A smoke control area is a legally defined area where you cannot emit a substantial amount of smoke from a chimney. You can be issued a financial penalty of between £175 to £300 if you break this rule. You must not buy an unauthorised fuel for use in a smoke control area unless it is to be used in an exempt appliance.
Do I live in a smokeless zone UK?
Contact your local council to find out if you live in a smoke control area. The environmental services department will be able to help you.
How do you know if you are in a smokeless zone?
Firewood is not an authorised fuel and cannot be used in smokeless zones, unless burnt on a DEFRA exempt appliance (see below). To find out if your property is within a smokeless zone, you will need to speak to your local council, who set the zones and are responsbile for enforcement.
Can you have a garden fire in a smokeless zone?
“Smokeless zones do NOT deal in any way with smoke from bonfires. Smokeless zones are an area in which only smokeless fuel can be burnt (in domestic or commercial properties – for heating or commercial purposes). For example, using house coal in a smokeless zone is illegal, as would be burning unseasoned wood.
Can you have a wood burning stove in a smokeless zone?
You must use a DEFRA Approved Stove to burn wood in a smoke control area. Sometimes also referred to as ‘DEFRA Exempt’ stoves, DEFRA stoves are appliances that have been tested to ensure they produce minimal levels of smoke.
Will I still be able to use my log burner after 2022?
Can I still use my wood burning stove from 2022? The answer is yes! This is a question that gets asked a lot, and it’s easy to misread some of the headlines about wood burners and think that it spells the end of the enjoyment of owning a wood burner.
Can you burn coffee logs in a smokeless zone?
They confirmed that, as with natural wood logs, Coffee Logs are not by default deemed to be a smokeless fuel. The difference is that unlike with natural wood logs, which you can burn on a DEFRA-exempt stove in a Smoke Control Area, you can’t do this with Coffee Logs.
Can you burn coal in a smokeless zone?
Open fires in smokeless zones
Any fuel burned on an open fire in a Smoke Control Area must be an “authorised fuel”. This is because you are only allowed to burn smokeless coals or anthracite. You will be committing an offence if you burn wood logs, wood products or normal “house coal”.
What are the new rules for log burners?
Now, all domestic burners need to use smokeless fuel (with a low moisture content). Make sure you use “Ready to Burn” fuels. These are combustibles with a moisture content of 20% or less. It applies to everything you burn: wood, coal, and eco fuels (but most eco fuels will already comply – check the label).
Can I burn wood in my garden?
You should only burn dried materials, such as paper and untreated wood. Dry garden waste is also safe to burn—for example, dry leaves and old plant cuttings. Other dry waste that doesn’t have any chemical or similar substances in them.
What can you burn that is smokeless?
Smokeless fuels serve as a potential replacement for fuels such as coal, which produce smoke upon combustion. Examples of smokeless fuels are anthracite, coke, charcoal and hexamine fuel tablets. Smoke-free carbonaceous fuels are usually supplied in the form of standard pillow-shaped briquettes.
Can you burn wood in a smokeless fire pit?
Most typical smokeless fire pits burn wood. You’ll want to use seasoned wood—that means it has had time to dry out over six or more months. Wood that’s still green or wet will burn more slowly and may produce smoke even if you use it in a smokeless fire pit.
Are wood burning hot tubs legal in the UK?
The answer is yes. You are allowed a wood burning hot tub in a holiday home. However, the rules controlling their use become even stricter than with an electric hot tub.
Do you need planning permission for a woodburner?
You do not necessarily need planning permission to install a wood stove. However, the law states that you need to let your local authority know about your intentions to install any heating appliance. Planning permission only becomes relevant if you plan on making structural modifications to the building.
Are wood burners legal in UK?
If you have a stove (or are having one fitted) it must be DEFRA approved. You should only burn dry wood or approved smokeless fuel.
How much does it cost to install a log burner 2022 UK?
What is this? If you have an existing chimney in your home, to have a wood-burning stove installed you can expect costs of between £700 to £2,000, depending on the model you choose.
Does a log burner increase house value?
Having a log burner installed in your home is a big pull for potential buyers, and it’s widely suggested that a log burner could increase the value of your home by as much as 5%.
Is a log burner cheaper than gas?
As you’ve probably already spotted, that’s considerably less than what many people are now paying for gas and electricity on an annual basis. In fact, it means that a wood burning stove costs about a third of the price of electric heating and approximately 13% less than gas central heating for the average household.
Do smokeless fire pits still smell?
Because smokeless fire pits greatly reduce the smoke produced by the fire, you won’t notice much of a smoke smell around the fire or on your clothes. According to Hancock, smoke is particulates of unburned wood, and these particulates are burned off in the secondary combustion process used in smokeless fire pits.
Can you use a chiminea in a smokeless zone?
You can use outdoor barbecues, chimineas, fireplaces or pizza ovens. Any other appliances that release smoke through a chimney of a building – e.g. a summerhouse – can only burn authorised fuel or must be exempt.
What makes smokeless logs smokeless?
What makes it smokeless? The key to a smokeless fuel is its lack of volatile materials. Volatile matter in fuel refers to certain compounds and elements that are released when the fuel is burnt. The higher the amount of volatile materials, the greater amount of smoke that is released.