Can I install a wood-stove if I live in a “Smoke Control Area”?

End of summer beginning of autumn is the time of year that we whack up the central heating, adjust the thermostat and, if we are city dwellers, try and pretend the gas-effect fire is a real one, logs in the basket and all.

Open fires in inner-city homes have become largely a thing of the past.  It began with the banning of the coal fires that caused the lethal London ‘pea soupers’ of the 1950s.  As our understanding of the impact of domestic fuel on our health and environment has continued to improved, regulations covering what we are and aren't allowed to burn, particularly in densely populated areas, have become increasingly stringent.

Even now it is estimated that 22% of the smoke in our atmosphere is produced by private homes. The chances are that if you live in an inner city you are in a designated Smoke Control Area, with the local authority dictating what can and can't go up the chimney.  But all this regulation doesn't stop many of us hankering for a real fire, one that takes time and skill to build, gives off real heat and the smell of the snug room of a country pub.  We are also increasingly turning against central heating, not just because of the rising cost of gas and oil but also because we now know that they dry out our skin, houses and even furnishings.

The new generation of wood-burners have they cut emissions to virtually zero which means they can be installed in Smoke Control Areas.  If you want to know if you live in a Smoke Control Area, either contact the Environmental Health department of your local council or visit the UK Smoke Control Areas website http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/smoke_control/locations.php

Many of the latest wood-stoves carry the Swan Mark or DEFRA stamp which means that they have been tested to exacting European standards for both heating efficiency and emissions and are approved for use in Smoke Control Areas.  The UK Smoke Control Areas website also lists all the approved ‘exempt appliances’ (wood-burners) which are authorised for use in Smoke Control Areas http://www.uksmokecontrolareas.co.uk/appliances.php