What is a DEFRA regulations stoves Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you live in a region where smoke is controlled, it's important to buy a DEFRA exempt stove. A DEFRA exempt (or SE) stove allows you to burn wood legally in a smoke-controlled zone.

They are independently tested to ensure the lowest possible emissions. Stoves that are certified are often branded with the 'Defra-approved' logo on their name or the specifications.

Approved for Smoke Controlled Areas

Many people believe that living in a smoke control zone means that they aren't able to make use of a fireplace that burns wood. This isn't the case. Most cities and large towns are within a smoke control zone, however that doesn't mean they aren't able to use a wood burning stove. It's simply that they have to burn approved fuels in their stove (usually briquettes). The stove that is Defra-approved is a wood-burning stove that has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it meets certain criteria regarding the emissions it produces when burning approved materials. It can therefore be legally used in a smoke control area.

The Defra Lawful Stoves Logo is widely used in the industry, and many stoves feature the SE after their names to signify that they are smoke-free. To be SE approved the stove must meet strict emission requirements. This means you can be confident you are buying the best wood stove available.

If you search for a wood burning stove that is Defra exempt or is marked with SE after its name, you'll often find that the manufacturer has done things such as made sure there are enough air intakes on the front of the stove to allow for full combustion of the fuel and that the chimney outlet size is sufficient to prevent the build-up of soot. This is important as it ensures that smoke from the wood stove is not able to escape through the chimney into your home.

Another benefit of the Defra approved stove is that it typically permits you to use it with a 5" chimney liner, which is in compliance with UK building regulations, whereas stoves that are not Defra approved will need to be fitted with a bigger 6" liner.

At Stovax we are pleased to offer a variety of DEFRA approved stylish stoves approved stoves and fires, alongside our Ecodesign Ready stoves that have been created with future air quality standards in mind. In fact, many of our Defra approved stoves are also capable of being used with a smoke control kit for those properties that are in a Smoke Control Area and therefore can be used with a variety of approved smokeless fuels, including fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless fuels

The only stove that can be put in inside a smoke-control zone is a DEFRA approved wood burner, which is also known by the designation DEFRA exempt. This stove must be used with solid fuel, which means wood, which is best seasoned. They are inspected by the government to ensure that they don't create excessive levels of smoke. They can be used with 'authorised' fuels (coal only).

The difference between the difference between a DEFRA approved stove and one that is not can be very minimal. A lot of modern stoves can be made DEFRA compliant with an approved kit supplied by the manufacturer and fitted in just a few minutes. This is due to the fact that Defra approved appliances must pass extremely rigorous tests and are restricted in the amount of smoke they can produce.

To ensure that these restrictions remain in place during the testing process, the stove will have to be capable of limiting the amount of combustion air it gets to ensure that it does not deplete itself of oxygen, which could cause it to smoke. This is achieved by a mechanism in the stove that allows the air into the firebox during combustion, which is typically hidden within the stove, and under the base of the firebox.

Stove World UK offers a large selection of DEFRA approved stoves from the country's best manufacturers, including Stovax, Arada and Burley. They are available in an enormous variety of styles and finishes. Select from a broad selection of Ecodesign stoves, which are designed to meet the upcoming requirements for air quality.

Smoke Control Areas are usually located around large cities and towns and you can look up the official website of your local authority to see if your area is classed as such. It is important to purchase an approved DEFRA stove if you reside in a smoke-controlled zone. This will help you avoid being fined by the local authority. If you use coal or other solid fuels using a non approved stove, you may be fined up PS300.

Approved for wood

A DEFRA approved wood stove also called a smoke exempt stove, is a device that can be used in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will bear the Defra approved symbol or the word 'SE' in the title meaning it can only be used in smoke-controlled areas if you burn approved fuels. In this case wood.

Many older wood stoves emit large amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere, which can cause or contribute to respiratory problems asthma attacks, heart issues and premature death. This is why it's essential to buy an updated wood stove that meets the strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). You should look for the "EPA 2020 Certified" label, which signifies that the stove is in compliance with the emission limits currently in place.

If you purchase a stove that isn't EPA certified and you live in a smoke control area it is necessary to have it recertified before you can use it. It can be expensive and time-consuming, however the law requires it. Homeowners who sell a home with wood stoves that are not certified may also be liable for tax credits or fines that relate to pollution-free air.

With a kit or an adjustment made by the installer, the majority of modern stoves can become Defra-approved. This is because the main difference between a DEFRA endorsed stoves approved stove and those that are not, is the combustion air management system that controls how much air passes through the stove in normal operation. The change is usually located on the bottom of the firebox or within the base.

Certain manufacturers will make two versions of their wood stoves one that is Defra approved and the other not. The reason is that the cost of putting a wood stove through the rigorous Defra testing is high. To help recoup these costs, they will sell the non-approved version at a cheaper cost. The DEFRA-approved model will have been through the modification to the combustion air as part of the test process.

Approved for Gas

Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in homes for residential use, homeowners could burn any kind of fuel they liked which resulted in large amounts of smoke emissions as well as health problems. To prevent this Defra established Smoke Control Areas which meant that residential homes could not emit any smoke from their multifuel stoves or wood burners unless the appliance was Defra approved to burn only authorised fuels such as manufactured smokeless coals and anthracite.

DEFRA compliant stoves list approved stoves, also known as SE (Smoke Exempt) Stoves, have gone through rigorous testing to demonstrate that they can cleanly burn approved fuels in a Smoke Control Area. The latest combustion technology delivers a constant minimum of secondary air into the firebox. This allows the stove to meet Defra standards for Smoke Control Areas even when it is using authorised fuels like anthracite and manufactured smokeless coals.

If you're in the market for a brand new wood-burning stove and you live in an area that has a Smoke Control Area then we recommend that you look at the range of Defra approved stoves which can be found here at The Stove Yard. We have a broad selection of Defra-approved stoves, including traditional modern, contemporary and inset models, from leading manufacturers like Stovax. Arada, Burley, and AGA.

The good news is that there isn't really a difference in appearance between an Defra approved woodburning stove and one that isn't. However, the Defra approved models do have various features that are designed to ensure that they burn cleaner. They typically have a slightly different grate and air vents, and on gas versions they may have a slightly different size flue outlet.

A Defra Approved Stove will almost always have a 5" flue outlet (125mm). This means you can choose a smaller stainless twin wall flexible liner that is cheaper than a 6" (150mm). We've seen this helpful when customers have an older or non-standard chimney that we are installing the Defra approved wood burning stove in to and also saves the expense of re-lining the chimney stack with a wider diameter liner.