Vital wood burners

SIR – Michael Gove (Comment, January 14) should think very carefully before banning wood burners.

Here on the edge of Exmoor, our hedges are regularly laid and maintained during the winter months when the sap is down. The byproduct is the wood, which is carefully cut into lengths and stored for a full year before fuelling local wood burners.

Ours is so efficient that we don’t need to use our backup, which is oilfired, so surely more of a pollutant, as well as being very expensive.

Yes, we live in a very rural area and are lucky to have wood on our doorstep, but we depend on it.

Robert Connell

Dulverton, Somerset

SIR – Since having solar panels fitted to our home, our heating-oil requirement has reduced by 90 per cent.

Throughout the year, most of our water is heated by electricity generated by the solar panels. Any excess electricity is directed to a heater in the hall, thus reducing the use of our log burner.

Surely it should be a building requirement that all new properties – both domestic and business – are fitted with solar panels in an effort to reduce pollution from all forms of energy production.

Jeremy Oates

Evesham, Worcestershire