Understanding Smoke Control Areas: What Can You Burn?

Navigating the regulations of smoke control areas is essential for residents of Edinburgh, where environmental concerns and air quality maintenance take precedence. In this guide, we help you navigate the regulations and shed light on what fuels are permitted.

Edinburgh’s smoke-controlled area

The whole of Edinburgh lies within a smoke-controlled area. This means that smoke cannot be emitted from the chimney of any building.

So what can you burn?

The restriction on emitting smoke does not mean that you cannot burn wood, however, to burn wood within Edinburgh you need to be burning it in an approved wood burning stove which has been correctly installed. Stoves approved for use in the smoke-controlled area, burn solid fuel or wood without emitting smoke if they are installed and used properly.

A list of approved appliances, which may be used to burn wood in Edinburgh, can be found on the Defra website.

If you do not have an approved appliance, while you cannot burn wood, you can burn our Smokeless Coal. Smokeless coal is anthracite-based. When burnt it does not produce visible smoke and emits a lower level of carbon dioxide. Anthracite based coals give off a great heat and have a slow burn rate, so it is a great alternative to wood.

You can use and burn a fuel, such as wood, which produces smoke on barbecues, fire pits, chimeneas and pizza ovens in the smoke-controlled area provided they are being used outside.