B&Q bans patio heaters

DIY specialist B&Q secured plaudits from environmental groups yesterday after announcing it is to phase out the sale of patio heaters as part of an initiative to slash the company's environmental impact.

The company said that once its current seasonal stock of patio heaters is sold, it will not restock them. The move follows similar commitments from retailers Notcutts and Wyevale last year, and will make B&Q the largest home improvement firm to ban the sale of the controversial heaters.

Patio heaters have emerged as a powerful symbol of carbon profligacy amongst green groups following research from the Energy Savings Trust which found that one propane patio heater uses up enough energy to make 400 cups of tea for every hour of operation.

Research last year from British Gas underlined the scale of the problem predicting that increased sales of gas-fired patio burners to pubs as a consequence of the smoking ban would see carbon emissions from pub heaters alone rocket to 160,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, representing almost ten percent of the annual carbon reduction the UK needs to meet its Kyoto commitments by 2012.

"These carbon-belching monstrosities waste energy and cause needless damage to our environment," said Friends of the Earth campaigner Ed Matthew. "We are delighted that B&Q has decided to stop selling these products. But the Government must now act and ban patio heaters."

B&Q said the move was part of a wider commitment to cut the environmental footprint of its operations and its customers' homes. The company announced that it had joined the WWF-backed One Planet Living initiative – which commits organisations to cutting carbon emissions and waste and embracing sustainable practices – and had begun work on developing two sustainability action plans to drive green improvements in both its operations and its product portfolio.

B&Q chief executive Ian Cheshire said that the company expected customers to respond favourably to the new initiative and insisted the company was well positioned to address the growing market for green products. "A quarter of the UK's total carbon emissions come from the home and as the largest home improvement retailer in the country we are uniquely placed to help customers make a real difference," he said. "Our initiatives will provide real and simple solutions to help people live more sustainable lives."

Separately the company also announced that its entire kitchen range had now attained 100 per cent certification from the Forestry Stewardship Council and had committed to providing free growing kits and seeds to 5,000 schools.