Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will require the disclosure of the emission results for wood burning stoves, including efficiency, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and organic gaseous compounds, when they are sold in accordance with the Ecodesign regulations from 1 January 2022.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As of 1 January 2022, new Ecodesign regulations require that when a solid fuel local space heater (wood burning stove) is placed on the UK market, the product’s efficiency and its emissions of particulate matter, organic gaseous compounds, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides under standardised test conditions must be provided in the instruction manual for installers and end-users as well as on a free-access website.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a definition of sustainably sourced in relation to wood burning in domestic appliances.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Sustainability in relation to wood burning for domestic appliances varies depending on the appliance. The sustainability requirement for fuel used in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which support biomass boilers and pellet stoves used for heating and hot water for domestic properties, includes a greenhouse gas emissions limit and specific land criteria. These requirements are set out in the RHI regulations through the obligation for ‘approved sustainable fuel’ to be used in domestic RHI accredited installations. There is no specific sustainability requirement for fuel for other domestic appliances such as traditional open fires or wood burning stoves.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to publish guidance on ecodesign following the implementation of the Ecodesign Regulations in January 2022.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) provides general guidance on ecodesign on GOV.UK. Whilst there is no published specific guidance on the new ecodesign requirements for solid fuel local space heaters, the OPSS routinely offers support to businesses with compliance and operate a well-established enquiry service.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department has provided to businesses to implement the Ecodesign regulation which came into force on 1 January 2022; and what assessment he has made of business compliance with that regulation.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The market surveillance authority, the Office for Product Safety and Standards routinely offers compliance support to businesses with all ecodesign and energy labelling regulations.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new Ecodesign regulations on improving the efficiency of wood burning appliances.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The new Ecodesign Regulations for solid fuel local space heaters (wood burning stoves) will ensure that the worst performing and most polluting products are phased out of the market. Therefore, the Regulations will have a positive effect on the average energy efficiency of wood burning stoves on the UK market when they come into force in January 2022.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that wood burning appliances placed on the market are accompanied with the necessary technical and performance information within appliance manufacturers' literature or sales websites.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
From January 2022, wood burning stoves placed on the UK market will be regulated under ecodesign legislation, meaning that products placed on the UK market must meet minimum requirements for energy efficiency, as well as limits on the emissions of gaseous compounds and particulate matter. These new measures will ensure that the worst performing and most polluting wood burning stoves are phased out of the market.
The Ecodesign Regulations require certain technical and performance information about the product to be provided in the instruction manual as well as to be made freely available on the manufacturer’s website.
Manufacturers must ensure compliance with the ecodesign requirements before placing a product on the market. The market surveillance authority, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) undertake a programme of market surveillance that is risk-based and proportionate whilst operating under The Regulators Code.
The OPSS have engaged with stakeholders to raise awareness of the new ecodesign requirements taking effect in January 2022, and routinely offer support with compliance.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that wood burning appliances placed on the market after 1 January 2022 have been independently tested and verified.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
From January 2022, wood burning stoves placed on the UK market will be regulated under ecodesign legislation, meaning that products placed on the UK market must meet minimum requirements for energy efficiency, as well as limits on the emissions of gaseous compounds and particulate matter. These new measures will ensure that the worst performing and most polluting wood burning stoves are phased out of the market.
The Ecodesign Regulations require certain technical and performance information about the product to be provided in the instruction manual as well as to be made freely available on the manufacturer’s website.
Manufacturers must ensure compliance with the ecodesign requirements before placing a product on the market. The market surveillance authority, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) undertake a programme of market surveillance that is risk-based and proportionate whilst operating under The Regulators Code.
The OPSS have engaged with stakeholders to raise awareness of the new ecodesign requirements taking effect in January 2022, and routinely offer support with compliance.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to ensure that only the cleanest wood burning stoves will be available for sale from 2022 under Ecodesign Regulations.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
From January 2022, wood burning stoves placed on the UK market will be regulated under ecodesign legislation, meaning that products placed on the UK market must meet minimum requirements for energy efficiency, as well as limits on the emissions of gaseous compounds and particulate matter. These new measures will ensure that the worst performing and most polluting wood burning stoves are phased out of the market.
The Ecodesign Regulations require certain technical and performance information about the product to be provided in the instruction manual as well as to be made freely available on the manufacturer’s website.
Manufacturers must ensure compliance with the ecodesign requirements before placing a product on the market. The market surveillance authority, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) undertake a programme of market surveillance that is risk-based and proportionate whilst operating under The Regulators Code.
The OPSS have engaged with stakeholders to raise awareness of the new ecodesign requirements taking effect in January 2022, and routinely offer support with compliance.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Digest of UK Energy Statistics for the UK in 2020, published in July 2021, for what reason the reduction in domestic wood consumption in 2018 was 67 per cent.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Domestic wood consumption was revised in July 2021 to incorporate the results of research undertaken by the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra): link here.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published an article in March 2021 to quantify the likely impact for DUKES 2021:
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he had with the Climate Change Committee on the report by its UK Health Expert Advisory Group report entitled Sustainable Health Equity: Achieving a Net Zero UK before publication of the Sixth Carbon Budget in December 2020.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 10th December 2021 to Question 88605.