Wood Burners: Are They Eco-Friendly?

In recent years, more and more people have started switching away from traditional wood burners. The biggest reason for this is, without a doubt, convenience. You don’t have to think twice about modern gas or electric heat, whereas using a wood burner requires time, thought, and effort.

But a lack of convenience isn’t the only reason people are fleeing from wood heat. After Defra started battling low-quality firewood, wood burners began to be seen by many people as being bad for the environment. But is this actually true?

Well, as it turns out, there is no actually no universal answer to this question. At its best, wood fuel can be an incredibly clean, carbon-neutral heat source. At its worst, it can release vast quantities of greenhouse gases and cancerogenic particles (such as creosote) into the environment and your home.

The eco-friendliness of a wood burner depends on its design, its condition, and the quality of the wood fuel that is used. Let’s explore all three of these variables further.

Are Wood Burners Harmful For the Environment?

No, wood burners are not in themselves bad for the environment. In fact, if your burner meets Defra requirements, you can use it legally in areas designated as Smoke-Free. This is because the amount of particulate emissions Defra-certified burners produce are low enough not to be affected by the regulations.

On the other hand, older designs are not nearly as efficient as their modern counterparts and may release many pollutants into the atmosphere.

If you want to make sure that you heat your home as efficiently (and responsibly) as possible, purchase an Ecodesign-certified burner. It will cost you a little bit more than a non-certified offering, but it will release a lot less pollution per kWh of heat generated.

What Types of Wood Fuel Are Eco Friendly?

Everyone likes to save money, but things that concern your health and environmental pollution, this is not the time to cut corners.

Avoid cheap or heavily discounted firewood and briquettes at all costs. Cheap firewood tends to be poorly dried and will smoulder when burned, releasing vast quantities of harmful chemicals into the air. And if you see a briquette bargain that looks too good to be true, know that it probably is. Due to their porous nature, briquettes tend to act as sponges and suck up moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. So if they were improperly stored at any point, they will be close to useless as wood fuel. And not a good buy at any price.

Choosing quality firewood doesn’t have to be difficult. All you have to do is make sure that the products you are buying are certified according to Defra’s Ready to Burn scheme. Suppliers must provide this information by law, so finding it shouldn’t be difficult.

How to Maintain Your Wood Burning Appliance?

Your wood-burning appliance’s biggest enemy is creosote. So the best thing you can do to prolong its life is to take active steps to prevent creosote from building up in your chimney. 

Creosote is a highly flammable, toxic residue that builds up in your chiminea or flue as you burn wood. The lower quality your wood fuel, the faster it will build up, so burning higher quality fuels is a valid strategy for slowing this process. However, even if you only burn extra-dry luxury wood fuels, you still will have to deal with creosote at some point. Only instead of months, it might take years.

We recommend you use the services of a professional chiminea sweep once a year if you’re using quality wood fuel and at least twice a year if you season your own firewood.

And don’t be shy to ask the specialist about the condition of your log burner once they’ve finished sweeping. A trained eye can catch potential problems long before they become unfixable.