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14.01.2008
Biomass appliances should be allowed in the smoke free zone petition
The UK smoke control areas were set up by the ‘clean air act’ to reduce pollution. If you are in a smoke control area you cannot try to help the environment and reduce your carbon footprint by installing a biomass stove or boiler.
Biomass when burnt is carbon neutral because the CO2 that the biomass takes in when growing is equal to the amount it releases when burnt.
An average household could cut their CO2 emissions in half if they switched from heating their homes with fossil fuels to a biomass option.
So why wont the government let people make this change for the good of the environment just because they happen to be in the smoke free zone?
The companies that sell these boilers cannot sell them to people in the smoke free zone unless they go through tests that cost up to £10,000 to get on the list of approved appliances. This is not a once off fee, it is per range. Resulting in only a few biomass boilers being on the approved list, thus giving customers little choice in what biomass boiler they wish to purchase and only the large wealthy companies able to afford to do so.
This petition is to get different rules for biomass appliances; anything that helps reduce CO2 which is apparently the government’s aim should not be rejected.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Biomass
If you believe that making a difference to the environment should be decided by you and not just by the government please sign this petition.
