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Avoid the impacts of wood burners and stay warm

We all want to stay warm during the cold season, and many of us rely on fire to do so. In fact, about 2.7 million homes in the UK have an open fire or wood burner (Ideal home – Wood burners and health) – that’s how much we love a good fire.

However, open fire and wood-burning stoves are bad for our health, wallet, and the planet. Domestic burning is the single biggest source of harmful small-particle air pollution in the UK, and wood burning accounts for 75% of these emissions (Global Action Plan – The true cost of woodburning).

Still, there are alternative options that you can choose from, such as burning wood with lower moisture content or switching to electric fire, gas fires, or bioethanol burners (or even getting rid of the stove and just using central heating!).

There are alterntive fuels you can swtich to lower your risk of heart and lung disease, diabetes, dementia, bladder cancer, and brittle bones. In addition to health benefits, being mindful of how you stay warm at home can also have other benefits for your household and neighbours. These include:

  • Improving the air you and your neighbours breathe.
  • Keeping you and your family safe by reducing the risk of fire.
  • Improving the efficiency of the stove: getting the most warmth with less fuel means less particulate matter and smaller cost.
  • Saving money: Using wood burners is 15% more expensive than other forms of heating.
  • Protecting nature: Prevent the increasing levels of acidity in our rivers and decline in nature.