It’s Clean Air Day!
Today, Thursday, 19th June 2025, marks Clean Air Day 2025 – the UK’s largest air pollution campaign.
As reported by Global Action Plan, air pollution is associated with between 29,000 and 43,000 deaths a year in the UK. The World Health Organization and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental threat to our health.
Over the past five years, we’ve been delivering a project that focuses on raising awareness of the hidden harms of woodsmoke. So, what impact do wood burning stoves have on the air we breathe inside the home, exactly?
This video presents the results of a five-month air quality monitoring project carried out last winter in a home in which a wood burning stove is regularly used. Working in collaboration with Southampton City Council, Eastleigh Borough Council, New Forest District Council and Winchester City Council, we tracked levels of particulate matter (PM) indoors and outdoors to better understand how stove use affects air quality. The University of Southampton kindly compared the results against when the burner was in use and when it wasn’t.
During the video, we speak with Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, Special Advisor to the Royal College of Physicians on Air Quality, who helps unpack the results and explain what they mean for health. We also hear from a resident who hosted a pair of monitors (indoor and outdoor), and offers his perspective on why he burns wood and what this data might mean for how he heats his home.
You’ll spot a series of graphs that appear about halfway through the video. Please take a closer look below – the spikes show when the burner was in use.
If you choose to burn, please check out our recommendations for burning cleaner and better.
If you rely on a woodburner to stay warm in winter, we may be able to help you access funding for a cleaner, greener heating system. Please call us on 0800 804 8601 to find out more.
