Have your wood burner and flue professionally checked and serviced each year before the winter begins.

1. Use only dry, seasoned fire wood from a reputable supplier. It can cost more per cord, but you will use less of it to get more warmth into your home.

2. Dry seasoned firewood will have been correctly dried over a 2 years minimum period of management or dried in a kiln. This careful management achieves a very dry wood that burns with a lot of heat.

3. Go outside and check your chimney – you will see smoke when it’s first lit, but once the fire is well underway and hot, you should just see a shimmer of heat.

4. Don’t damp the fire down when you go to bed, as this increases the smoke as the fire smoulders. Modern compliant units won’t allow this anyway.

5. Never burn treated or painted wood, or driftwood from the beach. It may be free but has hidden costs because burning releases harmful chemicals which will damage your burner and harm your health.

6. Put your rubbish in the bin, not in the fire.

7. Burning plastics particularly releases harmful chemicals, and it smells.