Burning fireplaces and wood-burning stoves produces a lot of harmful particulate matter and nuisance for people with lung complaints. The pollution threatens to become even greater next winter, because the Dutch will buy wood en masse for their fireplaces. More heaters are also being purchased.
The Dutch Fireplace and Stove Industry Foundation (NHK) sees strong growth in sales of open fires and pellet stoves. Since last summer, when gas prices started to climb steadily, sales of wood and pellet stoves have increased by about 30 percent. Sales of much cleaner gas fires and stoves actually fell sharply, according to a spokesperson.
The demand for wood-burning stoves and fireplaces is now so strong that the industry is seeing shortages. ‘There are delivery problems with materials and upscaling is not possible here either due to staff shortages.’
Air pollution
RIVM views the popularity of wood burning with dismay. “The sale of wood is linked to consumption and it is indeed expected that this will not have a positive impact on air pollution,” said a spokesperson.
The institute is currently investigating which measures can be taken to improve air quality, including ‘ambient heating’. But the RIVM says it is not looking specifically at the possible consequences that the record sales of firewood will have on air quality next winter.
Fenna Swart, chair of the Clean Air Committee, speaks of a ‘development with disastrous consequences for the already poor state of air quality’. According to Swart, the large amount of wood burning is partly due to the lack of proper government information about the serious consequences for public health.
Until recently, the cabinet was hopeful that things were moving in the right direction with regard to pollution and nuisance. It even counted on emissions to decrease. It is impossible to say whether that is still possible now that more heating will take place, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The results of a major investigation will be announced next autumn and the ministry says it does not want to prejudge this.
Clean Air Agree
In April there was still good news. Then State Secretary Heijnen reported to the House of Representatives that an interim measurement had shown that emissions and negative health effects of wood burning had fallen by approximately 30 percent. “There are uncertainties in those figures, for example with regard to rising gas prices,” said the State Secretary at the time. Meanwhile, the gas price has reached extreme heights due to the squeezing of the supply by Russia.
According to the Clean Air Agreement that the central government, provinces and municipalities signed more than two years ago, emissions from wood combustion must be lower in 2030 than in 2016. Heijnen says that this aim will be maintained and says it will be able to report more about this in the autumn.
The Netherlands does not have a smoking ban on days when there is a risk of smog. RIVM can send a warning, but owners can ignore it. At the beginning of June, experts in the field of health and air quality argued in the House of Representatives for a ban at times when there is a threat of nuisance. Especially when it is very cold in winter, there is more heating and the chance of smog is greater.