Master Stove Maker ESSE is seeking clarification on the new ‘Zero Emissions Zones’ Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has proposed as part of his strategy to improve air quality in the capital.
Last week, Mayor Khan requested additional powers to crack down on solid fuel fires and stoves from Secretary of State for the Environment Michael Gove.
ESSE is concerned that, if approved, the Mayor’s enhanced powers could lead to a blanket ban on wood burning stoves and coal fires in some parts of London from 2025.
The UK’s oldest stove and range cooker manufacturer, ESSE has been manufacturing some of the cleanest-burning solid fuel stoves in the world since 1854. The company’s twin catalytic combustion technology – which re-burns any smoke particles it produces – has been awarded a British patent.
In August 2017, the Lancashire-based manufacturer announced that all its stoves would meet the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) ‘Smoke Exempt’ emissions standards for use in designated smoke control zones.
The European Union recently issued new standards for solid fuel heating appliances, which significantly tighten existing emissions and efficiency benchmarks. New labelling rules apply from next year (2018), with more stringent emissions standards due to come into force from 2022.
But in his recent announcement, Mayor Khan seemed to indicate that ALL solid fuel stoves would be banned from new Zero Emissions Zones, which could be introduced as early as 2025.
ESSE technical manager David Randlesome said: “I think Mr Khan may be getting ahead of himself here. The industry is already gearing up for new emissions standards due to come into force in 2022 and the latest products have been designed to meet or exceed those standards.
“Today’s stoves and range cookers are built to much tighter tolerances than they were just a decade ago. Consequently, modern solid fuel appliances burn much more efficiently and the combustion is much cleaner.
“But if Mr Khan is really serious about introducing even more stringent Zero Emissions Zones, then the implication is that all solid fuel appliances will effectively be banned from these areas.”
The new EU legislation is designed to meet Europe-wide targets for emissions reduction, but by 2022, if the UK leaves the EU as planned, Britain may no longer be subject to EU Emissions Laws.
For environmentally-conscious consumers, who don’t want to risk buying a heating product which could become obsolete in a few years, ESSE manufactures an extensive range of ‘future-proof’ clean-burning gas-fired stoves and zero-emission electric range cookers.
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