In recent months, hardly a day goes by without information about an alleged ban or drastic restriction on wood heating appearing in the public domain. Users of stoves and fireplaces are thus often confronted with contradictory or misleading claims which naturally give rise to uncertainty. Tensions have also been heightened by last year's blanket ban on the operation of old solid fuel boilers, inserted into the Air Protection Act back in 2012.

It is therefore worth repeating clearly and without digression: no ban on the use of modern local wood biomass heaters is being prepared at national or European level. This applies both to wood-burning and pellet stoves and inserts and to other appliances falling into this category. Customers who have bought or want to buy a heater can be sure that they will be able to use it for its entire lifetime - subject, of course, to conditions such as professional installation, flue inspection and fire safety.

Nothing changes for the user. For the manufacturer, yes

While consumers who buy a CE-marked appliance can rest easy, manufacturers are dealing with major changes in European legislation. This has two objectives:

Reducing emissions and increasing appliance efficiency - this is addressed by the Ecodesign Directive, which will be in force from 2022.

Establishment of uniform rules for testing, safety and conformity assessment - this is brought about by the new set of European standards EN 16510.

The standard covers a wide range of appliances: solid fuel stoves, inserts and cookers, independent solid fuel boilers up to 50 kW, pellet stoves and inserts and some slow release appliances. The Czech translation of all parts of the standard was only available at the beginning of 2025.

What EN 16510 really means

The new standard sets out harmonised test methods - that is, a precise and uniform procedure for measuring the performance and emissions of a heater. As a result, all products have the same testing conditions and the results are comparable across the European market.

The old standards did not clearly define the number and sequence of measurement cycles in the certification test. EN 16510 introduces a much more rigorous and comprehensive test methodology to eliminate „laboratory tuning“ of test results. The new measurements must be taken during three consecutive combustion cycles on a stabilized burner, with continuous temperature and emission measurements. To be valid, the test results must not vary dramatically from cycle to cycle. The standard requires that the measured heat output in any of the cycles does not deviate from the average rated output by more than 10 %. The new standard, in line with Ecodesign, also specifies the methodology for measuring the full spectrum of emissions, i.e. CO, nitrogen oxides (NOx), organic gaseous hydrocarbons (OGC) and particulate matter.

The key date was 9 November 2025. Until that date, it was possible to place on the market heaters tested according to the older procedures. From that date onwards, manufacturers, importers and distributors are only allowed to sell appliances that are certified according to EN 16510 and therefore also meet the Ecodesign requirements for emissions and efficiency.

Moreover, the time for recertification was very short - the testing laboratories did not receive accreditation until less than a year before the deadline. This placed a significant administrative and financial burden on manufacturers. But the result is a uniform, transparent and fair conformity assessment across the EU.

Prohibition of use vs. prohibition of placing on the market

Finally, it is important to reiterate a crucial distinction that is often confused in debates:

Prohibition of use - the case of old boilers of 1st and 2nd class according to the Czech Air Protection Act. It concerns only operation.

Ban on marketing - European regulations only allow the sale of products that meet current standards. It does not apply to what you have at home, but to what manufacturers and distributors can sell.

For the end consumer, the situation is therefore simple: if he or she has bought or will buy a stove from the official distributor, there is no reason to worry that he or she will not be allowed to use it in the future.