Hetas/woodsure firewood accreditation

[woody woodpecker]

Hi all

Just wondered if there are any accredited wood fuel suppliers on Arbtalk . And what your thoughts are regarding either off the above schemes.Has it made any differance to your firewood sales.

Any other comments regarding the accreditation process would be greatly recived weather it is for or against .

[Alycidon]

I am a Hetas approved retailer who also sells firewood that I usually process myself. I have looked at the scheme and discussed it with the Woodsure lady at the Arb show.

 

From what I can see the scheme revolves around an audit trail for your logs from point of felling right through to point of sale. There are also product quality standards to be met but if you are doing logs properly then you will achieve these fairly easily.

 

Downside for me was the annual cost of the scheme and the set up costs, this would involve a visit to your processing/storage premises by an assessor who will look at your whole firewood business to make sure that you reach certain standards. If you are not selling 500 cube a year then at present I don't think its a flyer from a cost point of view unless things have changed.

 

I cant see that I would be able to add another £10 to a cube as I was a HETAS/Woodsure approved supplier.

 

I would be interested to here what other fairly small scale log suppliers think and the effect that joining the scheme has had on their business.

 

A

[woody woodpecker]

Hi Alycidon

thanks for you comments.surely there must be others that could comment if they think that it is worth considering becomeing a accredited wood fuel supplier ?

[Alycidon]

Hi Alycidon

thanks for you comments.surely there must be others that could comment if they think that it is worth considering becomeing a accredited wood fuel supplier ?

 

Untill the RHI for domestic property kicks in and with it the requirement for these boilers to be fed fuel from RHI appoved suppliers then I cant see the point at present. The man in the street may vaugly be aware of Hetas if he has had a stove fitted recently but will not have heard of Woodsure who are running the scheme.

 

If you look at the woodsure assured map on their web site there are not to many companies who have signed up especially in the logs area. Yes CW have but they would as a major supplier into the market.

 

A

[Woodworks]

I don't see the need to get accredited. If you sell dry logs the customers will keep coming back and if you sell wet rubbish they will shop around until the get decent stuff. I did chat with the Heatas people at the APF but the person I spoke to knew so little about logs and drying it was embarrassing. If the inspectors who would check us were as clueless as the person I spoke to it would make the whole scheme pointless. I am sure having their name on your website would get a few new people through the door but I don't think it would make much difference in the long run as I think customers shop around until they are happy.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Woodworks

[Paul Smith]

Sounds like another money making scam!!

[muldonach]

Another load of old tosh

[philg]

I don't see the need to get accredited. If you sell dry logs the customers will keep coming back and if you sell wet rubbish they will shop around until the get decent stuff. I did chat with the Heatas people at the APF but the person I spoke to knew so little about logs and drying it was embarrassing. If the inspectors who would check us were as clueless as the person I spoke to it would make the whole scheme pointless. I am sure having their name on your website would get a few new people through the door but I don't think it would make much difference in the long run as I think customers shop around until they are happy.

 

You've hit the nail on the head. Complete waste of time as people will shop around until they're happy with product anyway.

Phil

[NoRush]

A company near me is Hetas assured and I checked some of his logs at a x customer of his they were wet mouldy and black and twice as much as mine. So a total waste of time and money. Just not mine

[Alycidon]

A company near me is Hetas assured and I checked some of his logs at a x customer of his they were wet mouldy and black and twice as much as mine. So a total waste of time and money. Just not mine

 

That needs reporting to Hetas/Woodsure. Whats the point of a quality mark that is being openly abused. At the end of the day most of us want a high quality product going into the market as thats where the future is.

 

Had the scheme been cheaper I as a small at present firewood producer would probably enlist. Say £1 per cube sold in the previous year, then it may become self financing.

 

A