I hope you have had a restful Easter and you enjoyed your bank holiday weekend. With heating season coming to a close and the weather warming up, many appliance owners will be burning less, granting those of you with sweeping and servicing competencies the opportunity to get their installation ready for next winter. We’ve been running our Book a Sweep campaign to highlight the importance of chimney sweeping now that the weather is warming, reminding consumers that now is a great time to book in their annual or bi-annual sweep with a trusted HETAS registrant.  

Continued efforts and successes have meant that the registrant search page on the HETAS website has been ever-growing, aligning well with our Book a Sweep campaign. The Book a Sweep campaign is just one of the annual campaigns we run or get involved with, echoing the key message of safety we promote in our daily work. Share the message on your own social media channels using our pre-made images and find out more on our dedicated website page. 

We’ve taken the time this month to clarify the various aspects of what HETAS does, exactly who we are, and our role across the solid fuel, wood fuel, and biomass sector. Our work means we are involved in a lot of different aspects of industry, so it is understandable that some of it is not seen by all our registrants.  

For a comprehensive overview of some of the work the team here at HETAS undertake every day, and to find out what this means for you, have a read of our latest article. It is not possible to concisely list all the hard work each member of HETAS undertakes on a daily basis, but I hope this overview shines a light on some of the lesser-known aspects of our work.  

Our partnerships and work with national and local governments – whether this is informing policy or using our expertise to update Building Regulations – is an important part of our work at HETAS. As an independent certification body, we have the unique position which allows us to utilise our technical knowledge, valuable data, and impartiality to shape the future of solid fuel and biomass burning, informing legislation that reduces emissions whilst remaining just and reasonable for our sector. 

A recent report has examined how air pollution affects those living across the UK, unearthing some ways the UK government can act to eliminate inequality in air quality. The Air Quality Expert Group’s (AQEG) report highlights how a wide breadth of factors can impact someone’s susceptibility to poor air quality, touching on some ways that these impacts can be alleviated. As much existing research takes place outside the UK, many existing recommendations (including those regarding solid fuel burning) can be difficult to apply to UK policy and advice. This review reveals some novel ways that the UK’s unique geography, weather, governance, and housing makeup can help us create a more equal landscape with minimised emissions. 

This month has also seen a landmark review, where the UK’s economy and environment were assessed to see how the two can work more in unison. Balancing the UK’s economic growth and nature is important, and the review by economist Dan Corry examines how the two can work together rather than being in direct conflict. There are 29 total recommendations made and some of the overarching themes discussed relate to the work HETAS is involved in through our work with government departments – find out more in our article. 

If you’ve missed the latest HETAS Technical Bulletin, you can find it on the HETAS Technical Hub. This edition is introduced by Calvin May, HETAS Head of Technical & Certification, and covers some common queries the team have answered lately. We provide guidance as well as some more niche installation advice in this edition, helping you to keep completing high-quality, compliant installations across the UK. If you need assistance accessing the latest bulletin or the Technical Hub, get in touch at [email protected] and the team will be happy to help. 

Some of the HETAS Technical team will also be hosting and in attendance at our Manufacturer’s Roundtable on May 7th, where the team will be speaking with manufacturers, drawing on experience in standards sub-committees and government contracts to help shape the future of domestic burning.  

We will be exhibiting at InstallerSHOW again this year, which takes place 24-26 June at the NEC Birmingham. The team are looking forward to meeting you and other prospective training candidates at the show. Watch our socials for more updates closer to the show, including where you can find our stand and other attendees. Secure your free ticket and find out more on the InstallerSHOW website.