Bordeaux to spend €10m helping residents replace old fire heating systems
Old wood-burning stove heating systems contribute more to air pollution than cars
Old wood-burning stoves are the leading cause of air pollution in urban areas, figures show, contributing more to the issue than vehicle emissions
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The city of Bordeaux (Gironde) is to spend €10m to help residents replace old wood-burning fires and polluting boilers with new heating systems, in a bid to reduce air pollution.
Old wood-burning stoves are the leading cause of air pollution in urban areas, figures show, contributing more to the issue than vehicle emissions. They account for 87% of damaging particle emissions in residential areas, reports Sud Ouest.
Read also: What are the rules on having a chimney fire in France?
As a result, at its last council meeting, Bordeaux Métropole voted to create a ‘Fond Air Bois (Wood Air Fund)’. This equates to €10 million over the period 2025-2027, intended to help private residents replace 20,000 old appliances by 2030.
The first stage of the scheme has set an initial target of 4,000 appliances by 2027.
Low-income households will be prioritised for financial help. Depending on income, the grants offered include up to €4,000 to replace an old polluting boiler, and €1,200 for a wood-burning stove.
The Agence de la Transition Ecologique (Ademe), is also co-financing the project.
Wood burning stove requirements in France
In France, wood burning stoves are subject to several insurance requirements and government standards. Failure to comply can leave homeowners with invalid insurance, or even facing charges in the event of a house fire.
Some cities have extra rules. Lyon, for instance, banned open fireplaces in April 2023, but still allows wood stoves as long as they meet certain specifications. The Île-de-France region (Paris and the surrounding departments) has similar rules, but allows decorative open fires.
In both of these areas, all new wood stoves must have the ‘Flamme verte’ energy efficiency rating, which is intended to minimise the fine particles they emit.
However, there are also national standards governing wood stoves, and failure to comply can leave property owners facing charges in the event of a house fire.
Read also: Explainer: What are the rules for collecting wood from forests in France?
Read also: Wood burning stoves: what are the rules in France?
What are the standards for wood stoves in France?
The French building code follows the stipulations of the Documents Techniques Unifiés, including for the installation of wood stoves and chimneys. In particular, DTU 24.1 and DTU 24.2 recommend that wood stoves:
Have sufficient ventilation
Have sufficient sealing on the chimney flue
Be mechanically stable
Tolerate expansion due to heat
Respect safety distances of 20cm all around the stove
While no law requires homeowners to hire a professional to fit a wood stove, only heating specialists can certify that a heating installation adheres to these standards.
