The festive season is here, and I hope you will be getting some well-deserved rest before a busy January. It has been a busy winter at HETAS, with the team working diligently during the start of this heating season. You may have seen some negative press and reports recently where wood burning has been targeted since the weather has cooled down – we are aware of these and have been working with media partners and wider industry to do our part in getting the important facts out there, helping to counteract misinformation as we continue to provide government departments with factual advice. 

Clean Air Night is taking place for its second year on 22 January 2025, where some groups will be targeting our industry. Misinformation, misinterpretation, and misunderstandings are rife in the media and groups have chosen Clean Air Night as a time to disparage the excellent efforts of our industry, ignoring the tremendous work of manufacturers, installers, servicing technicians, sweeps, and everyone in between. 

We have compiled a quick fact sheet for you to share and reference, giving you the information you need to continue positively representing our industry. It is important to tackle the concerns these groups raise with professionalism and tact; clean air and domestic combustion are not mutually exclusive despite some claims, and HETAS is committed to working together for a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment. 

Find the fact sheet on the HETAS website. 

HETAS will continue our work to represent you as well as the excellent work wider industry undertakes year-round. We work closely with all UK governments and devolved administrations and will ensure the progress we make demonstrates industry’s commitment to furthering our progress in reducing harmful emissions. 

As 2024 draws to a close, we have made a slight change to our regular Spotlight on… series, rounding up the articles as we highlight the excellent manufacturers of Cleaner Choice certified appliances and HETAS Approved Products. Seeing all these manufacturers’ hard work to innovate and continue driving our industry forward has been brilliant and the team look forward to continuing our collaborations in 2025. 

HETAS Technical Bulletin #34 will be released shortly, where the technical team will provide advice and guidance on some common topics they have solved on the helpline lately. Thank you for your patience with the release of this edition; we are currently undergoing some design changes as we overhaul the bulletins. We want to continue providing you with the advice you need in the most understandable, accessible way, and this overhaul will grant us the opportunity to improve the ways we communicate with you and support your high-quality work. 

Earlier this month, The Government announced that the Building Regulations will undergo a ‘fundamental review’ in 2025. This includes Approved Document J, which applies to solid fuel appliances and their installation. This review will be assessing the accessibility of the Approved Documents, aiming to make them easier to read, interpret, and understand. We will share information with you as the review takes place next year, and we will provide trusted, expert advice – like many other stakeholders across many industries will – to government in the upcoming review. Read more and find the announcement in our article. 

Whilst you are taking a short break from your daily duties to spend time with your loved ones, the team have compiled some photography tips to help you give your social media a boost in the new year. Photography may seem like a far-stretch from your everyday sweeping, servicing, and installation works, but knowing the basic skills on how to visually sell your work can help grow your customer base and retain customers.  

Looking forward to 2025, there are some important dates to mark in your calendar: 

• Book a Sweep will take place again during the peak heating season, beginning 13 January, running into March 2025. 
• Training Spotlight articles will become a new regular feature, starting early 2025. 
• Defra’s ‘Emissions of air pollutants in the UK’ will be released for 2025 mid-February. 
• The Environmental Improvement Plan is due a ‘rapid review’ from the Government, which was meant to have been completed by the end of 2024, so it is expected early 2025. 
• Clean Air Night takes place 22 January 2025. 

We will be sharing content relevant to these campaigns and events closer to these dates and the team are hard at work behind the scenes to ensure we are prepared for important dates. 

The HETAS office will be closing midday on 24 December for the festive period. The office and our phone lines will then reopen 8:30 am 2 January 2025. Please make sure you get in touch with the team before midday 24 December if you have any queries.  

On behalf of the whole team at HETAS, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.