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Installing a wood burner yourself

People think they can fit their wood burning stoves without any knowledge of building regulations and legal requirements regarding stove installation.  A badly fitted or faulty stove can kill.

In England and Wales, there are only two routes to legally install a multi-fuel, solid fuel or wood stove.  You can either use a registered installer who can self certify that the work he does complies with the relevant Building Regulations or the consumer applies to their local authority building control department for a building notice, and pays the appropriate fee (possibly up to £350).

It is generally much simpler and cheaper to use a HETAS registered installer who will leave you with a Certificate of Compliance as a record of the job and that it complies with Building Regulations.  A copy of the certificate is forwarded to HETAS who notify the local authority on your behalf.

Failure to notify the work through the registration scheme (HETAS) or directly to the local authority can lead to enforcement.  It can also cause problems with buildings insurance and future house sales if there is no official record of a compliant installation.