A modern stove that complies with Ecodesign Regulation for solid fuel local space heaters (which became law in the UK on 1st January 2022), offers a whole host of benefits aside from keeping you and your family warm and toasty.

A key objective of the SIA is to help inform consumers, so we are pleased to share here some key information on these benefits, while also helping to dispel some common myths.

General Benefits & Wellbeing

• A modern Ecodesign compliant stove when used with wood that has been kiln dried or correctly seasoned to between 10-20% moisture content (e.g. Ready to Burn certified), can be a sustainable, renewable and cost-effective way to heat the main living space in your home.
• In addition to heating your main living space, many users find that it also provides radiated warmth throughout the rest of the home, meaning the central heating is used less during the winter months. Where a gas boiler provides central heating, this means that fossil fuel use for heating can be reduced.
• A modern stove is highly effective at providing space heating and reducing condensation, helping to alleviate mould and damp which may be particularly beneficial for older properties.
• The real fire can help promote feelings of warmth and security, provides a focal point for the whole family, and may boost mental wellbeing. In a survey of 1,227 stove users conducted by the manufacturer Charnwood, 93% reported that their stove has a positive impact on their wellbeing citing that it helps improve their mood, aids relaxation and creates a homely atmosphere. Source: Charnwood

Grid Independence & Fuel Security

• Using a modern wood burning stove as a local (secondary) space heating appliance in your property can help ensure that you can always heat your home in the event of a power cut, enjoy independence from the energy grid and reduce your use of fossil fuels.
• Owning a modern wood burning stove can offer a financial cushion against fluctuating gas, electricity and oil prices.
• Unlike the standing order, direct debit or pre-payment metre needed to pay for your primary heating, having a supply of wood (or other sustainable solid fuel) means your heating is “bought and paid for” and you can gauge exactly how much you are using to stay warm.

Particulate Matter & Air Quality

• Many everyday human activities generate particulate matter (PM) and this can have a negative impact on air quality both outside and inside the home. These activities include road, rail and air transport, farming and agriculture, manufacturing and industry, domestic heating including solid fuel stoves and fireplaces, fireworks, frying or grilling food, bonfires, pizza ovens, burning scented candles and using air fresheners.
• As stated by UK government’s accredited official statistics: “Around half of the concentrations of PM that people in the UK are exposed to come from either naturally occurring sources, such as pollen and sea spray, or are transported to the UK from international shipping and other countries.” (Source: Emissions of pollutants in the UK – Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
• Between 2020 and 2023 PM10 and PM2.5 emissions from domestic combustion fell by 17% (Source: Emissions of pollutants in the UK – Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). The UK IIR 2025 Submission notes that: “The reduction in PM2.5 emissions from small combustion in recent years reflects introduction of cleaner residential wood-burning appliances into the market and also a reduction in emissions from use of wet wood.”
• If you choose to use a wood burning stove to provide heat at home, it is important to understand the difference that the type of appliance and fuel used, as well as how you use and maintain your appliance, can make to the particulate matter emissions being created and the fuel efficiency you will achieve.
• UKAS Accredited laboratory testing has shown that the mean particulate emissions from an Ecodesign stove are reduced by up to 90% compared to an open fire and by up to 80% compared to a non-Ecodesign stove. These tests were carried out using wood logs with a moisture content of between 12.4% and 12.8%.
• The same laboratory tests found significant differences in fuel efficiency between an Ecodesign stove, non-Ecodesign stove and open fire. The Ecodesign stove achieved a mean net efficiency of 82.2% compared to the non-Ecodesign stove at 59.5% and the open fire at 26.7%. (Source: Comparative Smoke Emissions Tests, Kiwa UK – UKAS Accredited Test Laboratory 0692).
• The correct installation, servicing and maintenance of your stove and chimney is also important for air quality and ensuring that your stove operates within the efficiency and emissions parameters stated by the manufacturer.

Carbon Emissions & Sustainability

• Wood logs are categorised as a biomass fuel and biomass is defined by the EU as a renewable energy source (Source:Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, see Article 2.1).
• The UK government “sees biomass as a low-carbon fuel provided that it is produced from sustainable sources” (Source: National Audit Office) and the Scottish Government defines biomass combustion as producing “net zero carbon emissions at the point of use” (Source:New Build Heat Standard (amended) 2024: business and regulatory impact assessment (see Section 10 and 11).
• Fossil fuel (e.g. gas and oil) carbon originates from ancient organic matter that has been concentrated and buried and transformed into coal, oil or natural gas over millions of years. However, the carbon released when wood logs are burnt is biogenic carbon as it originates from living (or recently living) organic matter.  Wood fuel is therefore part of a relatively short-term carbon cycle. The UK Forestry Standard which sets out the government’s approach to sustainable forestry states that: “Although burning wood generates carbon dioxide, an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide was relatively recently sequestered from the atmosphere as the trees grew.”
• For the reasons outlined above the SIA defines wood fuel as a low carbon, sustainable heating fuel.
• It should be noted that much wood fuel comes from sustainable woodland management which promotes carbon sequestration. If these thinnings were left to rot they would decompose to produce methane and carbon dioxide.

Wood Fuel Industry & Biodiversity

• Using wood fuel is key to the woodland management cycle and the economies attached to it.​ It also plays an important role in maintaining woodland diversity, health and resilience.​ Locally sourced wood fuel helps support small businesses and reduces the carbon footprint of fuel transport. Source: Small Woods Association
• The UK’s forestry legislation framework ensures that trees are felled in accordance with approved practices as outlined in the UK Forestry Standard.
• Unmanaged woodland is bad for wildlife.​ At present 40% of UK woodland is unmanaged and the Royal Foresty Society states that “Woods which produce sustainable timber, wood fuel and other producs are better for nature conservation, better for people and better for the economy.” Source: Royal Forestry Society