Resources
Since May 2021, selling or supplying wood above 20% moisture in small volumes has been against the law in England. Here's what the Ready to Burn rules actually require, and why the comebacks they're meant to prevent usually land on the installer, not the fuel seller.
Every job starts with a name, address and a few photos of someone's living room — that's personal data, and UK GDPR applies the moment you store it electronically. Here's whether you actually need to pay the ICO fee, what tier you're in, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Ecodesign gets thrown around constantly in stove marketing, but it's a product standard for manufacturers, not an installer obligation. Here's what it actually regulates, why secondhand non-compliant stoves can still legally be fitted, and how it differs from Defra smoke control exemption.
Turning down jobs because you're solo? Here's what taking on your first employee or apprentice actually costs a stove installation business in 2026: wages, employer NI, Employment Allowance, Employers' Liability insurance, and the new apprenticeship funding rules.
Your diary is rammed from September to February and quiet from March to August. That's not a problem you can install your way out of — it's a cash flow problem. Here's how to smooth it out: deposits, tax buffers, and using quiet months on purpose.
Most stove installers never touch the Construction Industry Scheme because they work directly for homeowners. But take work through a builder, developer, or letting agent — or bring on your own subcontractor — and CIS can suddenly apply. Here's when it does and doesn't.
Most UK towns sit inside a smoke control area, which changes what you can legally fit and what fuel the customer can burn. Here's what installers need to check before quoting, what a Defra-exempt appliance actually is, and what happens when a customer gets a penalty notice after the fact.
A busy season can push a small installer past the £90,000 VAT threshold before the accountant notices. Here's when registration kicks in, how the construction reverse charge affects contractor jobs, and whether the Flat Rate Scheme is worth it.
Reviews are one of the biggest free levers on where a stove installer ranks on Google, but the rules on asking for them changed in April 2025. Here's what the new law actually bans, when review requests convert best, and how to build the habit without falling foul of the CMA.
Planning permission and building control get confused constantly. Here's the actual split for installers: when councils need to approve a job, when HETAS self-certification covers it, and where the paperwork gap costs you money later.
Every stove you've installed is a customer due a sweep and a service on a predictable schedule, but most installers have no system for turning that into booked work. Here's what HETAS recommends and roughly what it's worth per customer per year.
An insurance-backed guarantee isn't the same as your HETAS-required public liability cover, and mixing the two up in front of a customer can cost you the job. Here's what an IBG actually protects, what it costs, and when it's worth having one.
Most installation jobs are quoted and signed in the customer's home, which makes them "off-premises" contracts with a legal 14-day cancellation right attached. Here's what installers need to disclose, what happens if they skip it, and when it's actually safe to start work early.
Most flue liner warranties run 15, 20 years, even "lifetime." Almost none of them pay out automatically. Here's what installers need to register at the time of install, and why the customer's first call when a liner fails years later is usually to you, not the manufacturer.
Undercharge and you're working for free by January. Overcharge and the quote never lands. Here's how to build a wood burner installation price that actually reflects the job.
Your HETAS card needs renewing every year, and the servicing scheme now carries a five-year re-qualification cycle. Here's what installers need to keep on top of, and how to stop it sneaking up on you.
Busy season means a full diary and a growing pile of unpaid invoices. Here's how to tighten up the gap between finishing a job and actually being paid for it.
Keeping completion photos and job documents organised is one of the easiest ways to reduce admin stress and improve compliance readiness.
Generic CRMs rarely fit the quoting, survey, compliance, and installation workflows that stove businesses actually run. Here is what to look for instead.
If you run a solid-fuel installation business, your phone has probably started ringing with panicked customers asking if their pride-and-joy wood burner is about to be outlawed. Sensationalist headlines love to claim that the government is banning stoves overnight.