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Scotland has banned Wood Burners in new homes and conversions


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... Along with all "locally polluting heat sources", from this month. 

 

While the following is behind a paywall, I believe you get 3 articles a month without paying.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/09/snp-showing-contempt-for-rural-scotland-wood-burning-ban/

 

The crux is that space and water heating systems going forward must

"not by means of a direct emission heating system"

 

https://www.thenational.scot/news/24242447.wood-burning-stove-ban-scotland-key-rules-explained/

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We had a Woodburner fitted in our last build by a friend who has a shop 

He said at the time he was down to a couple a month With mostly gas fires his bread and butter

Five years on he reckons since lockdown he’s fitting around four per week He said the problem is most are burning pallets and other rubbish 

Our neighbour burns unseasoned wood It looks like a pope has been elected most of the time 

Sort of glad I didn’t fit MVRH 😁

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It will be interesting to see how the guidance is interpreted by local planners.  My planning application will be going in shortly and I would hope a wood burner will be allowed given we are quite rural with a higher risk of power cut.

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Wood-burning stoves and other heating systems that cause emissions can also still be installed in new homes to provide emergency heating, where a need can be justified – responding to feedback from rural communities.”

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8 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Wood-burning stoves and other heating systems that cause emissions can also still be installed in new homes to provide emergency heating, where a need can be justified – responding to feedback from rural communities.”

The caveat that makes the change in  policy useless....

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2 minutes ago, Kelvin said:

It also said the bar to allow them was high. Whatever that means. 

the cynic in me would suggest  ££  

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Very few politicians understand science. So it's easy to jump to the conclusion that burning is bad in all circumstances. 

The most remote rural locations are last in the priorities for restoring electric power. So it's potentially days.

Far better to install a quality wbs with fresh air intake, than sneak one in after the building is signed off.

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13 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Very few politicians understand science. So it's easy to jump to the conclusion that burning is bad in all circumstances. 

The most remote rural locations are last in the priorities for restoring electric power. So it's potentially days.

Far better to install a quality wbs with fresh air intake, than sneak one in after the building is signed off.

no WBS for me, but I do need to re-focus on back up generator.  we were lucky s far this winter, 3 power cuts only lasting a few hours and 2 water bursts in the area again fixed within hours.

 

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Our report on the first winter. Ashp and ufh working well after the plumber corrected some reversed pipes!

It's kept on low and slow. But it's far from passive with big windows and some exposed stone. There is heat loss at floor to wall interface too....there are constraints with a conversion.

So the wbs goes on in extremes but also for an hour some evenings, til it's too hot.

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Posted (edited)

What has surprised me is the noise around the new legislation is only about Wood Burners, the parallel ban on fossil fuel boilers has been introduced without barely a mention.

 

Not being in Scotland I've not used their Building Warrant system, but I assume any Building Warrants applied for after April 1st have to show a non-fossil fuel heating system and non wood, biomass etc.

 

Are the Heat Pump installers of Scotland ready to support all the new builds?

 

The ban (for new builds) in England and Wales is only a year away and it doesn't feel like the industry is yet ready.

Edited by IanR
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This is a ban not just on WBS but anything that produces CO2 so no more oil boilers or gas boilers or even gas fires on new builds.

 

What about bio ethanol stoves?

 

I am glad my house is complete, with WBS.  This new ban really is the nail in the coffin for any thoughts of doing a third self build.  Not that I had any such thoughts at the moment, I am happy where we are in this house.

 

By next winter the press will be full of "lousy ASHP" articles as the mass builders step change to fitting ASHP's and do it badly, or worse still they take the easy option and fit electric boilers giving customers expensive eating bills.

 

Also in other stupid housing comments, from another article linked to that one

 

"His comments come after Location, Location, Location presenter Kirsty Allsopp, 52, said in January that detached houses should be banned for being “environmentally impractical”.

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19 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

What surprises me is that I mentioned this many years ago and the general consensus on here is that it would not happen.

 

 

 

I don't believe there was a consensus it wouldn't happen. It has to happen, just unfortunate "the industry" is burying its head. There's going to be a lot of poorly trained and inexperienced installers.

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The trouble is, this law is here for good.  I really do hope for a change of Scottish government at the next election, but no new different government will re allow WBS's.  Imagine the bad press that will follow if they even suggest it?

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Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

They produce CO2 as well.

 

Now ammonia based combustion only produces NOX, much more healthy.

 

The legislation just says "emissions", so I'd take that to include NOx, discounting Hydrogen combustion boilers as well.

Edited by IanR
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26 minutes ago, IanR said:

 

The legislation just says "emissions", so I'd take that to include NOx, discounting Hydrogen combustion boilers as well.

Not quite

"Other ZDEHS solutions include:

• 100% Hydrogen – the use of 100% hydrogen is the only current example of a fuel which, when combusted to produce heat, results in negligible levels of greenhouse gas emissions."

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Another thing missed in the article is the notional building performance has been moved to a higher standard also. So mediocre designs are pretty much banned, without loads of solar to compensate.

Screenshot_20240412-095416.thumb.jpg.abb3b9841c7ad72510748af1af1462bc.jpg

 

 

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43 minutes ago, ProDave said:

allow WBS

I have one and still have the gas boiler installed, although I do use an ASHP.

 

But really hope they do stay banned.

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48 minutes ago, ProDave said:

The trouble is, this law is here for good.  I really do hope for a change of Scottish government at the next election, but no new different government will re allow WBS's.  Imagine the bad press that will follow if they even suggest it?


They should stay banned. A new house built well to the new standards would overheat with them anyway in most cases. 

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1 hour ago, ProDave said:

This is a ban not just on WBS but anything that produces CO2 so no more ...

 

Damn. I'll have to switch the CO2 system for my fish tank off then.

Anyone need a load of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid ? Anyone? No? 

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