5 minute read
Chimney Sweeps Tackle Climate Challenges at ESCHFOE 2024 in Prague
By Bob Ferrari, Director of Education, National Chimney Sweep Guild
The European Federation of Chimney Sweeps (ESCHFOE) held its annual meeting in Prague from September 11-14. Bill Thornton led the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) team, which also included myself (Bob Ferrari). The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) had a large number of attendees. The 2025 event will be hosted by CSIA in Chicago, with some sponsorship from the NCSG, in August 2025.
The ESCHFOE conference alternates between a technical focus (last year’s event in Austria) and a political/regulatory focus, which was this year’s theme. In most member countries, chimney sweeping is organized by a government agency. Only five of the 27 countries surveyed operate under free-market systems, including the United States. In countries with governmental control, professional training is often required. Similar to the U.S., most countries are struggling to attract young workers to the trade.
It was the training aspect that first drew NCSG to ESCHFOE, with the goal of bringing back a training program that could be adapted for use in the U.S., modeled after European systems. Victor Imgarten and John Pilger visited schools in Germany and returned with new ideas for the tech center in Indiana. In countries where training is required, chimney sweeps oversee everything related to home heating, including HVAC systems and building performance. Both this year and last year, presentations focused heavily on air duct cleaning and HVAC service and installation. Germany leads the discussion, with all homes set to use heat pumps as the primary heating source within 10 years. Solid fuels, a traditional part of chimney sweeping, are rarely mentioned, as climate change advocates push to eliminate fossil and solid fuel burning. However, countries in colder climates or with smaller government budgets argue they cannot rely on heat pumps due to their climate or cost concerns.
Austria is seeing strong movement toward wood gasification, a process that converts wood into gases such as hydrogen, synthetic natural gas, and wood diesel. While biofuel is abundant, and existing fuel infrastructure can be used, the production costs are only viable with subsidies, higher global oil prices, or fuel shortages.
In the Czech Republic, fire and rescue services work closely with chimney sweeps. Attendees toured a large firefighting training facility and a museum. Of the 17,758 structural fires in the Czech Republic last year, 1,262 were chimney-related, with 90% caused by a lack of maintenance. The country has several levels of chimney sweep qualifications: flue gas analysis, inspection, repair, and a revising inspector, who inspects repairs. Interestingly, chimney sweeps and firefighters share the same symbol on their patches.
Although efficiency is improving in the EU, open fireplaces can’t meet new regulations. In Germany alone, three million fireplaces are scheduled to be decommissioned. The Green Party opposes biomass as a carbon-neutral option, but scientific experts have rejected that conclusion.
To help the chimney sweeping trade survive in the face of climate change efforts, various strategies are being considered:
Fire Protection:
Chimney sweeps could act as fire protection officers or technicians, teaching safety and performing inspections.
Fire protection assistants would support the main fire protection personnel.
Maintenance and inspection of smoke detectors would be part of their duties, along with checking CO monitors and inspecting storage of wood, gas, oil, and pellets.
Ventilation:
Sweeps would check and clean air ducts, ensuring system efficiency.
They would also clean smoke extraction systems and verify ventilation function.
Expansion of Traditional Sweeping:
This includes cleaning fireplaces and smoke pipes, installing fireplaces and chimneys, and handling smoke alarms.
Energy Consulting:
Chimney sweeps could issue compliance certificates, conduct building efficiency checks, perform blower door testing, and carry out thermographic imaging measurements.
Other tasks could include drawing ventilation plans and performing thermal bridge (insulation) calculations.
Finland sponsored a conference in May discussing ventilation work, with participation from other Nordic countries. They emphasized indoor air regulation and the inspection and testing of ventilation systems. New opportunities are emerging as EU standards highlight the importance of air quality to human health. Different systems require inspection at various intervals: every year for commercial places like restaurants, every five years for schools, hospitals, hotels, and apartment buildings, and every 10 years for office buildings and single-family homes. There are three levels of inspection, each requiring additional training:
Check-ups every 3-5 years
Analysis and repair every 5-10 years
A detailed evaluation after 10 years or more
Air balancing and house pressure design are also key components. Air pressure changes are measured in three ways: immediately, periodically throughout the year, or continuously, depending on the structure’s needs.
Ventilation work was highlighted as one of the main opportunities for sweeps in the EU. This trend is expected to influence the U.S. as well, with the potential to create long-term business opportunities.
Looking Ahead
CSIA provided an overview of the hotel and amenities for next year’s conference in Chicago, which will be followed by the 2026 meeting in Slovakia.
Oswald Wilhelm from Germany, ESCHFOE president for many years, passed the gavel to the new president, Alexis Gulas, also from Germany.
NCSG’s virtual reality demo in German was well-received, and other countries have shown interest in using it for training. Prague, with its artistic charm, provided a wonderful backdrop for the event. Attendees enjoyed wandering the cobbled streets and may have significantly reduced the world’s beer supply during the 3.5 days. The Czech hosts skillfully adjusted the itinerary due to rain and provided memorable experiences, including a tour of Prague Castle and dinner with the Roman Catholic Cardinal.
ESCHFOE continues to offer a glimpse into the future, one that may well be shared globally. It’s a small world, after all. ■
