Fuel Aware
Fuel Aware is a campaign being launched by Care4Air. This aims to increase awareness and compliance of smoke control areas.
In 1993 the Clean Air Act was introduced. This means that it is illegal to allow smoke to be emitted from a chimney unless an authorised fuel is being used. Homeowners could be fined up to £1000 per offence.
The whole of the Doncaster Borough has been smoke controlled since 1994.
The recent increased popularity of wood burning stoves shows the need for homeowners across Doncaster to be aware of the law and how to comply. Fuel Aware has been launched to highlight this.
Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is responsible for authorising fuels and exempted appliances, but what does this mean?
From Defra’s website the definitions are as follows:
Authorised fuels – ‘These fuels have passed tests to confirm that they are capable of burning in an open fireplace without producing smoke.’
Exempt appliances – ‘These have passed tests to confirm that they are capable of burning an unauthorised or inherently smoky solid fuel without emitting smoke.’
If you would like to have an open fire or a solid fuel fire in your home in Doncaster you must either use an authorised fuel or have an exempt appliance installed in your home.
For more information visit the Fuel Aware website:
For further information on Care4Air see the ‘Projects – Care4Air Project’ on FreshAir. Or visit their website: www.care4air.org
For further information on the Clean Air Act and the smogs of the 1950s see the ‘Air and the Law’ section and the ‘What is Air Quality – What happened in the past?’ section of FreshAir.
It may also be useful to look at Defra’s website: http://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/
