dry for at least 12 months. Ensure you do a moisture check before making use of your logs. The water contents of the logs should be 20% or less.
- Service your stove: To ensure that your appliance performs well, you should get your stove serviced at least twice a year and use less fuel to produce more heat.
- Keeping your chimney safe: Chimney fires are a result of a build-up of flammable tar. Most chimney fires are preventable and are largely due to infrequent sweeping. Having your chimney swept or serviced is just as important.