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Heating pollutes. It is estimated that nearly 20% of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere derives precisely from domestic heating.

So how can we keep warm while also keeping a clear conscience? Simple: by lighting a fire, the oldest form of heating used by man. Burning wood has zero impact on carbon dioxide levels, because the CO2 absorbed by the plant during its life cycle is equal to what is emitted during combustion. Plus, wood is a completely renewable energy source, the cost of which is not facing the continuous price hikes of fossil fuels like diesel and methane. Heating with wood, therefore, could have a double advantage: reducing the CO2 impact but also considerable savings on utility bills.

If you're thinking of bringing your old open firebox or Granddad's cast iron stove back to life, you should curb your enthusiasm straight away. Old open fireboxes or stoves risk polluting much more than a gas boiler because the combustion inside of them is not carefully controlled and the residues that are not burned completely turn into the much-feared "fine dust".

So which products should I look to? Latest generation stoves and fireplaces have developed technology to burn more cleanly. If an old open fireplace had an output of 50-60%, the energy generated by a modern stove or fireplace today is transformed into heat at a percentage that often exceeds 90%, while particle emissions are reduced to a minimum.

The absolute cleanest combustion comes from pellet products, with monoxide, volatile organic compound and fine dust emissions at least 10 times less than those for wood.

We'll also go back to the subject of pellet and wood heating sustainability. We'll discover that changing how we heat helps not only the climate but the local working and economic fabric as well. See you soon for new updates on the topic.