HETAS: our role with you 

After sharing an overview of what we do in the solid fuel and biomass industry last month, we thought it was equally important that we let you know what our role is with you.  

There are a number of requirements we must follow as a competent person scheme, but we also strive to represent you – and our industry – as positively and professionally as possible. 

Industry support 

We are required to provide expert technical support for our schemes and registrants, as per point 11 of the Conditions of Authorisation. HETAS must provide comprehensive support for its registrants in areas such as regulations, legislation, Building Regulations, approved documents, standards, and codes of practice to continue operating. 

We take this requirement very seriously and are committed to keeping our stakeholders informed and up to date, going above and beyond to make sure you have the latest information. 

You will have seen our efforts to keep you informed through our: 

• Regular newsletters 

• Technical bulletins 

• HETAS Technical Hub 

• Guidance notes 

• Dedicated technical helpline 

Conversely, we are also dedicated to keeping consumers educated and pointing them towards HETAS registrants. Our work ensures homeowners know to contact their local HETAS registrant for all professional work, including the selection of appliances and ancillary materials, installation, servicing and maintenance, and sweeping. 

Consumer advice is also promoted through the HETAS website (through the Advice Hub and other dedicated pages), regular consumer newsletters, PR and media engagement, and our consumer helpline.  

Appliance owners and prospective owners use the HETAS website to find professionals or for advice on their installation, helping them burn responsibly and reduce their environment impact. Our monthly website sessions have continued to perform incredibly well, with the most recent heating season’s figures being comparable to peak sessions during the energy crisis.  

In addition to fulfilling the requirements we have as a UKAS accredited competent person scheme, we focus our work on progressing industry, promoting the best practices, and ensuring high-quality work is undertaken across the UK. 

Representing industry 

In recent years, the solid fuel, wood, and biomass combustion sector has been under great pressure from some media outlets. We actively combat misinformation, inaccuracies, and confusion to help paint a clearer picture.  

We all breathe the same air and HETAS is committed to minimising particulate emissions and displaying the important work our industry has done to improve. Our work over the years has contributed to a continued decline in particulate matter emissions across the UK, with official government estimates stating that overall PM2.5 emissions have reduced by 76% since 1990 – domestic combustion has had a 9% decrease in its contribution in one year alone. 

This decrease has come from a wide variety of improvements, initiatives, and changes in our sector, stemming from the hard work of many stakeholders. In recent years, we have seen success in initiatives we are involved in, such as: 

• Our registration schemes – including Ready to Burn and the Biomass Suppliers List (operated by Woodsure) 

• Registered installers, servicing companies, and chimney sweeps educating users on environmentally responsible burning 

• Cleaner Choice and other appliances that burn with minimised PM emissions 

• The HETAS Advice Hub 

• The advance of modern, efficient appliances 

• Defra exempt appliances and reduced smoke manufactured solid fuels  

Individual engagement, manufacturers’ efforts, technological and scientific advancements, and various communication or education campaigns have also helped reduce our sector’s emissions.  

It is important to remember that our current progress has come from collaboration, innovation, and perseverance, and we must collectively continue these efforts so we can keep seeing improvements. 

There is still much work to do – reducing domestic combustion emissions is just as difficult and complex as accurately measuring how much each source contributes to emissions. This is a multi-faceted issue that requires input and expertise from a variety of areas, and something HETAS is uniquely positioned to continue assisting. 

Some headlines in the media and campaigns are founded in passion for a positive cause; clean air is also a cause that is important to HETAS, but it is vital that we find reasoned, just solutions and concentrate on understanding what the worst emitters are and how we can minimise their impact. 

We are regularly contacted by the media asking for our expert opinion and we work diligently to present an impartial and balanced view about how we – and the wider sector – can be part of the solution. The complexity of the issue is why the solutions are equally complex, and we do all that we possibly can to communicate best practices, official, government-backed statistics, and the great work we see every day across industry. 

Our position as an independent, impartial certification body means we are trusted to provide accurate, unbiased information to the media. We will continue to use this position to promote best practices, the industry’s achievements, and the facts. 

Educating appliance owners 

Research suggests that user education is a vital, cost-effective way to continue minimising emissions from domestic burning. Educating stove owners is something HETAS has championed for a long time – we work diligently to give appliance users the knowledge they need to burn responsibly. 

A recent expert-led review, published by Defra, highlights how progress is needed from government and local authorities to further the public’s understanding of air quality, how to reduce it, and its impact on health. Reports like this and ongoing scientific research evidence the need for continued education efforts.  

The HETAS Advice Hub, our work with local authorities, and our annual campaigns are some examples of how we engage our consumer audience, using our established trust to help the industry and improve user behaviours.  

This January, the HETAS website saw over 100,000 sessions – our third-highest number of sessions ever. The only two more popular months were in October and November 2022, the peak of the UK energy crisis, demonstrating how our hard work is allowing us to achieve ever-increasing sessions that are comparable to those during unprecedented times. These record sessions were spread across the website, with articles from the HETAS Advice Hub performing in the top five, along with the Registered Installer search. 

Our annual campaigns and engagement with media are also popular among consumers. We utilise media and PR to not only dispel misinformation and raise awareness, but also to educate consumers. This quarter our messages have reached a combined audience of almost 90 million, allowing us to point prospective appliance owners in the direction of HETAS registrants and spread safety information. We’ll keep using this reach to keep consumers informed and industry represented. 

Registrants like you are also an important part of the larger picture as your work involves you directly educating homeowners on the benefits of modern stoves, how to choose the right fuels, and how to responsibly operate their appliance. 

Coming soon 

We’re continuing to invest in the future. All our training materials and assessments are under review to ensure they continue to keep you updated and uphold our high standards, and we have played a major part in reviewing the Minimum Technical Competence (MTC) standards for solid fuel, wood fuel, and biomass installers, which are due to be rolled out over the next few years. 

Internally, we have spent a considerable amount of time researching, testing, and investing in a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This will streamline our internal processes, making information more available to each registrant – with even higher levels of data security than before. Our scheme administration activities will be more efficient, helping the team process any changes faster than before, improving our services across the industry whilst we maintain the highest standards of compliance.