“Wood burners are equivalent of driving 6 HGVs up and down your street” - Harringay online2024-03-28T19:17:52Zhttps://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/wood-burners-are-equivalent-of-driving-6-hgvs-up-and-down-your-st?feed=yes&xn_auth=noDear Pam,
As one of a handfu…tag:harringayonline.com,2019-01-07:844301:Comment:11437072019-01-07T17:52:51.357ZDanhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/Dan612
Dear Pam,<br />
<br />
As one of a handful of registered Passivhaus (low(est) energy housing) consultants in the area - I'm always curious as to what a 'carbon neutral' house is. Does this mean your house has no net carbon emissions? How is this possible? It must be producing more energy than it uses right? I'd love to see this in London!<br />
Getting back on topic We are talking here about other pollutants beyond carbon dioxide (PM2.5, NOX, SOX, etc) - IMHO the air pollution caused by wood-burning stoves is…
Dear Pam,<br />
<br />
As one of a handful of registered Passivhaus (low(est) energy housing) consultants in the area - I'm always curious as to what a 'carbon neutral' house is. Does this mean your house has no net carbon emissions? How is this possible? It must be producing more energy than it uses right? I'd love to see this in London!<br />
Getting back on topic We are talking here about other pollutants beyond carbon dioxide (PM2.5, NOX, SOX, etc) - IMHO the air pollution caused by wood-burning stoves is unacceptable. Air quality in London is terrible. Burning wood does not help it. Dear Dan, I live in a carbon…tag:harringayonline.com,2019-01-07:844301:Comment:11437062019-01-07T17:38:50.295ZPamela Harlinghttps://harringayonline.com/profile/PamelaHarling
Dear Dan, I live in a carbon neutral house so have fully explored the insulation route!
Dear Dan, I live in a carbon neutral house so have fully explored the insulation route! Hi Pamela,
I think it would b…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-23:844301:Comment:11411502018-12-23T14:33:58.379ZDanhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/Dan612
<p>Hi Pamela,</p>
<p>I think it would be fair to comment, I personally wish everyone who burned solid fuel would be as aware as you are. </p>
<p>for me, the issue is superbly outlined by Liz's original post. They (WB stoves) are proven to cause a lot of localised air pollution. For your link, this applies to England and IMO we really need to tackle urban air quality, the air is already bad. So great for devon, perhaps not so for London.</p>
<p>I am slightly worried about starting a proverbial…</p>
<p>Hi Pamela,</p>
<p>I think it would be fair to comment, I personally wish everyone who burned solid fuel would be as aware as you are. </p>
<p>for me, the issue is superbly outlined by Liz's original post. They (WB stoves) are proven to cause a lot of localised air pollution. For your link, this applies to England and IMO we really need to tackle urban air quality, the air is already bad. So great for devon, perhaps not so for London.</p>
<p>I am slightly worried about starting a proverbial fire by mentioning carbon, however, I do sense (as some have mentioned with Diesel) that uptake was somewhat incentivised by the carbon argument. This means sacrificing local air quality to get to a 'goal' (release of particulates, which comes from wood/diesel burning, much less so from gas).</p>
<p>A great example of a sector that is addressing a similar problem is maritime bunker fuel and sulphur. If reliable scrubbers are available, then I stand corrected, as does Dr Fuller. I don't think they do. My stinging eyes in the passage and clothes that stink of burning wood attest to that!</p>
<p>For me this is an issue of utility for many. </p>
<p>If motivated by carbon - then insulation, lighting, and other techniques are the way forward.</p>
<p>I'd be very happy to have a chat away from here with those who mention aviation - I work with IATA/ATAG in this very area for aviation. The sector really really cares, but I don't think boycotting is a sustainable solution for the world's population, it needs to be more holistic and business supportive (e.g. CORSIA). The world needs win:wins! (profits:pollution).</p>
<p>We cannot, however, rely on education, information and the 'better judgment' of the masses. There is too much noise for that kind of rational decision making. IMO a ban should be necessary on all solid fuel heating unless it has a signed off permit - the air quality issue is so dire in London. </p>
<p>A fire at Christmas would surely be nice though :)</p> Just a quick comment - I am u…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-23:844301:Comment:11413432018-12-23T13:15:06.124ZPamela Harlinghttps://harringayonline.com/profile/PamelaHarling
<p>Just a quick comment - I am under the impression that quite a few people still burn wood on open fires in London - my chimney sweep confirmed this to me recently. Wood burning stoves installed in smoke control areas (which includes London) are supposed to be designed to be smokeless. Recommended designs for England are here…</p>
<p></p>
<p>Just a quick comment - I am under the impression that quite a few people still burn wood on open fires in London - my chimney sweep confirmed this to me recently. Wood burning stoves installed in smoke control areas (which includes London) are supposed to be designed to be smokeless. Recommended designs for England are here</p>
