What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you reside in an area where smoke is controlled, it's important to purchase a DEFRA exempt stove. A DEFRA exempt stove (or SE) permits you to legally burn wood in a smoke controlled area.

They are independently tested to ensure the lowest emissions possible. Stoves that have this status are usually 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 Area means you can't have a stove that burns wood but this isn't the case. In reality, a majority of cities and towns are in a smoke controlled zone but this doesn't mean you cannot have stoves, it just means you need to make use of an exempt device and only burn authorised fuels (usually briquettes) in your stove. The Defra approved stove is a type of wood-burning stove that has been inspected to ensure it meets certain criteria in regards to the emissions that it produces when burning authorised fuels, and therefore it can be used legally in smoke control Area.

The Defra Logo is widely used in the industry, and many stoves are marked with the SE after their names to indicate they are smoke-free. To be able to be SE approved, it must meet strict criteria with regards to its emissions, so you can be assured that if you choose a defra exempt stove you will get the most clean and best burning wood stove on the market.

If you are searching for a wood-burning stove that is Defra-exempt or that has SE after its title, you will find that the manufacturer may have taken steps to ensure that there are enough air intakes on the front of stove to allow for full combustion of fuel and that the size of the chimney outlet is sufficient to avoid soot accumulation. This is crucial because it ensures that smoke from the wood stove doesn't escape through the chimney and into your home.

Another benefit of a Defra approved stove is that it usually allows you to install it with five" chimney liner, which complies with the UK building regulations. However, non-Defra approved stoves will need to be fitted with a larger 6" liner.

At Stovax we are delighted to offer a range of Defra approved stoves and fires, as well as our Ecodesign Ready stoves that have been designed with future air quality standards in mind. In fact, many of our Defra approved stoves are capable of being used with smoke control kits for those properties that are located in a Smoke Control Area and so can be used with a variety of authorised smokeless fuels including fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless Fuels

The only stove that can be put in inside a smoke-control zone is one that is a DEFRA approved wood burner, which is also known by the name DEFRA exempt. This stove should be used for solid fuel, that is wood, which is best seasoned. The government tests these stoves to ensure that they don't emit excessive smoke and are only suitable for use with fuels that are 'authorized.

The difference between the differences between a DEFRA Recognized Stoves approved stove and one that isn't can be very minimal. With a kit provided by the manufacturer, many contemporary stoves can be easily transformed into DEFRA conforming in just a few only a few minutes. This is because Defra approved appliances must pass very strict tests and are limited in the amount of smoke they can produce.

To ensure that the restrictions are not violated the stove must be able to limit its combustion air so that it doesn't starve itself of oxygen and DEFRA Approved High-Quality Stoves cause it to smolder. This is done by a mechanism in the stove which opens the air into the firebox during combustion, which is usually hidden within the stove and beneath the base of the firebox.

Stove World UK has a vast selection of DEFRA approved stoves, from some of the most reputable manufacturers in the country such as Stovax Arada and Burley. These are available in a vast variety of styles and finishes. You can also choose from a vast variety of Ecodesign ready stoves that have been specifically designed to meet future air quality requirements.

Smoke Control Zones are located mostly in towns and cities with large populations. You can go to the website of your local authority to determine whether you are in one of these. If you reside in a smoke controlled area it is crucial that you buy a DEFRA approved stove for your home, to avoid being fined by the local authority. This is because if you use 'unauthorised fuel on a non-approved stove, for example coal or other solid fuels that could result in fines of up to PS300.

Approved for Wood

A DEFRA approved wood stove, also called a smoke-free stove, is an appliance that can be utilized in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will bear the Defra approved logo or the word "SE" after its name, which means it can be used in smoke controlled areas when burning approved fuels only that is, in this instance, wood.

Many older wood stoves emit a lot of particulate matter into the atmosphere that can trigger or contribute to respiratory issues, asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. It is therefore essential to choose a wood stove that is compliant with the strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Look for the "EPA 2020 Certified Label" which means 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 reside in a zone of smoke control, you will need to be able to get it certified before you can use it. It can be expensive and time-consuming, however the law requires it. Additionally homeowners who sell their home with an uncertified wood stove could be subject to clean air tax credits and fines.

Most modern stoves can be modified to become DEFRA registered stoves approved using an adjustment kit or kit that the installer offers. This is due to the primary difference between the DEFRA approved stove and one which aren't, is the combustion air management system which regulates how much air flows through the stove during normal operation. Modifications are typically made to the base or underside of a stove's firebox.

There are some manufacturers who produce two types of wood stove. One is Defra-approved and the other not. This is due to the process of placing a stove through strict Defra tests is very expensive in order to recover some of this expense they'll sell the non-approved version at a lower cost. The DEFRA-approved version will have undergone the combustion air modification in the course of the test process.

Approved Gas

Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in homes for residential use, homeowners could burn any type of fuel they wanted which led to large amounts of smoke emissions as well as health problems. To combat this DEFRA approved contemporary stoves established Smoke Control Areas which meant that residential homes couldn't produce any smoke from their wood burners or Defra regulations stoves multifuel stoves unless the appliance was Defra approved for burning only fuels that were authorised, such as manufactured smokeless coals and anthracite.

Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been subjected to rigorous testing in order to prove they can efficiently burn fuels that are approved within a Smoke Control Area. The most modern combustion technology allows an unabated minimum of secondary air into the firebox. This lets the stove comply with Defra regulations for Smoke Control Areas even when it is used with approved fuels like anthracite and manufactured smokeless coals.

The Stove Yard has a large selection of Defra-approved stoves that are perfect for those who live in a smoke control zone and require a brand new wood-burning fireplace. We have a wide range of Defra-approved stoves, including traditional modern, contemporary and inset models that are made by top manufacturers such as Stovax. Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good thing is that there is no visual difference between a stove that is Defra-approved and a non-approved model. However the models that are Defra-approved come with a few extra features designed to help them burn more efficiently. They typically have an aesthetically different grate and air vents and on gas models, they might have a slightly smaller flue outlet.

A Defra Approved Stove will almost always have five" flue outlet (125mm). This means that you can use a smaller stainless steel twin wall flexible liner that is cheaper than a 6" (150mm). We've found this useful when a customer has an older or non-standard chimney that we are installing the Defra approved wood-burning stove in and it saves the cost of re-lining the chimney stack with a bigger diameter liner.