New wood-burning stoves will be required to display health warnings under proposed UK government plans aimed at reducing air pollution. The warnings would highlight the harmful impact of emissions from burning solid fuels on individuals and their families.
Ministers have also proposed cutting the smoke emission limit for new stoves from 5g per hour to 1g per hour. However, around 70% of stoves tested since 2018 already meet the stricter limit, and the measure would only apply to new models, not existing ones. The government estimates that the new limit would reduce annual toxic emissions from wood burning by just 10% over the next decade.
Domestic burning contributes 20% of fine particulate air pollution in the UK, equivalent to emissions from road transport. Wood-burning stoves are linked to 2,500 early deaths per year, as well as thousands of cases of diabetes and asthma. About 12% of households use wood burners, but over 90% have alternative heating sources, often using stoves for aesthetic reasons.
Air quality minister Emma Hardy said: “Dirty air robs people of their health and costs our NHS millions each year. By limiting emission levels and introducing new labels, families will be able to make better, healthier choices when heating their homes.” The proposed label for stoves would warn that the appliance emits air pollution that can harm health, and also rate energy efficiency from A to C.
Additionally, wood sold for burning would carry a health warning, and fines for selling insufficiently dry wood would rise from £300 to £2,000. Clean air campaigners criticised the plans for not addressing pollution from existing stoves. Larissa Lockwood of Global Action Plan said a less polluting stove is “like a low tar cigarette” – slightly better but still harmful. Research found no prosecutions for illegal wood burning in England in the year to August 2025 despite 15,195 complaints, with only 24 fines issued.