<p><a href="https://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/appliances.php?country=england" target="_blank">https://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/appliances.php?country=england</a></p>
<p>But you might not want to believe me as I have a wood burning stove. The wood I burn comes from managed woodland in the Chilterns and is air dried for at least one year. I would accept not lighting it if pollution levels are high (but have no other form of heating).</p>
<p>Festive greetings!</p> The Clean Air Act was enacted…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-22:844301:Comment:11410222018-12-22T06:23:47.538ZMichael Andersonhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/17bathgate
<p>The Clean Air Act was enacted in 1956, way before most people had central heating. Most people used coke or had electric fires. I have vague memories of huddling around one at my Auntie Violet’s house in Ealing when we visited her in 1965.</p>
<p>i grew up in a mining town that wasn’t covered by the clean air act and everyone burned coal. The stink, filth and yellow air on bad days (when mist came in from the sea) was appalling. On certain days you couldn’t hang out washing because it…</p>
<p>The Clean Air Act was enacted in 1956, way before most people had central heating. Most people used coke or had electric fires. I have vague memories of huddling around one at my Auntie Violet’s house in Ealing when we visited her in 1965.</p>
<p>i grew up in a mining town that wasn’t covered by the clean air act and everyone burned coal. The stink, filth and yellow air on bad days (when mist came in from the sea) was appalling. On certain days you couldn’t hang out washing because it came in covered in soot. The smog would be so thick that you couldn’t see further than a pace in front of you (and this was happening up to the late sixties/early seventies). Imagine what was happening inside our lungs.</p> That was, genuinely, a revela…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-22:844301:Comment:11408212018-12-22T00:14:25.987ZEMC2https://harringayonline.com/profile/E290
<p>That was, genuinely, a revelation, and interesting. Well worth a listen, as Liz said.</p>
<p>That was, genuinely, a revelation, and interesting. Well worth a listen, as Liz said.</p> Totally agree Dan couldn’t ha…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-21:844301:Comment:11407392018-12-21T18:30:04.527ZAnnie McDonaldhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/AnnieMcDonald
<p>Totally agree Dan couldn’t have put it better myself! We are killing ourselves and nobody seems interested! Thanks Liz</p>
<p>Merry Christmas.</p>
<p>Totally agree Dan couldn’t have put it better myself! We are killing ourselves and nobody seems interested! Thanks Liz</p>
<p>Merry Christmas.</p> All waste streams produced by…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-21:844301:Comment:11408662018-12-21T07:16:23.563Zmatthttps://harringayonline.com/profile/mburge
<p>All waste streams produced by human activity are pollutants to the wider natural world. We dominate this planet as a species. Just wait until the methane release from the Russian grasslands starts accelerating ... 40 times worse impact than CO2. We all get fixated by pollution that affects our own health but tend to forget the devastation on all ecosystems and the animals etc within them ...</p>
<p>All waste streams produced by human activity are pollutants to the wider natural world. We dominate this planet as a species. Just wait until the methane release from the Russian grasslands starts accelerating ... 40 times worse impact than CO2. We all get fixated by pollution that affects our own health but tend to forget the devastation on all ecosystems and the animals etc within them ...</p> I remember when I lived in th…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-21:844301:Comment:11408632018-12-21T05:40:53.485ZSarahhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/SarahMoore195
<p style="text-align: left;">I remember when I lived in the countryside we had a wood fire and diesel vehicles. I would have been breathing in dirty air all the time. Plus I had a long commute so we breathing in a lot of fumes.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Something else about the modern countryside is the effect of monoculture farming. The area I lived in had a lot of orchards. I don't think it's a coincidence that I'm allergic to apples now. Pollen is a pollutant too.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I remember when I lived in the countryside we had a wood fire and diesel vehicles. I would have been breathing in dirty air all the time. Plus I had a long commute so we breathing in a lot of fumes.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Something else about the modern countryside is the effect of monoculture farming. The area I lived in had a lot of orchards. I don't think it's a coincidence that I'm allergic to apples now. Pollen is a pollutant too.</p> I ditched my car 11 years ago…tag:harringayonline.com,2018-12-21:844301:Comment:11407802018-12-21T05:35:15.146ZSarahhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/SarahMoore195
<p>I ditched my car 11 years ago when I moved to London. No need for it here.</p>
<p>I ditched my car 11 years ago when I moved to London. No need for it here.</p>