UK Wood Burner Statistics 2026

Key figures

How many homes burn wood

There's no single official count, and each source measures something slightly different.

• Burning at home: in 2022–23, Defra found that 23.5% of UK households burned something at home or in the garden. Indoor burning rose from 8% of households in 2018–19 to 12%.
• Heating with wood: a 2025 study of energy performance certificates estimates that 8.1% of homes in England and Wales have wood as a main or secondary heat source. By our calculation, that's about 2 million homes. Wood is the main heat source in only 0.3%.
• New stoves: the same study found the share of new certificates listing a wood burner rose from 7.0% in 2009 to 10.3% in 2024.
• Relying on it: only about 1% of UK households rely on solid fuel for their heating, says Defra. The 2021 Census counted 31,030 households in England (0.13%) with wood-only central heating.

Burning is far more common in the countryside. Defra's January 2026 consultation puts indoor burning at 23% of rural households, against 9% in urban areas.

How much wood is burned

Households burned 3.14 million tonnes of wood between July 2022 and July 2023, according to a Ricardo report for Defra. Of that, 2.47 million tonnes was burned indoors, up 42% on the 2018–19 survey. The same report estimates a 30% rise in stove installations between the two surveys.

By our calculation, about 58% of the logs burned indoors had been bought kiln dried or Ready to Burn. The 2018–19 survey sorted fuel into different categories, so the two surveys can't be compared directly.

The government's 2026 energy digest says renewable heat rose in 2025, partly because of more domestic wood stoves. In 2024, 2.4 million green tonnes of UK-grown wood went for fuel, according to Forest Research.

Emissions

Fine particles, called PM2.5, are the main pollution concern with wood burning. In 2024, according to Defra:

• Domestic combustion, meaning wood, coal and smokeless fuels burned at home, produced 20% of UK PM2.5 emissions and 11% of PM10. Road transport produced 21% of PM2.5.
• Households burning wood indoors produced 12% of PM2.5 and 6% of PM10, the largest part of domestic combustion.
• Domestic combustion PM2.5 rose 45% between 2009 and 2018, largely because of more wood burning. It then fell 26% between 2018 and 2024, including 7% in the last year.
• Total UK PM2.5 emissions were 53 thousand tonnes, down 75% since 1990.

You may see older, higher figures, such as 29% or 38% of PM2.5 from domestic burning. Defra revised its whole time series in 2025, using new emission factors and a second burning survey, the national inventory report explains. Older and newer shares aren't comparable, so the figures above are the ones to use.

Chimney fires and safety

• Fire and rescue services in England attended 1,665 chimney fires in the year to March 2026, says MHCLG. That's down 18% on the year before and 60% on ten years earlier.
• Chimney fires peak in winter: HETAS says 42% happen between January and March.
• North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue attended 62 chimney fires in the year to March 2026.
• In 2022, 86 deaths from the toxic effects of carbon monoxide were registered in England and Wales, ONS figures show. That covers all sources, not just stoves.

See how often to sweep your chimney and can you burn wet logs?.

Rules and key dates

The 2026 consultation proposed a tighter smoke limit for new stoves, from 5 to 1 gram an hour, emissions labels on stoves and fuels, and supplier penalties of up to £2,000. It ruled out a ban on wood burning and a scrappage scheme. As of October 2026, the Welsh Government says responses are still being reviewed.

Buying unauthorised fuel for a stove that isn't exempt in a smoke control area can bring a fine of up to £1,000, says GOV.UK. About 1,100 suppliers were Ready to Burn certified in August 2024, according to Woodsure. See what is Ready to Burn? and am I in a smoke control area?.

Yorkshire

• The 2021 Census counted 3,351 households in Yorkshire and the Humber with wood-only central heating, 0.14% of the total. In the Bradford district, which includes Keighley, it was 114.
• The whole of the City of York Council area becomes a smoke control area on 1 November 2026. See wood burner rules for winter 2026/27.
• Since 2024, Bradford Council has used 12 low-cost sensors to study the effect of solid fuel burning in residential areas.