How green are wood-burning fires?

It is hardly a secret: heating our house gives each of us a stonking great carbon footprint, what with domestic homes accounting for a quarter of the UK's total energy use. So what have the finely tuned, technologically thrusting innovators of this generation come up with by way of a low-carbon, renewable solution? Er, burning stuff in a fire, pretty much in the manner of our Victorian forefathers.

What this idea may lack in futuristic ingenuity it makes up for in increasing popularity. Householders are embracing open fires (not literally, which would be dangerous) and wood-burning stoves as a means of being greener, cheaper and feeling more secure about their fuel supply. Sales for wood-burning stoves are reported to be up by 40% on last year in the UK.

From an ethical standpoint we can a) be thankful that there's no longer a child-labour issue involved with today's chimney sweeps and b) celebrate the fact that new wood-burning stoves operate at around 75% efficiency (a traditional fireplace is just 10-20% efficient). According to the industry group www.stovesandchimneys.co.uk, an open fire requires four logs for every one put in a wood burner.

However, bear in mind that when it comes to air pollution, a problem shared is still very much a problem. There is a distinct lack of consensus when it comes to air-quality management and domestic fires, but even the newest wood burners kick out particulate matter (tiny, easily absorbed particles, considered possible carcinogens and more readily associated with traffic pollution). Recently, Swedish researchers concluded that levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (chemical compounds, some of which have been identified as carcinogenic) were five times higher in homes with wood-burning appliances than those without. Proponents, meanwhile, argue that wood is cleaner than coal and oil, emitting no sulphur dioxide and destroying dioxins through heat.


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