In today’s society, we are all educated in the ways in which burning fuels can affect the environment. Protecting the environment has become a major issue and if we are to create a world in which future generations can live healthy lives, then it is important to find renewable energy sources and sustainable ways of living.

With around 1.5 million homes in the UK equipped with a wood burning stove, the question often arises about how environmentally friendly it is to have one. The Mayor of London proposed a ban on wood burning stoves in certain areas of London as fears grow that particles produced by smoke may lead to lung cancer, heart conditions and even death.

The UK already has smoke free zones in most cities and the recent proposal would mean that less wood burning stoves would be available to homeowners.

Are wood burning stoves as damaging to the environment as they have been made out to be? The truth may surprise you.

Wooden Logs V Fossil Fuels

Our central heating is powered by either gas or electricity; electricity which is mainly produced by coal burning power stations across the UK. One of the key elements which may make log burning stoves more eco-friendly than these gas or electric heaters is simply down to the type of fuel that it burns.

Wood is a carbon neutral fuel which means it does not produce more carbon dioxide than is already present in the carbon cycle. The CO2 that is produced by burning wood is reabsorbed by new plants and trees and converted back into oxygen or stored as CO2 in the plant itself.

Fossil fuels produce more CO2 when burned and increase the overall carbon in the environment as the condensed carbon has been locked in the coal for millions of years. This makes fossil fuel not carbon-neutral and can harm the environment as that carbon is not being re-absorbed.

You can source eco-friendly firewood from your local coal merchants in Stockport to burn in your home stove.