I couldn't get past the first paragraph without thinking this was a lot of nonsense. We have improved heating. Compare your wood burning stoves to gas boilers and heat pumps. That's the heating we should be using. You can't make a wood burning stove that has the same emissions as a heat pump.
It was nonsense!
Morning Mike - thank you for your, as ever encouraging critique! Out of interest what in the first paragraph did you disagree with?
All of it. But especially the description of people that care about people’s health. "Campaign groups, pressure organisations and self-appointed moral guardians" It's not about morals. It's about causing the least harm we can. By your logic in the article, then children could smoke cigarettes!
Don’t mention the tobacco industry! 🤣🤣
Sorry Mike - you may have misunderstood. We care about people's health which is why we are doing what we do. Perhaps have a closer look at what is being argued.
How patronising! Mike has not misunderstood at all! Your article is a rant full of whataboutery!
OK! The point of the article is only to suggest the best way forward is by innovating instead of banning. Quite happy to discuss it further. We drive cars, use solar, wind, heat pumps, batteries and stoves so we are not criticising you in any way. Why don't we arrange to talk?
Wasn’t taking any criticism. As a self appointed moral guardian criticism just washes straight over me anyway 😁. What is to discuss? New products to replace wood burning stoves?
Most campaigners have not called for a “ban” but for protections from the pollution they cause, eg Ellas Law. Everyone should expect to be able to breathe clean air in their own home. In reality that would require a “ban” in residential areas, as they are highly polluting.
In fairness we are saying that better regulation and innovation are the answer. We don't like pollution either! Disagree about needing a ban, but always happy to discuss with you when you want to engage.
If you don’t like pollution you would t manufacture wood burning stoves - simple as! 🤪
And therein lie the the difference between us! We are innovating to solve issues because we want to see improvement.
You are only “innovating” as you call it - I call it tinkering - with wood burning stoves. This is not innovation.
Competent engineers would wait until there were improvements in emissions over the appliance they are replacing. In SCAs this is generally a gas boiler, so emissions are typically hundreds (often thousands) of times more. Why do you think this is OK?
As a research engineer, I find your use of the word “innovation” very odd, as you are promoting archaic technology. A genuine innovation in this field would require emissions less than or similar to gas boilers, the predominant heating appliance in the UK. What "regulation" would you like to see?
Yes it is odd!
Great - we are engineers too! Why don't we just talk and see if we can make progress!
Progress on what exactly. There is no progress to be made on wood burning stoves unless you have invented a stove with no emissions at all - have you?
Until your "innovations" can emit similar levels of pollution as the technology they are replacing (which appears to be mostly gas boilers), regulations should prevent their use in residential areas.
You are the one that needs to have a closer look. If you really cared about health, you wouldn't make wood burning stoves. Compare the emissions of your "eco" stoves to gas boilers and heat pumps. You've said you can make a wood burning stove that has the same emissions, but never proved it!