What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you live in a smoke control area then you must buy a DEFRA exempt stove. A DEFRA exempt stove (or SE) permits you to legally burn wood in a smoke controlled area.

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

Approved for Smoke Controlled Areas

Many people believe that living in a Smoke Control Area means you can't have a wood burning stove however this isn't true. In reality, many cities and large towns are in an area that is smoke-free, but this doesn't mean you cannot have stoves, it just implies that you have to make use of an exempt device and only burn authorised fuels (usually Briquettes) in your stove. The stove that is Defra-approved is a wood-burning stove that has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it is in compliance with certain requirements in terms of the emissions it generates when burning authorised materials. It can therefore be used legally in smoke-control zones.

The Defra logo is widely adopted in the industry, and a lot of the stoves approved have SE after their name which means they are smoke-free. In order for a stove to be SE approved, it must meet strict criteria in regards to emissions So you can be assured that when you purchase a defra exempt stove you are getting the cleanest and best burning wood stove on the market.

If you search for a stove that burns wood that is Defra exempt or is marked with SE after its name, you'll often find that the manufacturer has taken care of things such as made sure there enough air inlets on the front of the stove to allow full combustion of the fuel and that the chimney outlet is large enough to stop the build-up of soot. This is crucial as it helps to ensure that the smoke from the stove doesn't escape the chimney into your home.

A Defra-approved stove allows you to install a 5" liner that is in compliance with UK building regulations. Non-Defra-approved stoves require an 6" liner.

Stovax is proud to offer a range of fireplaces and stoves that are Defra-approved as well as our Ecodesign Ready stoves which have been designed with future standards for air quality in mind. In fact, a lot of our Defra approved stoves are also suitable for use with a smoke control kit for those properties that are located in a Smoke Control Area and so can be used with a range 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 a DEFRA approved wood burner, also referred to by the designation DEFRA exempt. The stove has to be used for solid fuel, that is wood, and preferably well-seasoned. The government tests them to ensure they don't emit excessive smoke and can only be used with approved fuels.

The difference between a DEFRA-approved stove and one that is not approved is usually quite small. With a kit supplied by the manufacturer, many contemporary stoves can be easily transformed into DEFRA certified in a matter of minutes. This is because the Defra approved stove must undergo rigorous tests and is limited to the amount of smoke it can produce.

To ensure that the restrictions are not violated the stove must be able to limit the amount of combustion air so that it doesn't rob itself of oxygen which can cause it to smolder. This is accomplished by a mechanism inside the stove that allows the air into the firebox during the process of combustion, which is usually hidden within the stove, and under the base of the fire box.

Stove World UK has a vast selection of DEFRA approved stoves, made by some of the top manufacturers in the country including Stovax Arada and Burley. These are available in a wide variety of styles and finishes. Choose from a wide range of Ecodesign stoves that are designed to meet the future requirements for air quality.

Smoke Control Areas are typically located in large towns and city centres and you can look up your local authority's website to determine if the area you live in is classed as such. It is crucial to buy an approved DEFRA stove if you reside in a zone that is smoke-controlled. This will help you avoid being fined by your local authority. This is because if you burn 'unauthorised' fuel in a non-approved stove, such as 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 have the Defra approved symbol or 'SE' the title that means it is only permitted to be used in smoke-controlled areas where you can burn approved fuels. In this case wood.

The older wood stoves can release a lot of particles into the air that can trigger or contribute to respiratory problems, asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. It is therefore essential to choose a wood stove that is compliant with the strict emission standards as set by the Environmental Protection Agency. 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 reside in a smoking zone, you'll need to renew the certification before you can use the stove. It is costly and time-consuming, but the law requires it. Additionally homeowners who sell a house with a wood stove that isn't certified could be subject to clean air tax credits as well as fines.

With a kit or an adjustment made by the installer, most modern stoves can be made Defra-approved. This is due to the primary difference between the defra stoves approved stove and one which aren't, is the combustion air management system which controls how much air passes through the stove during normal operation. Modifications are typically done to the base or the side of the firebox that is underneath the stove.

Certain manufacturers will make two versions of their wood stoves one that is Defra approved and the other not. This is because the process of running a stove through the rigorous Defra tests is very expensive and to offset some of the costs, they will sell the non-approved version at a lower price. The DEFRA approved version will have had the combustion air modification included in the testing process.

Approved for Gas

Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in residential homes could burn any kind of fuel they wanted which resulted in large amounts of smoke emissions and health problems. To stop this, Defra established Smoke Control Areas which meant that homes in residential areas couldn't emit any smoke from their Efficient NRG 5KW MultiFuel Cast Iron Stove stoves or wood burners unless the appliance was Defra approved to burn only authorised fuels such as manufactured smokeless coals and anthracite.

Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been put through rigorous testing to demonstrate that they can safely burn approved fuels within a Smoke Control Zone. They achieve this by utilising the most advanced combustion technology that constantly delivers a minimum level of secondary air to the combustion chamber, so that even if the stove is being used with authorised fuels such as anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals, it can still comply with the regulations of Defra for Smoke Control Areas.

The Stove Yard has a vast selection of stoves that are Defra approved that are perfect for those who reside in a smoke control area and require a new wood burning fireplace. We have a broad collection of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from the most reputable manufacturers such as Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good news is that there isn't any noticeable distinction in appearance between the appearance of a Defra approved woodburning stove and one that isn't, but the Defra approved models do have a number of features which are designed to ensure that they burn cleaner. They generally have a different design of grate and air vents, and on gas stoves they might also have an outlet for the flue that is different in size.

Another benefit of a Defra Approved stove is that they'll typically come with five" (125mm) flue outlet, which means you can choose a narrower stainless steel twin wall flexible chimney liner which is less expensive than a standard 6" (150mm) liner. We've used this when customers have an older or non-standard chimney that we are installing a Defra approved wood burning stove into and it saves the cost of relining the chimney with a larger diameter liner.