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New Regulations Spring 2021 HETAS

New solid fuel regulations

As of May 2021, new regulations come into force that restricts the sale of certain solid fuels with the possibility of enforcement for any breaches committed by members of the public or companies. This is much welcomed by Heritage Products as it ensures that all firewood sold across England is of a high standard. This ensures customers consistent quality and peace of mind that the product is safe to burn and not detrimental to health.

The only change we will have to make is to stop selling house coal from the aforementioned date as all our firewood is, and has been for some time, kiln-dried and Woodsure "Ready to Burn Certified". For those people that currently buy house coal fear not. We would recommend you switch to our Ecoal50 which is manufactured coal made out of 50% renewable material, crushed olive stones which is a natural byproduct of olive production, and other waste products such as coal dust. This product is superior to coal in that it produces 40% less CO2, 39% more heat, and 80% less smoke.

Why are these regulations coming into force?

Is this just more needless red tape? No, we do not believe it is. These regulations are vitally important to maintain quality air for your health, guaranteeing a safer, accident-free home and allowing customers a quality consistent product that burns efficiently.

Air pollution is an increasingly topical and important issue for many and keeping your fire burning clean is a small measure that can make a much larger impact when everyone is burning cleaner fuels. Reducing air pollution is not just beneficial to the environment, but the negative impact breathing low-quality air can have on one's health reads grimly. Domestic burning of solid fuels accounts for the largest and growing source of particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less AKA PM 2.5. There is a strong body of evidence linking increased mortality to long term exposure to these particulates. Burning wet wood releases more than almost 4 times more PM 2.5 into the air than kiln dried logs and 3 times more than house coal.

While most wood burners nowadays are considerably safer with regulation and modern materials more common, accidents can still happen, and avoiding dirty and dangerous fuels is a simple measure that can be taken to massively increase your fire safety. When you burn wet wood that contains more sap it gives off volatile gases and water vapor that condense when they reach the cooler chimney space leaving a tar residue which can build up and eventually catch and cause a chimney fire. Logs under 20% moisture content contain less sap and water vapor preventing tar build-up and keeping you and your family safe. We would also recommend you get your chimney swept and inspected by a chimney sweep every 6 months.

Safe, healthy and efficient logs

While keeping safe and healthy is highly important, saving your pennies and having a good product that does what it says on the tin is something we all want. When a tree is first felled the moisture content could be as high as 50%. In order for you to burn that wood efficiently and to get the maximum energy/heat output, you need that wood to be dried to a moisture content less than 20%. This can be done via kiln drying or natural air seasoning. The latter takes a lot longer than the former and is a lot harder to get consistent hence why we only stock kiln dried. Some logs might seem cheaper up front and seem to burn for longer but without any heat, it is a false economy.

 

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