The Government is consulting on new rules for wood burning in homes. The decisions made through this consultation will shape how wood burning is regulated for years to come, from stove standards to warning labels and enforcement.
If you care about air quality, this is a real opportunity to influence national policy.
Burning wood produces fine particulate matter (PM2.5), tiny particles that are inhaled deep into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream, where they can travel throughout the body and cause chronic inflammation.
Domestic burning – mostly from wood – contributes to 2,490 deaths each year in the UK and costs the NHS more than £54 million annually. You can read more about how wood burning affects health.
Air pollution disproportionately harms children, older people, people with existing health conditions, people in lower-income areas and people from racialised communities. These demographics are often more likely to be exposed to air pollution. But they are also at greater risk of being harmed by air pollution, due to other social causes of ill-health.
Wood burning doesn’t just affect outdoor air. Research shows homes using wood burners can be around three times more polluted indoors than homes without them, and smoke from domestic burning also affects neighbours and local communities.
Most people who burn wood do so for atmosphere or enjoyment, rather than as their main source of heating. Economic modelling on burning wood has shown it’s almost always more expensive than just using central heating, unless free wood is used, which is untreated and can be extremely harmful to health.
In London, domestic combustion – mostly from burning wood – contributes to over 15% of PM2.5, more than all the city’s passenger cars. To find out more, view our visualisation showing all sources of air pollution in London.
The Government is consulting on three areas:
Together, these measures could help reduce harmful air pollution from domestic burning and better protect public health.
Government consultations inform policy decisions. The responses can influence how ambitious policy decisions are.
You don’t need to be an expert to respond. Personal experience, concerns about health, or views on air quality in your community are all valuable. Even a short response makes a difference. Every submission helps show decision-makers how important clean air is to the public.
The consultation is open until 19 March 2026. You can respond by completing the Government’s online survey. Whether you have 10 minutes or more time to share detailed views, your perspective is important. Our partners the Healthy Air Coalition have created a guide to completing the consultation.
You might want to include:
Clean air is essential for healthy communities. Reducing pollution from unnecessary wood burning is one step toward protecting public health, reducing pressure on the NHS and improving air quality for everyone.
This consultation is a chance to help shape policy decisions that will affect our health, our environment and our communities for years to come.
Image credit: Photo by Anastassia Anufrieva on Unsplash
Health effects of air pollution
The outdoor air pollution caused by domestic burning is linked to 2,490 deaths annually. New research shows that reducing wood burning in homes could deliver massive health and economic benefits across the UK.
Health effects of air pollution
with Global Action Plan
