When we can smell woodsmoke in the air we may find we have a fully formed image in our mind of people using solid fuel heating in London, but are our assumptions correct? How many of these images spring from Christmas films and cards, while others might be of an ultra-stylish household like those featured on property shows and in magazines. To gain a better understanding about fireplace and wood burning stove use in London we have studied the results of the latest LWBP survey. These surveys were conducted in winters 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 and most participants were supplied by our survey partner’s representative panels. We also shared the survey links on the London Wood Burning Project member borough websites and social media.
In this article we count a respondent as being a regular user of a fireplace or solid fuel burning stove if they use it once a month or more, and we have looked at gender, age, home ownership and type of home, and employment to seek to understand whether there are any trends in the usage of solid fuels or perceptions about local air quality.
Gender
Does gender have an impact on choices of heating? Survey respondents were 47% male and 52% female in both winters 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 which is broadly in line with the UK’s latest census of 49% and 51% respectively.
| Respondents (2022/23 and 2023/24) | Fireplace users 2022/23 | Fireplace users 2023/24 | Solid Fuel Stove users 2022/23 | Solid Fuel Stove users 2023/24 | |
| Male | 47% | 61% | 56% | 68% | 66% |
| Female | 52% | 38% | 43% | 38% | 33% |
| Other/Prefer not to say | 1% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 0% |
The table above shows that a much higher portion of fireplace (56%) and stove users (66%) were male than the survey sample (48%). Further, qualitative research might shed light on the reasons for this difference.
Age
When we look at age there is a strong pattern in both surveys for regular users of open fireplaces and solid fuel burning stoves to be in the younger age groups. We would like to explore further why this might be the case – one possibility might be that there is a declining level of public awareness about the Clean Air Act and the terrible air pollution that led to its creation. Anyone who remembers the ‘pea soupers’ that were common in London before the first Clean Air Act will be over 70 now and our collective societal knowledge of the effects of solid fuel burning at home may be diminishing.
| 2022/23 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Under 35 | 34% | 48% | 41% |
| 35-64 | 51% | 39% | 48% |
| Over 65 | 15% | 14% | 12% |
| 2023/24 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Under 40 | 49% | 69% | 67% |
| 40-59 | 33% | 21% | 25% |
| Over 60 | 18% | 10% | 7% |
Property ownership
There is a strong relationship in both 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 for regular fireplace and solid fuel stove users to be homeowners. This result is not unexpected, as the relining and maintenance of chimneys, or installation of wood burning stoves, is a cost that would be less likely to appeal to landlords especially when viewing this table with the knowledge that 90% of the households in our surveys have a gas boiler, heat pump or storage heater. The installation and maintenance of solid fuel heaters would be in addition to the usual electrical and gas appliance maintenance each year for most households.
| 2022/23 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Own | 54% | 81% | 83% |
| Rent | 38% | 15% | 13% |
| Other | 8% | 4% | 4% |
| 2023/24 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Own | 41% | 74% | 72% |
| Rent | 49% | 20% | 22% |
| Other | 10% | 6% | 6% |
Property type
When we look at the property type there is a strong leaning towards regular users of fireplaces and solid fuel burning stoves to be living in houses rather than flats or other types of accommodation. This will be likely to be a combination of factors including that many flats do not have chimneys, and even when these are present, many flats in London are leasehold and the freeholder may not always grant permission for relining chimneys or installing solid fuel burning stoves.
| 2022/23 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Flat | 42% | 32% | 30% |
| House | 57% | 68% | 68% |
| Other | 1% | 0% | 2% |
| 2023/24 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Flat | 47% | 27% | 32% |
| House | 50% | 72% | 67% |
| Other | 2% | 1% | 1% |
Income
We found that fireplace and solid fuel burning stove users are mostly in higher income earning groups. We can speculate that higher earners are generally more likely to be living in a home where they have control over heating sources and alterations and do not need to seek permission to make changes, but we cannot assume that this is the only reason.
| 2023/24 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Up to £30k | 30% | 13% | 15% |
| £30-£60k | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| £60-100k | 17% | 25% | 26% |
| Over £100k | 13% | 32% | 30% |
| Not answered | 12% | 7 | 7% |
Employment
The greater cost of purchased solid fuels, compared to gas and some other forms of heating, make it unsurprising that those who use solid fuel heating are more likely to be employed.
| 2023/24 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Working | 73% | 89% | 86% |
| Retired | 9% | 4% | 6% |
| Other | 17% | 7% | 7% |
Household composition
| 2023/24 | Respondents | Fireplace users | Solid Fuel Stove users |
| Alone | 22% | 11% | 9% |
| Partner or spouse | 51% | 72% | 72% |
| Children under 18 | 38% | 69% | 71% |
| Other family | 47% | 39% | 39% |
| Non-family | 6% | 3% | 4% |
Have our survey results made you rethink your conceptual image of the person using solid fuel for heating in London? The hand lighting the fire is more likely to be a younger, higher earning worker, owning their own home, and for it to be a house, shared with a partner and/or children under 18, and to be male.
What we can learn from this information
It is helpful to have a better understanding about some of the trends and characteristics of the portion of Londoners who use wood and other solid fuels for their heating. This information can help us develop an appropriate and informative awareness raising approach. We plan to continue surveying London residents about solid fuel burning, keep an eye out for the next one.
