Since modern records began, London has entered the third week of January without breaching legal limits for toxic NO2 air pollution.
Since 2008, the capitals air quality has exceeded legal hourly air pollution limits by no later than 6th January. Sometimes it has been as early as 3rd January!
This significant advancement has been attributed to Sadiq Khan’s new measured he has put in place, such as Low Emission Bus Zones, and a T-Charge (Toxicity Charge) for older more polluting cars in Central London.
Towards the end of 2017 we spoke at some length about the congestion in London (View article). We also provided a response to Sadiq Khan’s initial announcement in October, where he wanted to ban wood burning stoves from Central London (View article), and how this announcement is actually a superb platform to allow Ecodesign stove to shine.
Ecodesign Stoves are part of the solution – not part of the problem!
The main issue with wood burning in London, and the associated pollution, is through the use of highly inefficient open fires. The efficiency of open fires are only around 20%, where with an Ecodesign stove, this is over 80%. Classifying the burning of all solid fuels together, whilst failing to really appreciate the huge environmental differences between open fires and high efficiency stoves, would be short sighted. The key differences are huge, and need to be understood by everyone at all levels.
Replacing open fires and older stoves with the new Ecodesign Ready stoves could reduce emissions by 90%. The Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) has already proposed an upgrade scheme to help people move away from their open fires and enjoy the benefits of a modern clean burning stove.
With PM emission limits that are 55% lower than the current Clean Air Act limits, Ecodesign is a regulation, which will be at the heart of what Sadiq Khan wants to achieve, and will continue to help contribute to this trend of cleaner air, already seen in January 2018.
