OT More details on proposed firewood ban.

[harry]

It's worse than we thought.

[polygonum_on_google]

However, our nearest neighbour with a wood burner uses it only because they like it. Not because they need to, not because they don't have efficient gas CH. (They would not be among those assumed to be switching to oil, or manufactured solid fuel. Though, when there is some sun, they might use electricity as they have 3/4 kW solar panels.)

And the room they have it in is far too small for it to make sense. It is a case of sitting in underwear in the middle of winter - because when it is fired up, they swelter.

I suspect there are quite a few in simialr circumstances who will, other than not using it so much, be little affected. (Obviously doesn't help those who are negatively affected.)

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

The thing is I remember the pea souper fogs, and we most certainly do not want those back again.

Too many trendy wood burning stoves put in for effect rather than anything else. I mean if you are well out in the sticks and have some woodland you maintain, then by all means save money and burn some wood, but really it is almost an epidemic now and sitting outside on a cool evening brings fumes of not very nice variety, its not even bar BQ smells and those are annoying enough.

Brian

[Dave Liquorice]

Much prefer the smell of wood smoke to that of semi-cremated dead animal.

[polygonum_on_google]

Prefer either to the paraffin-like stink of all too many barbecue lighters (or whatever they actually use).

[David]

I note that the ban is on the SALE of air dried firewood.

Apart from the temptation to stockpile, thinking back it is a long time since I have had to buy any wood, as our modest needs have been met by the trimming of trees from friends and family every year or so.

Free pallets might also go through the mill, although this is less environmentally friendly.

Without the ban on the sale of chainsaws, tree rustling might become a more popular pastime.

Buying a small acreage of woodland might also become an attractive option for a group of wood burners. Share the maintenance and felling costs and get "free" wood.

No doubt we could also import "kiln dried" wood from other countries in much the same way as we produce "renewable energy" from imported wood.

All in all I think this is probably another inner city problem as most rural areas will provide access to firewood of some sort.

I do wonder if Scouts and Guides (or whatever they are called these days) will have to hold their sing songs around a battery powered (solar charged) LED imitation fire glow in the future, though.

Oh, and given the pollution from bush fires, is a log burner (or open fire

- loads of those around) such a big issue? Or is it just an easy target?

Cheers

Dave R

[alan_m]

The medium term aim is to either ban certain fuels or make them so expensive that electricity becomes the only viable option. This assumes that we are not too reliant on the wind blowing and the sun shining and any other sensible means of generating electricity has zero CO2.

All all this by 2025, 2032 or 2035.

[alan_m]

Many rural areas don't have mains gas and even with LPG and oil there are restrictive regulations as to where a new bulk tank can now be sited

[Tim Lamb]

Dead Ivy branches are smokeless:-) And Moorhens eggs are only sometimes addled. Signs of a misspent youth!

[T i m]

+1

You would imagine that 'these days' everyone has kitchens with functional ovens and hobs etc? ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Liquorice]

enough.

I'm sure they do but they don't want fill the house with the smoke an stench of carbonising dead animal or burning fat. So they go outside and inflict it on their neighbours.

[Andrew]

Luckily daves food poisoning stats gets some of them.

[Andrew]

These restrictions are really only intended to cut down the burning of 'wet' wood in urban areas, where all the houses at fault almost certainly have mains gas in the road outside if not into the house too.

[T i m]

<snip>

Whilst I can't say I blame them (if that's what they want to do) even when I was yer typical meat eater, I really didn't see the point / advantage? I preferred cooking stuff like meat under the best control conditions and that seems like gas and a control knob rather than some charcoal (ignoring the flies and the other mess / issues).

Strange.

I wonder if they would complain if I started cleaning up some steel with my angle grinder and some of the sparks / dust happened over their fence when they were sitting out there?

They wouldn't normally know if I had done any of that sort of thing as I wouldn't if they were sitting out there ...

We are lucky in that because the back gardens are small, most people along here have made them low maintenance so we aren't constantly bombarded with strimmer and mower noises every weekend in the summer. ;-)

Good neighbours should be (sometimes) seen but not heard (or smelled). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes. Plenty wood burners round here - and everyone has gas. Simply a fashion. Almost always added relatively recently, so not actually needed to heat anything, as the original gas heating remains.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd swap you the smell of wood smoke to that of diesel we get round here. ;-)

But the nose ain't good at deciding which may do your lungs etc the most damage.

[Dave Liquorice]

barbecue

Just sheepeople. When down south on a housing estate any half decent vaugely warm evening the BBQ's would be fired up at almost every property. If you're making a stink, you don't notice the stink from the neigbours...

Probably.

Better still a tad under a 1/4 mile away and only the first floor and roof visible. Next nearest neighbours are a tad over 1/4 mile away and hidden behind a hill. B-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Thought you didn't like 'down south'?

If you want to keep the riff raff in there with a wall, don't expect us to give you work. ;-)

[Dave Liquorice]

decent

I don't and the above is one of the many reasons.

That's fine, don't work in London. Furthest south for a single day is Stoke or Sheffield.