Streamlining wood stove removal

Introduction

The Danish EPA uses the F2 Platform to automate wood stove removal enforcement, managing 40,000 cases annually through real-time data integration, compliance tracking, and fine issuance

Case metrics

Key statistics

400

premature deaths per year in Denmark caused by air pollution

66%

of the Danish contribution to air pollution is contributed by home wood stoves

40,000

cases handled by the Danish EPA annually

The challenge

Reducing air pollution by enforcing wood stove removals

Air pollution is a significant environmental and public health concern in Denmark, contributing to more than 400 premature deaths annually. Wood stoves are a major source of particulate pollution, responsible for as much air pollution as traffic in major cities. To comply with the EU Directive on particulate pollution, Denmark introduced a regulation requiring the removal of old wood stoves upon the sale of a property. The regulation mandates that new homeowners must either prove their stove is compliant or remove it within a specified timeframe before fines are issued.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faced the challenge of enforcing this regulation while managing an estimated 40,000 cases per year. Ensuring compliance required an automated enforcement system capable of issuing fines at set intervals for non-compliance. The system also needed to support self-service functionality for homeowners while ensuring seamless integration with national records.

To effectively implement the regulation, the Danish EPA required an automated solution capable of registering property transactions, creating compliance cases, notifying homeowners, tracking documentation submissions, issuing fines, and escalating non-compliant cases to the authorities. Without an integrated and automated system, enforcement would have required extensive manual work, increasing administrative burdens and the risk of delays or inconsistent application of the law.

The solution

Automating compliance with a digital enforcement system

To meet the new enforcement requirements, the Danish EPA implemented the F2 Platform, a fully automated enforcement system designed to handle large case volumes while ensuring regulatory compliance. Developed in two phases over five months, it integrated with the National Real Estate Register to automatically create cases when properties with wood stoves were sold.

Once a transaction was registered, the system determined whether the wood stove met regulatory requirements. If the stove was too old, an automated notification was sent to the new homeowner, informing them of the deadline to either remove or replace the stove. If the stove’s age was unclear, the homeowner was prompted to assess and document its compliance. The system automatically followed up with reminders until the required documentation was received.

In the second phase, automatic fine issuance was introduced for or non-compliant homeowners, with penalties issued at predefined intervals. If compliance was still not achieved, cases were automatically escalated to the police and tax authorities. Throughout the process, manual intervention was only required for verifying documentation, allowing staff to focus on complex cases.

A self-service portal enabled homeowners to upload documents, track compliance, and receive automated notifications, reducing administrative workload and ensuring consistent and effective enforcement.

The result

Efficient, compliant, and user-friendly enforcement

The F2 Platform enables the Danish EPA to operate a fully automated enforcement system, ensuring the efficient and transparent implementation of the wood stove regulation. The system eliminates manual case handling, allowing the agency to manage over 40,000 cases annually with minimal effort.

By automating case creation, compliance tracking, and fine issuance, the system ensures timely enforcement while improving transparency and accountability. Integration with the National Real Estate Register enables real-time case creation, while the self-service portal allows homeowners to submit documentation and track compliance, reducing inquiries and manual follow-ups.

With automatic fines and case escalation, enforcement is consistent and effective. By implementing F2, the Danish EPA established an efficient, transparent, and scalable enforcement system that supports Denmark’s air pollution reduction goals.

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