The extended funeral rites have taken place of Old King Coal (c1780-2016) who died after a serious – and subsequently terminal – industrial injury sustained at the bitter Battle of Orgreave in 1984 in the final – and decisive – face to face encounter of The UK State v the Coal Miners of Britain.
But while coal, coal mines and coal miners have become part of our history, the industry has left a legacy of draughty lums which are very much a current heating problem facing residents of older properties.
The cheery soot-faced chimney sweep of yesteryear may also have become part of our history. But he is being ‘replaced’ by a new product called the ‘Chimney Sheep’.
No, it’s not a mis-print. The green Chimney Sheep is made from … no, not sheep! But rather from the wool of Lake District Herdwick sheep, which are designed to be easily removable so that the fireplace can still be used.
As the Chimney Sheep draught excluder is not a permanent fixture there is a requirement to understand its length of life as well as the way that it is used by customers, so that the carbon and cost saving credentials of a Chimney Sheep draught excluder can be calculated over its lifetime.
Chimney Sheep are manufactured by the eponymous production company in Maryport, Cumbria.It is the only truly sustainable chimney draught-proofing solution on the market and is much more flexible than the traditional chimney sweep.
Also unlike a chimney sweep, sheep wool is naturally fire-retardant and the Chimney Sheep can also be easily removed if the homeowner wishes to light the fire…
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