Changes to the solid fuels you can and can't burn - new rules affecting businesses

These changes will affect the sales of wood fuel, coal, and other solid fuels for use in domestic fires and will help address issues surrounding climate change, air pollution and will improve air quality. 

The changes

The The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 have been introduced into UK law:

• to restrict the sale of wet wood for domestic burning
• to phase out the sale of traditional bituminous house coal
• to apply sulphur standards and smoke emission limits to all manufactured solid fuels

How the changes will affect your business

If you sell firewood

• Wood fuel, when sold in quantities under 2 cubic metres (m³) must have a moisture content of not more than 20%.
• The packaging must include details of the certification registration, from an approved certification body.
• The firewood must also be marked with a logo - 'Ready to Burn'.
• For quantities of wood over 2 m³, the wood must be accompanied with wording on suitability and drying instructions:
  • This wood is not suitable for burning until it has been dried. You should not burn wood until it has a moisture content of 20% or less. Wet wood contains moisture which creates smoke and harmful particulates when burnt. As well as being harmful to your health and the environment, this can damage your stove and chimney and is an inefficient way to heat your home. Dry it in a sunny, well-aired space for at least two years, keeping rain off in the winter. Radial cracks and bark that comes off easily suggests wood that is ready for burning. Test the wood when you think it is ready for burning, ideally with a moisture meter. First calibrate the meter and then measure a freshly split surface to get the best reading.
• For small foresters, selling quantities of less than 600 m³ per year, an exemption to comply with the law is in place until 1 May 2022.

If you sell traditional house coal

• From the 1 May 2021 domestic sales of coal can only continue when made by member of the approved coal merchant scheme. Details of members can be found by residents on the Solid Fuel Association website.
• Coal Traders can contact the Solid Fuel Association to enquire about membership of the Approved Coal Merchants Scheme. However, please note that sales of bagged traditional house coal will be banned for domestic use from the 1 May 2023.
• Traders will be urged to sell less-polluting fuels in the domestic setting such as smokeless coal (or anthracite) and low sulphur manufactured solid fuels for the purpose of domestic heating.

If you sell manufactured solid fuel

• Other manufactured solid fuel must be included on the DEFRA approved list. The solid fuel must be approved by a certification body and include the 'Ready to Burn' logo. The list of approved manufactured solid fuels, can be found at DEFRA: Authorised fuels England.
• DEFRA have not yet appointed a certification body for overseeing approved manufactured solid fuel.
• All manufactured solid fuels for use in domestic combustion will eventually need conform to a test confirming sulphur content is below 2%, and that the fuels emit less than 5g smoke per hour.
• After May 2021, the rules in Smoke Control Areas to use manufactured solid fuels will be extended to all areas, nationwide.

How to prepare your business

• Sign up for the relevant accreditation schemes such as Solid Fuel Association.
• If you are a fuel manufacturer, importer or distributor, find out how to apply for authorisation or apply to get fuel authorised for use in smoke control areas at Gov.uk: Selling fuel in smoke control areas.
• Get your product labels ready.
• Adapt your business for example by drying wood or by selling approved manufactured solid fuel instead of bituminous coal.
• Send fuel for testing to find the moisture content for wood and sulphur content and smoke emission for manufactured solid fuel.
• Check whether you qualify for an exemption - for example, small foresters, selling quantities of less than 600 m³ per year, an exemption to comply with the law is in place until 1 May 2022.
• See if you qualify for any business grant assistance.

How domestic customers will be affected

From now until 2023 the public will need to start moving towards cleaner, less smoky alternative fuels such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels to help improve the air we breathe. These alternative, less polluting fuels may also be cheaper and more efficient to burn.

Burning wet wood can result in at least twice the amount of smoke emissions than that produced when seasoned or dry wood is burned. When wet wood is burned, the heat output is significantly lower.

In the case of wood purchases, residential customers will need to source suppliers of dried wood and buy coal from approved coal merchants. After May 2023, they will need to find an alternative less polluting fuel such as an approved manufactured smokeless solid fuel.

Why the law is changing

DEFRA's Clean Air Strategy in 2019 recommended some air quality changes. See Government takes action to cut pollution from household burning.

Domestic burning through wood burning stoves and coal fires now makes up the single largest contributor to our national emissions of particulate matter (PM). The tiny particles in smoke can enter the bloodstream and enter internal organs, causing long term health issues as well as having more immediate impacts on some such as breathing problems or asthma attacks.

The changes will help us meet National Emissions targets, covering five key emissions: nitrous oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). With domestic combustion being found as the single largest contributor to PM2.5 emissions, it is essential that we make changes to make steps towards our targets on this pollutant.

Effect on the environment

These measures aim to improve air quality for our residents and help to tackle pollution and climate change. Air pollution is the top environmental risk to human health in the UK. The new law will transition householders away from the most polluting fuels to cleaner alternatives. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that countries should progressively cut public exposure to particulate matter - see World Health Organization - Residential heating with wood and coal: health impacts and policy options in Europe and North America.