Wood burner ban...

We live rurally in Scotland and it is a must have for the regular winter power cuts. We are also off mains gas so it’s a much cheaper way of heating than our LPG tank.

We have a modern stove, keep it free of ash, burn seasoned wood and make sure we are getting a good hot burn before turning down the vent to slow the fire. I don’t notice anything negative about air quality either in or outside of our house. I think good fire management makes a difference to air quality

We used to have one, came with the house. We used it a bit but logs were a fortune!

We did get some eco stuff made out of coffee grounds and olive stones. Not sure if that’s any better?

Wood is a renewable fuel, and one we can source ourselves.

We should be planting a lot more trees, is all.

I'm guessing here but splitting and stacking wood is almost an art form in Scandinavian countries, it's definitely a science and I don't think we have the same number of people who know how and understand the why of it. The way you split, stack and store would has a big effect on its moisture content. Well seasoned wood burns cleaner. If someone's chimney is belching foul smelling, black smoke it means they are burning rubbish wood, either it's wet or shouldn't be going into a burner/fireplace at all.

"People have been burning wood for heat since the beginning of time." Yes, and large numbers of them have died young.

YABU to make this thread and not give any kind of link to this 'call for a wood burner ban.'

Where did you even see this @BusyGreySnail ?

Because the population density here means we're all squished up against one another in big cities whereas in Norway it's a tiny population with vast expanses.

They have 14.6 people per square kilometre, we have roughly 280.

Periodically, people suggest it. Often people with ties to the fossil fuels industry.

They are connected to additional unnecessary deaths and a real backwards step..not chic and an ugly choice.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/23/wood-burners-linked-to-2500-deaths-a-year-in-the-uk-analysis-finds

Agree. If the grid fails for everything, and this is only when we allow woodburner use....

...where are all of the chimney sweeps suddenly going to come from to go round getting everyone's chimneys cleaned quickly so they can safely use their wood burner they havent touched in ages without setting the roof on fire?

Those people who say that dont understand them

I love mine. Just lit it in fact. Toasty!

When I got the log burner installed years ago, the government was promoting them as good for the environment. Now by changing nothing, I am apparently a world killer. Can't win.

From "Which": A 2019 review of research published by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ Environmental Committee links the inhalation of PM to conditions including:

• Heart and lung disease
• Diabetes
• Bladder cancer
• Brittle bones
• Fertility and foetal issues

Much needed incase of power cuts! An enclosed one is better with proper ventilation.
The government should be enocurging them as in a power cut in the winter we would all be in big trouble. Our gas and electricity not going to heat our homes or water.

Well obviously if it was said in The Crown it must be 100% irrefutable, TC was always so very accurate, wasn't it!!!

Posters on MN always go on about log burners and the climate etc but if you're using AI or you travel by plane for your holidays you're a hypocrite.

Those fuck-awful Yankie candles have been proven to cause lung cancer but loads of MN posters love those!

Britain currently only stores 5 days of gas. What would we do if, say, the pipeline from Norway was interfered with?

Staying warm in winter is necessary. Not staying warm is considerably more of a health hazard than wood burners.

I'm not a fan of wood burner myself though, and don't get why anyone has them when they have central heating. A wood burner is basically a hobby if you have central heating.

My neighbour has one (as well as central heating!) and she has her house for sale. 2 buyers (in 2 weeks) have been put off the house because of the wood burner.

People who champion these are very likely the same people who champion electric cars, and claim they are good for the environment, when electric cars are not much better than petrol and diesel ones. Electricity has to come from somewhere. You're still using energy dude!

No, I have a multi fuel and burn kiln dried oak and home fires ecoal. They have different uses at different times of day. You can only see smoke from my chimney when it's first lit, otherwise there is none or a tiny whisp of white smoke. My appliance is well maintained and I know how to run it cleanly for maximum efficiency.

Alcohol is the worst killer out of all intoxicants and linked to fertility issues, mental health issues, violence amd so many cancers and illnesses etc etc etc but don't see them banning alcohol!

I discovered last winter that wood-burners trigger my allergies horribly- I stayed for a week in a family member's rural house with a lovely log-burner, and by the third day I had constant rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis, I could hardly breathe or open my eyes. It was our only source of heat in the depths of January, so I had to suck it up, but it triggered a flare in my symptoms that lasted for four months- even fexofenadine barely touched it. It's such a shame that I likely won't be able to visit the house again in the wintertime.

I haven't noticed a huge impact from other people's wood-burners, but I have to admit I'm wary of going near them now.

That’s not a reasonable cost estimate. It’s like comparing buying one slice of cake in a cafe instead of a whole cake in a bakery. We buy a load of dried logs for about £120 and there are at least 300 chunks of wood in the pile. Bulk purchase is always going to be the cheapest.

I have an electric air filter in my living room since Covid, and it flares up when I light the burner but settles very quickly once the chimney is drawing. Indoor pollution is minimal but I do wonder where the smoke ends up.

Are you getting mixed up? Wood burners are presumably better for the climate than using electricity produced by coal, for example.
We're not talking about the climate here, we're talking about air pollution and its effect on health.
I agree with you that burning candles is a bad idea. It's seen as a real health problem in Denmark, where they burn loads of them.

Far too broad to say their deaths were caused by log burners. I'd like to see a breakdown of whether they smoked, vaped, used scented candles, what jobs they did, existing health issues.
Too many variables.

Out of 650,000 that die every year in the UK, 2500 is fuck all.

10,000 people die every year in the UK from drinking alcohol and nobody is talking about banning about that. 🙄

So the answer is we need less people 🙃👌🏻