DEFRA published its draft Clean Air Strategy on 14th January 2019.
Stove owners and those thinking of buying a new stove can be assured that the government is not seeking to ban wood burning stoves. Instead it wants to ensure that consumers use the cleanest stoves and the cleanest fuel. http://www.stoveindustryalliance.com/defra-clean-air-strategy/
Ministers are also considering tougher regulations to deter the burning of wet wood in private homes, which is less energy efficient than dry wood and produces more smoke.
Financial Times 17 August 2018 https://www.ft.com/content/0e367636-a205-11e8-85da-eeb7a9ce36e4
Some wood stove owners are worried that they have made an investment in a home heating appliance that they will not be able to use in future.
Owners of modern wood burning stoves (generally less than ten years old) that meet HETAS standards should not worry so long as they burn the correct fuel in their stove. Modern stoves are designed to be very efficient and emit very low rates of particulates into the air.
The key is to burn only dry wood logs and firewood at or below 20% moisture . Dry wood burns hotter and gives off a lot less water vapour which carried particles into the flue and to the outside air.
The Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) has been working with DEFRA ( the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), HETAS, Stove Manufacturers, the EU regulators, government and consumers to help influence policy around stove design and air quality. Stoves have been tested to meet the Ecodesign standard and many existing modern stoves already meet the Ecodesign standards for fuel efficiency and particulate emissions.
ECODESIGN is a new European-wide programme to lower emissions and improve air quality. It will become mandatory for all stoves by 2022.
Stove owners can check this page for manufacturers & stove models that meet the Ecodesign standards.
In its Clean Air Strategy DEFRA recognises that all wood burning is not the same and that reductions in particulate emissions, (PM), can be achieved through the installation of Ecodesign Ready stoves burning Ready to Burn logs.
SIA website http://www.stoveindustryalliance.com/ecodesign-ready-stoves-and-air-quality/
All logs supplied and delivered by Wood Logs Scotland are ready to burn with moisture content at or below 20%.