Do wood burners cause pollution and is it worth buying one?

Are they worth the expense of installing - and what do they cost to run? 

More and more of us wouldn't be without our wood burners. Lob a few logs on and the lazy wind can blow as cold as it likes.

But while burners might be the toast of those who love cottage chic, they've been blamed for causing dangerous pollution - and there are even calls to ban them.

Wood burning stoves have become a hot topic as energy prices rocket (Image: Nick Butcher)

Do wood burners cause pollution?

Yes, but nowhere near as much as they used to. And if you burn the right fuel, in a modern stove, you send out a fraction of the nasties emitted by the old-fashioned open fire.

But we're still talking 335g of carbon per MWh of power, according to the latest annual air pollution report from Prof Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical officer, who became a household name during the Covid pandemic.

That's a lot more than an oil-powered boiler (5.4g), a gas-fired appliance (0.72g) or an electric one (zilch).

A graphic from the chief medical officer's 2022 air pollution report, showing carbon emissions for different forms of heating (Image: Department of Health and Social Care)

"Solid fuels are by far the most polluting method of domestic heating, and wood burning has increased in popularity over recent years," says Prof Whitty.

"Reasons for burning wood and other solid fuels vary, and include aesthetic as well as practical, ecological or economic reasons.

"For air pollution emissions, there is a substantial difference between the different open fire and stove designs, the age of the appliance and how well maintained it is, and the moisture content of the wood, for those who want to burn wood.

Are burners worth the bother..? (Image: Bill Smith)

"In urban areas, burning wood has the potential to worsen local air quality significantly."

The Stove Industry Association (SIA) said the report gave "a balanced and far-reaching commentary on the topic of air pollution and air quality".

Its chair Andy Hill said: “We are pleased that the report recognises the huge advances in stove appliance technology that have been driven by the Ecodesign regulations and that it calls for the Clean Air Act requirements for smoke control areas to be properly adhered to. 

Are wood burning stoves better on our pockets but still bad for the environment? (Image: Antony Kelly)

"The report also highlights potentially ground-breaking new technology in some industries, and, similarly, the stove industry continues to develop and invest in new technology to reduce emissions even further.”

Should wood burners be banned?

There would be an uprising in rural Norfolk if wood burners were banned.

But pressure group Mums for Lungs thinks they should be. It says booming sales of wood burners have fuelled an increase in particulate pollution - tiny particles which can lodge deep in the linings of the lung causing a slew of health problems.

They include asthma, allergies, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder), pulmonary fibrosis and an increased risk of lung cancer.

Mums for Lungs claims wood burning generates more of the tiniest, most dangerous particles than emissions from vehicles.

Mums for Lungs claims emissions of some particulates from wood burning now pose a greater health risk than vehicle exhausts (Image: Archant)

And it argues new clean air restrictions banning some kinds of coal and the sale of so-called "wet wood" in 2021, along with the advent of eco stoves have not gone far enough.

It wants to phase out the sale of new wood stoves by 2027 and ban the use of wood burners unless they are the only source of household heat by 2032 at the latest. 

It's also calling for stoves to carry health warnings and urging consumers to limit their use.

Defra says particulate emissions have fallen by 11pc since 2010, adding: “We are taking steps to cut air pollution from household burning by introducing legislation which restricts the sale of the most polluting solid fuels, such as wet wood and coal – and encouraging the use of cleaner fuels in the home."

How much do wood burners cost to buy?

An installer runs a lining down a chimney flue for a wood burner (Image: Chris Bishop)

You can pay anything from £1,500 upwards for a basic stove. Reckon on at least the same again to install it, depending on what other work needs doing.

If you live in a house which has a chimney, you'll need to have the flue lined unless the property has already been home to a burner. Even so it might still need replacing.

If you're chimney-less or it's in the wrong place for where you intend to site your hearth warmer, you'll need a pipe installed through a wall and up.

You may also need to line your fireplace with heat-resistant sheeting.

And you'll doubtless want log baskets. Plus a companion set and other accessories - like heat-proof gloves.  

What do wood burners cost to fuel?

Wood stacked to be seasoned for burning (Image: Adrian Judd)

Seasoned wood logs are now the cheapest domestic heating fuel, costing households 74pc less per KWh than electric heating and 21pc less than gas according to the SIA.

It says using a modern wood burning stove also costs 29pc less to run than an air source heat pump.

SIA chair Andy Hill said: "Burning good quality wood for heat in a modern Ecodesign stove offers a wealth of benefits that will not only help households manage the cost-of-living squeeze and mitigate the risks posed by winter power cuts, but will also help the UK meet its ambitious targets on carbon reduction and energy consumption."

Logs cost upwards of £200 a load, depending on the amount you buy and whether they are seasoned or kiln-dried.

The latter is more expensive. But they burn better and emit less pollutants if you use a stove which conforms to the latest regulations on the correct settings.

You can also collect your own, or buy logs from freshly-felled trees.

But you'll have to season them for at least a year before you go reaching for the matches.