Chimney Sheep Ltd has been granted a patent for its Chimney Sheep® draught excluder, making it one of the only chimney draught excluders on the market to have patent protection. The patent shows that Chimney Sheep® are a completely unique invention and protects it from being made, used or sold by external parties without Chimney Sheep Ltd’s permission. Inventor and Chimney Sheep Ltd Founder, Sally Phillips originally applied for the patent at the time of invention in 2011.
The simple yet effective chimney draught excluder is produced in Cumbria and is made with a thick layer of felted Herdwick wool and a handle attached which makes it easy and convenient to insert and remove. Due to the properties of Herdwick wool, a Chimney Sheep® is highly durable and naturally breathable making it perfect to plug the gap just above a fireplace. Once inserted The Chimney Sheep® acts like a duvet, blocking airflow into and out of the chimney, whilst naturally permitting sufficient ventilation; the product works to prevent warm air from escaping up the chimney and stopping cold air coming in via the chimney when not in use. This ensures homes can retain more heat and usually means consumers will reduce their use of central heating. Studies have shown that by using a Chimney Sheep® over a year, it can stop the emission of up to 250kgs of CO2 which is the same amount of CO2 absorbed by planting 6.5 tree seedlings and growing them for 10 years.
Sally Phillips commented on the grant of the patent: “This is a really exciting development for Chimney Sheep Ltd. Although there are other chimney draught excluders on the market being granted a patent means the Chimney Sheep® is a completely unique invention. This gives is more prestige as a product which is great for the authenticity of it.
“It is also a boost to me personally! I don’t think of myself as an inventor but I’ve now got a certificate that says I am! A Chimney Sheep® is deliberately simple product – during the development of the product I put a lot of time into distilling it into something that was simple to use and simple to understand for consumers. Saving energy doesn’t need to be complicated!”
The Chimney Sheep® is available to buy at chimneysheep.co.uk and Amazon. The product comes in a range of shapes and sizes to fit a variety of chimneys and start from £16.00. If contacted directly, Chimney Sheep Ltd are able to make made-to-measure versions of The Chimney Sheep®.
