More than 30,000 homes across Ireland rely on wood, peat, or log-burning stoves as their main source of heating, but new regulations could see these burners potentially banned, reports The Mirror.
- Restrictions on these heating systems were significantly strengthened in 2022 with the introduction of EU Ecodesign regulations, which limit gaseous emissions and require that fuel, whether wood or coal, meets specific moisture standards. The extraction and use of peat from bogs, a traditional fuel source for generations, has also come under increasing controls, reports The Mirror.
- These EU measures have rendered hundreds of thousands of existing stoves effectively non-compliant and have led builders of new homes to reduce or remove chimneys entirely, limiting or preventing the installation of wood and log burners, reports The Mirror.
- EU authorities and Irish environmental advocates argue that these restrictions still do not go far enough. The European Commission is expected to review the regulations again this year, potentially leading to further elimination or effective prohibition of these burners in urban areas. In the UK, the government is considering strict limitations or a complete ban on the sale and installation of wood and log burners in newly built properties, reports The Mirror.
- The move follows a report suggesting that the British National Health Service (NHS) could save up to €60 million annually in treatment costs for respiratory and other conditions linked to these stoves and fires, which are associated with as many as 1,500 deaths each year, reports The Mirror.
- Such measures may face resistance in Ireland, where the 2022 census shows that hundreds of thousands of households, often occupied by older people, rely on wood as a primary or supplementary heating source. Across the country, wood and peat stoves and cast-iron fireplaces are present in up to 400,000 homes.
- Research indicates that the smoke and fine particles from these stoves may pose health risks similar to tobacco smoke, reports The Mirror.
- The stoves emit both indoor and outdoor air pollution, releasing substantial quantities of fine particulates that can cause respiratory problems and other health issues. They have been linked to conditions such as childhood asthma, which can be worsened by exposure.
- The smoke is also associated with increased risks of cancer, heart disease, blood clots, asthma, bronchitis, and other illnesses.
- Up to 55 per cent of the fine particulate matter released by even the newest logwood stoves is black carbon, which is as harmful as that emitted by diesel cars and lorries. The EU is expected to face significant pushback when the regulations are reviewed later this year, reports The Mirror.
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