With household budgets being squeezed due to the rising costs of living, the demand for wood-burning stoves has surged as more residents turn to them in a bid to reduce their energy bills. Following their increased popularity, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service has been carrying out inspections of businesses that supply ready to burn fuel. Nottinghamshire Trading Standards is also reminding residents of the law when using a wood-burning stove or an open fire.

Smoke from burning causes air pollution, which is damaging to both the health of the planet and our communities. To combat this, many urban areas of Nottinghamshire are designated as ‘smoke control areas’ under The Clean Air Act 1993, which puts certain legal obligations on residents. In these areas you can only use authorised smokeless fuels and exempted appliances. Residents can face a fine of up to £1000 if they break the rules. The full list of exempted appliances can be found on the Defra website and Nottinghamshire residents can find out if they live in a smoke control area by checking their local District or Borough Council’s website.

To protect residents there are also legal requirements on businesses that sell ready to burn fuel for use in wood-burning stoves and open fires. Under the legislation, which came into effect in May 2021, wood fuel sold in volumes of up to 2m3 will need to be Ready to Burn Certified as having a moisture content of less than 20% so it burns with less smoke than wetter wood. In turn, this helps reduce pollution and improve air quality. Manufactured solid fuels are also included in the legislation and must be certified for use, meaning that they must meet certain emission limits, and can only be sold if they are accompanied by the manufacturer's name, product certification number and the 'Ready to Burn' logo.

Nottinghamshire Trading Standards Officers have been carrying out inspections of suppliers and retailers across the county, particularly within the smoke control areas, to make sure the ready to burn fuel that is for sale meets legal requirements. In addition, checks have also been made to confirm ready to burn fuel is being stored in a suitable way so that it is not being sold to consumers damaged or wet.

Officers have also been ensuring that businesses are informing customers that if they live in a smoke control area, they can only burn fuel in an appropriate exempt appliance. Fortunately, the majority of businesses that were inspected understand the requirements and are following the laws around ready to burn fuel. In the small number of cases where businesses were not, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards Officers were able to provide advice to the businesses and the minor issues that they found, were rectified. Further guidance for businesses on the sale of solid fuel and wood fuel is available on the Business Companion Website. 

Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “These inspections carried out by Nottinghamshire Trading Standards are important to ensure that the products that residents buy are safe and legal. At a time when residents are trying to save money on their heating, these checks will reassure them that the wood and other ready to burn products they buy are suitable for domestic use and won’t potentially land them a fine.”

Defra has produced a handy guide for consumers explaining the laws about open fires and wood-burning stoves: Open fires and wood-burning stoves - a practical guide (defra.gov.uk) 

If residents have concerns about the goods or services, they receive from a business, they can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 for advice. If residents are struggling with their energy bills, then further guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills 

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