Did you know...

• Carbon monoxide alarms save lives and they only cost around £35 for five years’ safety and peace of mind. We strongly recommend all householders have at least one in their home.
• One of the first things you should do when you move house is to get any chimneys and flues swept, and get a carbon monoxide detector. Don’t put yours and your family’s lives in the hands of the previous owner’s maintenance standards - they may not have been that good.
• Solid fuel chimneys should be swept annually at least. Depending on the amount of use, and the fuel burned, some chimneys need to be swept twice or even three times a year.
• There are four types (or ‘ranks') of coal – lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite. In general, the coal type used for domestic fires is anthracite. Smokeless fuels are also produced from anthracite.
• Even if you live in an area which does not have smokeless restrictions, using a good quality smokeless fuel can save you money. Although more expensive than coal per sack, smokeless fuels burn hotter, and for longer, which makes them cheaper over time, as you need to put less on… and less often.
• Not all wood burns the same. Some cannot be used ‘wet’, others produce little heat. The very best wood to burn, whether still ‘green’ or dried out, is Ash. To find out about the ‘burn properties’ of other woods, click here (138kb pdf).