The Stove Industry Association (SIA) fundamentally disagrees with Global Action Plan’s (GAP) recommendation for an outright ban on domestic wood burning as outlined in its latest report.
Domestic wood burning consists of different activities which can include:
- Heating the home in open fires, old stoves and in modern Ecodesign compliant and Smoke Control Area exempt appliances.
- Cooking
- Outdoor burning in firepits and chimeneas
- Bonfires for garden (green) waste
Outdoor burning in firepits and chimeneas is highly inefficient. Bonfires are uncontrolled combustion and are wasting a resource (green waste) that could be used to produce compost and biogas. Many councils have schemes for collecting this already.
Domestic wood burning is different. This provides heat in the space the householder wants it without the cost of heating the whole house. Using an open fire to burn wood is inefficient (typically only 20-30% efficient). Burning wood on a modern Ecodesign compliant stove is a very different story. These are precision engineered appliances that can achieve efficiencies of up to 87%+. This means they burn far less fuel for the same amount of heat and produce up to 90% less particulate matter emissions compared to an open fire while doing so.
A far more effective and deliverable route to improving air quality lies in regulating outdoor burning (which could account for approximately 46% of particulate matter emissions currently being recorded as originating from domestic solid fuel) and by encouraging the replacement of open fires and older stoves with Ecodesign compliant ones.
Implementing a UK-wide Smoke Control Area (SCA) framework with greater enforcement, supporting the replacement of older appliances, and investing in consumer education on best burning practice will significantly improve air quality.
Taken together, these measures have the potential to deliver greater reductions in particulate emissions in a shorter timeframe than the total prohibition modelled in GAP’s “no secondary burning” scenario.
Smoke Control Areas Work – and Should Be Extended Nationwide
The SIA has long supported a nationwide Smoke Control Area, aligned with the approach used in GAP’s own Scenario 1. Properly implemented and enforced, this framework would ensure that only high-efficiency, low-emission solid fuel appliances and authorised fuels are used across the UK.
Smoke Control Areas already provide local authorities with the mechanism to control poor-quality burning while still allowing responsible, modern stove use. Extending these measures across the country, with clear enforcement and public awareness, would immediately address the most polluting forms of domestic burning; particularly open fires and old, pre-Ecodesign stoves.
Replacing Old Appliances Delivers Rapid and Lasting Gains
UK-specific modelling undertaken by the CERIC Laboratory (January 2025) shows that modernisation of the appliance base is the single most effective way to reduce emissions. Its study shows that replacing open fires and older stoves with Ecodesign-compliant models and using dry* wood fuel could cut PM2.5 emissions from domestic burning in the UK by around 75% by 2035.
The modelling by CERIC Laboratory not only factors in an overall increase in the number of wood burning appliance installed in the UK, it also suggests that there would a 30% decrease in biomass consumption thanks to the efficiency improvements gained by using modern appliances.
Furthermore, CERIC predicts that wood log consumption for secondary heating in the UK will be equivalent to 17TWh; heat energy that would otherwise be needed from the grid during peak demand.
This is a practical, evidence-based route to cleaner air, and one that can be accelerated through government-supported appliance-replacement schemes and incentives for consumers to upgrade.
Consumer Education and Fuel Quality Are Crucial
Modern stoves achieve their low-emission potential only when used correctly with dry* wood and when they are installed and maintained correctly. Continued investment in education and awareness campaigns, building on successful initiatives such as Burnright and Ready to Burn, will ensure users know how to operate their stoves efficiently and responsibly. The Kantar report commissioned by Defra in 2019 highlighted improved user behaviour when a new stove is purchased.
The introduction of the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) Regulations 2021, which prohibit the sale of wet wood and house coal, has already driven measurable improvement. With sustained consumer engagement, further progress can be achieved without penalising responsible stove owners.
A Domestic Wood Burning Ban Would Be Counter-Productive
Global Action Plan’s “Scenario 2”, in which all secondary burning ceases, is both unrealistic and socially regressive. Recent research by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on Understanding secondary heating behaviours demonstrates that:
- Millions of households rely on secondary heating, such as wood stoves, for flexibility, affordability and comfort.
- Secondary systems provide vital resilience during cold weather and energy-price volatility and offer true off-grid security to homes.
- Many households are not in a position to eliminate secondary heating entirely, as it compensates for the limitations of their primary systems.
A blanket ban would therefore disadvantage households that depend on stoves for cost control and energy security, while failing to distinguish between modern and outdated forms of burning. A ban on sales of new appliances would be worse as then householders would continue to use the older technology.
A Smarter Path to Cleaner Air
The SIA calls for a national strategy that focuses on upgrading, not outlawing, domestic wood burning that includes:
- UK-wide Smoke Control Areas
- Government-supported appliance replacement
- Consumer education on correct fuel, installation, operation and maintenance.
This combination of measures would deliver the same or greater emissions reductions than an outright ban — but without undermining consumer choice, energy resilience, or the rural economy that supports the UK’s sustainable wood-fuel supply chain.
In summary:
“Modernisation, not prohibition, is the fastest and fairest way to improve air quality linked to domestic wood burning.”
*When we refer to “dry” wood fuel, we mean wood that has been correctly seasoned, or kiln dried to between 10-20% moisture content. This moisture content range is in keeping with BSEN13240 (Requirements and test methods for roomheaters fired by solid fuel) which requires test wood fuel to be between 12-20% moisture content). The simplest way for consumers to be sure is to only purchase wood fuel that is Ready to Burn certified, or, when self-seasoning, to thoroughly check with a moisture metre before burning.
By The Stove Industry Assocation.
