Rising energy costs could lead to an increase in households using a fireplace to heat their homes, an expert has said.
This increase could have serious implications including air pollution and even chimney fires.
While using coal, peat or wood may be necessary to reduce energy bills, other solutions need to be put in place as soon as possible, according to UCC Professor in Sustainable Energy and Energy Systems Modelling, Hannah Daly.
Amid the rising cost of energy, an open fire or a stove could be the most viable option for those struggling to pay their bills.
Daly said: “It's likely that people will switch from heating the whole house to maybe going back to heating one or two rooms for a few hours a day with fireplaces.”
This can, of course, have some “negative, unintended consequences” too.
Fires, as Daly outlined, are a “huge source” of air pollution in Ireland.
“In many towns and villages, on still, cold nights, the air can become hazardous because of smoke from especially unseasoned wood, coal and peat,” she told the Irish Mirror.
“The main price hikes are in natural gas, which heat urban and town areas. That is where the harm, the air pollution, is greatest.”
Our carbon budget could also be at risk, as coal and peat are “very carbon-intensive fossil fuels”, which can rebound.
The increased use of open fires or stoves can also lead to an increase in chimney fires, particularly if more households start to use their fireplace for the first time in years without maintenance.
In 2021, Dublin Fire Brigade responded to 303 chimney fires. A spokesperson for the service described this type of blaze as “particularly destructive” with the potential to lead to a house fire.
They advise cleaning chimneys once a year at the very least, and more frequently depending on what fuel you use.
“You should only use approved coal/fuels and seasoned (dried) wood. Burning scraps of wood, wood that has been varnished or treated, rubbish or waste will cause damage to your chimney over time,” the spokesperson said.
Birds can nest on top of, or in the flue of the chimney during the summer months due to lack of activity. If it has been a few years since a fireplace has been used, it is more likely to need a clear-out.
So, where do we go from there?
Well, there has always been some conflict when it comes to energy. Ideally, we need "clean energy, affordably, and in a way that doesn't harm the climate”. Daly said: “Different forces can work against each other, so the solution? We’re in a real tricky situation.”
Short-term fixes are limited, but supporting the most vulnerable households is important. “It’s a huge public health imperative to make sure that homes are warm, but also, as quickly as possible, that urgent measures are taken to insulate and retrofit homes because that is sort of a win-win-win solution,” she said.
The only genuine solution would be addressing poor thermal efficiency in Irish homes, and then, “when possible, switching from fossil fuel heating to renewable heat pumps and so on”.
“It’s really the only solution that addresses all problems at the same time, and is also compatible with our carbon targets,” Daly said.
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