HETAS has worked in partnership with Defra to sponsor video adverts on its Facebook and Instagram channels in support of the government's Burn Better campaign, the certification body said in its March 2023 newsletter1. The campaign is run by Defra and is targeted at domestic burners1.
Defra has developed a dedicated communications campaign (Burn Better) targeted at domestic burners, to improve awareness of the environmental and public health impacts of burning and help reduce exposure to harmful pollution1. HETAS said the campaign will also help raise awareness of efficient appliances and fuels that provide better heat with reduced emissions1. The government identified the campaign in the recently published Environment Improvement Plan and the supporting Revised UK National Air Pollution Control Programme1.
"HETAS has worked in partnership with Defra to sponsor video adverts on our Facebook and Instagram channels"
HETAS said the sponsored videos proved successful in helping the Burn Better message reach an extensive audience, with post impressions on one video reaching almost 4,500,0001. The campaign also secured coverage on Mumsnet and Dadsnet, including a quote from HETAS, with the articles aimed at stove users on those forums1.
HETAS reported that its March newsletter was sent on 25th to over 36,000 recipients, and that the article on appropriate fuel for a log burner received the most clicks and was its top viewed page in March to date1. The organisation said 2023 was its busiest March on record for website sessions and pageviews, which it attributed in part to its regular consumer newsletters1. It said it will continue to work to its stated purpose of working together for a cleaner safer environment1.
Why it matters for households
The campaign concerns how solid fuel is burned in the home, not whether it is burned. Defra's stated aims are awareness of the environmental and public health impacts of burning and reduced exposure to harmful pollution, alongside awareness of efficient appliances and fuels that give better heat with lower emissions1. For a household using a stove or open fire, that places the practical focus on the fuel used, the appliance itself and regular maintenance, the three areas HETAS names as the subjects of consumer education1. The rules that govern what may be burned in smoke control areas, and the appliances approved for use in them, sit within the wider regulation and policy framework rather than in this campaign.
What happens next
No further dates or commitments are given in the source beyond the campaign's continuation and HETAS's stated intention to keep working towards its organisational purpose1.
Sources1 cited
- Burn Better March 2023 - HETAS, hetas.co.uk