Are Wood Burners Bad For The Environment? Well, It Depends

Wood burners, also known as log burners, have been used for many centuries and comes with many benefits. They are cost-effective, uses renewable energy, and sometimes is the only fuel source available if you live remotely or do not wish to buy fuel from the central grid. With so many variations to choose from, from the traditional wood burners to cooktop stoves to sleek, contemporary ones, they're a great way of getting a lot of heat distributed to your home and keeping your family warm. 

That said, in recent years, people have started to think that wood burners are bad for the environment. Whether or not they depend on several things, including their age and the age of their design, where they're placed, and what sort of fuel is being used. 

Are Wood Burners Bad For The Environment?

In short - no. Wood burners are not bad, and you can safely use a wood burner in a smoke controlled area if your appliance meets all the GOV requirements. Not sure if your wood burner is safe to use? Read more about it here. The wood burners that give wood burning a bad name tend to be older models that do not meet the current regulations. So long as yours does and you use it in the recommended way, you won't have to worry whether your wood burner or wood burners are bad for the environment. 

Are You Planning To Install A New Wood Burner?

Before purchasing a new wood burner, ask if it's DEFRA (Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) certified. Approved appliances include wood-burning and multi-fuel stoves. These have been rigorously tested and demonstrate low smoke emissions when used by the manufacturer's instructions and with the recommended fuel. 

Are You Using An Old Wood Burner?

Even if GOV standards do not approve it, you can still make sure it's kept up to date to minimise the risk of catching fire and reduce air pollution while using it. Here's the list of most commonly asked questions regarding burning answered 'Log Burners, DEFRA and Smokeless Fires: Your Questions Answered The most important thing about wood burners!'

What You Burn Is As Important As Where You Burn It

In the end, it's all about what you burn and how you take care of your burner. This is why we always recommend the use of kiln-dried firewood or purpose-made heat logs. Everyone likes to save money, but when it comes to your health and pollution, this is not the time to cut corners. Cheaper (wet wood) and free (old bits of furniture, leftovers from a construction site, chemically treated wood, household rubbish is a big NO) wood fuels don't necessarily equal to 'win-win' in the long term. 

Wet wood (rather than kiln-dried, or at least 3 years air dried) increases the amount of pollution you create through soot and smoke, and it will clog up your chimney flue. This is why the government imposed the 'Ready to Burn' standard for anyone that wants to buy wood for burning. Also, make sure you arrange a chimney sweep at least twice a year to reduce the risk of chimney fires. Here's a short guide for you before you hire your chimney sweeper 'Everything You Need To Know About Hiring A Chimney Sweep'.

We would also recommend that you take steps to prevent creosote from building up in your chimney. Creosote is a highly flammable residue that builds up as more and more wood is burned. It can form in either a chimney or wood burner's flue, so preventing it from building up will help to ensure everything and everyone is as safe as can be. Preventing creosote from building up doesn't mean you shouldn't get your chimney regularly inspected and swept, but you ought to save money on the service as the process won't take as long.

The team at Lekto Wood Fuels are experts when it comes to using fire to heat homes safely. We are passionate about what we do and have designed a range of products to heat homes in a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly way.Lekto Heat Logs, for instance, have a moisture content of less than 9% to ensure they burn cleanly and are made to ensure rooms heat up quickly and stay warmer for longer.

Video by @my_hygge_house

Image by@cedar.tree.house