There are two main types of appliances used to burn wood in the home in the UK; open fires and closed fronted stoves. Open fires account for over 72% of the 19.79 (‘000 tonnes) of PM2.5 being attributed to domestic combustion and almost 18% of total UK PM2.5 emissions.

Commenting on the latest data Andy Hill, chair of the Stove Industry Alliance, said: “We welcome the revisions to the Government’s statistics on PM2.5 from domestic combustion sources that have been announced. The SIA has long maintained that the volume of wood fuel used to calculate the previous figure had been significantly overestimated, and this has now been officially acknowledged.”

“There is huge potential to lower PM2.5 emissions from domestic combustion even further by encouraging homeowners to upgrade their open fires to an Ecodesign stove, such as a clearSkies certified appliance. These stoves produce up to 90% less particulate matter emissions than an open fire so the further reduction in emissions levels that could be achieved is significant. A professionally installed, regularly serviced modern Ecodesign stove used with correctly seasoned wood fuel is a very low carbon, low emission, sustainable and cost-effective way to heat our homes.”