Are Stoves Going to be Banned?

I've heard that stoves are going to be banned, is this true?

The short answer is 'no'. Absolutely not.

Wood burning has certainly received some bad press recently, linking it to poor air quality. The Mayor of London was even said to be considering banning stoves in the city. Unfortunately some journalists have a habit of ignoring facts that get in the way of a headline-grabbing story and sadly, this also applies to the quality press in this instance. At no point did the Mayor of London ever say that stoves were going to be banned. In fact, by way of an apology for this press misquote, the Mayor's Office was happy to endorse some Ready to Burn Wood advertising in the London Evening Standard (February 2018) to help set the record straight (see below).

The Mayor of London is quite rightly keen to control the two biggest contributors of wood burning emissions – illegal wood burning in open fires in London's Smoke Control Areas and the burning of highly polluting wet wood anywhere in the capital. With this endorsement there is a recognition that Defra Approved and Ecodesign Ready (and now ClearSkies) stoves, as well as encouraging the use of dry seasoned wood, can be a major part of the solution to wood burning emissions and one which doesn't deprive people of the pleasure and economic benefits they get from using wood burners to heat their homes.

Defra, who are ultimately responsible for the country's air quality, have no plans to ban wood burning stoves either. In fact they too have set the record straight once and for all with 2020's Air Quality regulations proposals. In the introduction they clearly state that 'we are not banning stoves... and... do not seek to prevent their use or installation'.

Better still, in February 2021 Defra put their money where there mouth is and relaunched their Burn Better campaign via social media and editorial articles in Country Living, House Beautiful and Good Housekeeping as well as producing some great  animated videos. The clear message of all of this is to encourage people to burn the correct fuels (no wet wood and no smoky coal), get their appliances regularly serviced and their chimneys swept at least once a year. When you think about it, it's not really much to ask if it allows us to keep our stoves and to continue to benefit from genuine energy independence as well as a simple sustainable heating solution that doesn't require electricity, sophisticated technology or expensive installation.

To find out more about Defra and Burn Better, as well as to see their videos, please click here