Genevans look to wood fires to stay warm

(c) Charnwood

Chimney sweeps are overwhelmed in Geneva as many want to bring their long ignored fireplace back into action.

Facing a potential energy crisis and federal limits on household temperatures, using wood seems to be an option worth exploring.

The law states that all chimneys have to be maintained and swept once a year. 

But chimney sweeps and companies that install wood burners have told the Tribune de Genève that they’ve had so many requests, it can now take 5 months to get an appointment. 

If a fireplace has not been used for many years, it needs to be checked with a camera to make sure it's safe. 

The Geneva Fire Service says a badly maintained chimney can mean smoke in the  home or worse a fire in the chimney itself.

 

 

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play