How to engage with your local authority
Cleaner Burning – Tools and Resources
Local issues require local solutions.
The following guidance helps groups of sweeps and installers engage with their local authorities to make them more aware of our role in reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions from domestic burning.
All local authorities are legally obliged to have an ongoing plan for air quality improvement. LA’s are largely unaware of the work of sweeps and installers in promoting cleaner burning to their customers. It’s not the council’s fault, nobody has told them.
Things like: operating stove controls, fuel advice and storage, appliance maintenance, chimney design and maintenance, top-down lighting, log size, stove loading, appliance replacement – all these things make a difference to what comes out of the chimney. Collectively it’s a big difference – but your council has little idea!
Then there are all the different ways we can deliver cleaner burning information: Websites, social media posts, videos, brochures and flyers, face to face bespoke advice. It’s a fantastic armoury of tools and resources that your council is unaware of.
Direct action
Engaging directly is the simplest approach. Acting alone is probably a bit daunting, but collectively, sweeps and installers hold the key.
It’s time to get organised and take action. Local issues require local solutions. No one is going to do it for you, they can’t. See the guidance and the tools, resources below.
What to do and how do you do it
template letter for forming a group Form or join a group.
Meet: Get together to introduce and discuss. It doesn’t matter how many are involved initially.
Tools and Resources for Cleaner Burning (also listed below) Review the information – You can use this to send to your Local Authority.
Council template letter – Download here. Contact your local authority with a letter signed by all the group
The initial approach is to get the door open. After that, contact your trade association for assistance or copy the example of other groups engaging with their council..
Cleaner Burning – Tools and Resources
Download Tools and Resources here
Chimney sweeps and installers use a wide range tools and resources to deliver Cleaner Burning messages to their customers. Multiple factors contribute to what comes out of chimneys and the bespoke advice from a sweep or installer is key. When people understand the things that make a difference, they adopt cleaner burning habits.
The most effective Cleaner Burning messages are delivered face to face in the customer’s home. Here we can appraise how the fuel and fire are used and supply bespoke advice. Consumer awareness and burning habits are significantly improved when backed up by the tools and resources below.
Printed materials
Cleaner Burning flyer: Introduces customers to the things that make a difference to what comes out of their chimney and simple steps to reduce emissions. Buy from shop or download pdf
Smoke Control Area flyer: Key Facts – Introduces customers to the rules about fuels and appliances and points them towards Cleaner Burning guidance. Buy from shop or download pdf.
Burnright brochure: A comprehensive four-page brochure covering the things that make a difference, particularly when using a woodburning stove. Explanations of factors that influence burning temperature and why this is important. Buy from shop or download pdf.
Websites and social media
Individual sweeps and installers have various cleaner burning information on their own sites and collectively have a large potential audience.
The information is often drawn from the sites listed below. Or they may link to information on Cleaner Burning, often via these sites below. Obviously, they promote their own sites locally.
Burnright.co.uk: Comprehensive consumer information on all aspects of
cleaner burning with simple advice, videos, downloads etc. The Burnright ‘Trade Information’ section hosts the tools and resources listed here to make it easy for solid fuel professionals to access.
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StoveIndustryAssociation.org: Information on the cleaner burning benefits of modern ecodesign stoves. The site includes a good consumer information section.
Hetas.co.uk: Consumer ‘Advice Hub’ with lots of information on cleaner burning. Installers in particular will link to this site.
Chimney Sweep Trade Association websites: Extensive consumer messaging on cleaner burning with hundreds of thousands of visitors to these sites each year. See:
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These organisations use complimentary social media to distribute cleaner burning messages.
Social media
Sweeps and installers are often active on their business social accounts, sharing cleaner burning messaging from many sources and creating their own content. This is usually locally targeted.
Some sweeps / installers hold open public presentations about cleaner burning. The Burnright campaign has helped by producing a comprehensive pack for anyone seeking to host a
presentation, including an example of a live presentation, slides, script, general guidance and assistance with advertising.
Download Tools and Resources here
Cambridge group experience
Update due 8th Aug 2025
