Modern wood burning stoves and fireplaces provide low carbon and low emission heating using renewable and sustainable fuel. However, through a combination of reported misconceptions and lack of awareness, these appliances are often portrayed as negative and responsible for contributing much more particulate emissions than they actually do.
Misconception 1
The first of these misconceptions is the notion that woodburning stoves are the biggest cause of small particulate matter in the UK. According to the Stove Industry Alliance, at the root of this myth is a statement within Defra’s Clean Air Strategy that says domestic combustion accounts for 38% of fine particulate matter. This number was based on a government survey in 2015 which incorrectly over-estimated the amount of wood being burnt on stoves and fireplaces in the UK.
A much larger survey carried out in 2019 showed the true figure was less than a third of what the
