The Stove Industry Association (SIA) are today reporting that the government do not intend to ban wood burning stoves in new homes under the Future Homes Standard.
Just weeks after we reported that Scottish campaigners feared the government would row back on its commitment to rid homes of wood burners, this will come as a blow to campaigners in England.
The statement was made by the Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government in response to a letter sent by the SIA on 6th February.
The statement reads: ‘the Government is currently working towards setting a new standard which will be called the Future Homes Standard and will ensure that its new homes are zero carbon ready, meaning that they will need no retrofitting to become zero carbon in use as the electricity grid decarbonises.
‘A full technical consultation on the Future Homes Standard was launched in December 2023 and closed in March 2024. Under the standards proposed in the consultation, a wood burning stove would be permitted as a secondary heating source in new homes.
‘The Government acknowledges that it is possible to significantly reduce the level of smoke emitted through domestic burning if the right fuels, appliances and practices are used.’
The Future Homes Standard mandates that new homes in England be designed for low-carbon heating and high energy efficiency. Essentially, such houses will be carbon neutral once the grid itself is decarbonised.
Despite the stated aims of the Standard, we already know that the proposed ban on gas boilers will not now be enforced and there is no indication that solar panels will be mandated. Essentially, this means the brave new world of housing could still be heated by gas boilers and wood stoves, rather than heat pumps and solar.
In response to the news Ben Pearce, Head of the Health Effects of Air Pollution programme at Impact on Urban Health said: ‘We are deeply concerned by the government’s decision to allow wood-burning stoves in new homes. This contradicts the Chief Medical Officer’s report, which points out that even modern ‘eco-design’ stoves emit 500 times more harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5) than gas boilers.
‘Wood burning contributes to 43,000 premature deaths annually in the UK, disproportionately affecting urban and lower-income communities, and posing a serious threat to children’s health. This outdated practice should have no place in our homes or our future.’
image: James Feaver
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