Most installations of solid fuel and wood biomass appliances and systems are subject to the requirements of Building Regulations and are notifiable to the Local Authority in your area by law. You can make sure you comply with your Local Building Authority by using an approved installer/contractor who can supply you with a certificate. This certificate can be shared with HETAS (Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme) and they can inform the Local Building Authority.

There is help out there, the Official Guide to Approved Solid Fuel Products and Services (The HETAS Guide). The guide enables you to find out who are registered installers under the Competent Persons Schemes, who will normally have attended training and supervision to aid the safe and efficient installation and servicing of appliances.

When you come to sell your house the information about work carried out under the Building Regulations in England & Wales is used by Solicitors on their inquiry forms and failure to demonstrate compliant work where applicable, could adversely affect the sale of properties. The message is to take no risks and get a registered installer to carry out the work. If you have not registered your building work it could also affect your home insurance in the event of a claim.

There are a multitude of makes and providers of solid fuel appliances. You can research them on the internet and like furniture it is always a good idea to see the wood burner prior to buying and installing it. You can also get some expert advice from most solid fuel appliance showrooms and it is always useful to have the dimensions of the room, to work out the right size appliance.

When buying a solid fuel stove it is best to confirm the types of fuel they can burn, to give you the flexibility of fuels as prices can vary considerably and new fuels like compressed sawdust briquettes are being actively marketed. You also need to know about your chimney, whether it has a lining and a rough idea of the height of the chimney. You may find that lining the chimney with a steel flue will cost more that the solid fuel appliance.

Be aware of Part J Building regulations

Building Regulations Part J have been updated from 2002 and can be found on http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2010pdf explaining what are the Building Regulations for Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems. There is new guidance for access for visual inspection of concealed flues. This should ensure that flues can be properly inspected both when an appliance is first commissioned and subsequently serviced.

Building and Construction are becoming more closely aligned to Europe and Part J has an informative appendix that provides explanation of the European designation system for certain flue and chimney products. You can check with your installer that the installation complies with Part J and the latest European regulations.

Why solid fuel

There is a real pleasure coming home to a solid fuel fire and if you have an existing chimney or one that may have been boarded up they could be re used to provide warmth and a focus point for a particular room using solid fuels from a local source. As with all combustible appliances, treat them correctly and you will be able to enjoy the warmth and heat they create.