The environment department is due to reveal today that Michael Gove is considering giving councils powers to issue “non-burn notices”, this is a policy that is already used in America, which would let councils ban the burning of dirty fuels on specific days when pollution exceeded a certain level.
The objective of today’s plans aims to support the goal that by 2025 the UK will reduce by 50%, the number of people living in areas where concentrations of particulate matter (PM), exceed the World Health Organisation guideline limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre.
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, will also announce a tool, developed by Imperial College and the UK Health Forum, that will help councils to estimate the economic impact of air pollution in their area. It takes account of the cost of treating diseases for which there is a strong association with air pollution, such as heart disease, strokes and lung cancer.
Another Reason for Ecodesign to Shine:
In recent months there has been lots of coverage in the media about pollution and making a cleaner environment.
Below are a link to these articles, which we have produced, to highlight these issues and how Ecodesign fits with exactly what the government are driving towards – a cleaner environment:
Defra calls for improved controls on emissions – More Info
Controversy continues with solid fuel emissions – More Info
MP wants to stamp out coal fires and smokey stoves – More Info
The media needs to focus more on Ecodesign stoves and how they are part of the solution, not the problem.
Open fires and Stoves – They are not the same!
It does seem a shame that the media often tend to tar open fires and wood burning stoves with the same brush. This is not only inaccurate, it is misleading the general public. An open fire is only around 20% efficient, while an ecodesign stove is over 80% efficient.
The diagram below explains this:
Two recent quotes taken from the media:
“Officials say almost two-fifths (38%) of particulate matter comes from domestic wood burners and open fires, which just 7.5% of homes have” Quote from Sky News on 22 May 2018.
“Crackdown on wood-burning stoves, diesels and toxic tyre particles to tackle ‘national health crisis’”– Headline from The Daily Mail on 22 May 2018
Both the above quotes indicate wood burning stoves are bad – with no mention about Ecodesign, and how through significant development, wood burning stoves have become incredibly efficient. It’s about time the media starts to drill down into the real detail, and highlight the need for awareness around stoves, and the options open to the consumer.
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- Open Fires – Part of the problem
- Ecodesign Stoves – Part of the solution
You are able to learn more about our stoves, which are all Ecodesign Ready here.
