Why All The Fuss About Defra Approved Stove List?

What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

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

The stoves are independently tested to ensure the lowest emission 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 think that living in a Smoke Control Area means you can't have a wood burning stove but this isn't the case. In reality, most cities and large towns are within a smoke-free zone, however this doesn't mean that you can't have an oven, it simply means that you must make use of an exempt appliance and only burn authorised fuels (usually briquettes) in your stove. The recommended DEFRA stoves-approved stove is a wood-burning stove that has been thoroughly tested to make sure that it meets certain standards in terms of the emissions it generates when burning authorised fuels. It is therefore able to be used legally in smoke-control zones.

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

When you look for a wood burning stove that is Defra exempt or is marked with SE after its name, you'll often discover that the manufacturer has carried out things like making sure there are enough air intakes on the front of the stove to permit full combustion of the fuel and that the chimney outlet is large enough to prevent soot build-up. This is important as it will ensure that the smoke from the stove does not escape through the chimney and enter your home.

Another benefit of the Defra approved stove is that it typically allows you to fit it with a 5" chimney liner, which will comply with UK building regulations, whilst non-Defra approved stoves will need to be fitted with a larger 6" liner.

At Stovax we are proud to offer a variety of Top DEFRA Stoves approved stoves and fires, alongside our Ecodesign Ready stoves that have been developed with the future of air quality standards in mind. In fact, a lot of our Defra approved stoves are also suitable for use with smoke control kits for those properties that are in a Smoke Control Area and therefore can be used with a range of approved smokeless fuels, including fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless fuels

The only stove that can be used within a smoke-control zone is a DEFRA approved eco design stoves approved wood burner, also referred to by the name DEFRA exempt. This stove should be used with solid fuel, which means wood, which is best seasoned. The government tests these stoves to ensure that they don't emit excessive smoke and can be used only with approved fuels.

The difference between the differences between a DEFRA approved stove and a non-approved one typically is very small. A lot of modern stoves can be transformed into DEFRA conforming with a kit that is supplied by the manufacturer and then fitted in just a few minutes. This is because 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 needs to be able to limit the amount of combustion air it gets to ensure that it doesn't deplete itself of oxygen, which may cause it to smoulder. This is accomplished through the mechanism that allows a small amount air into the firebox while it is burning. It is usually hidden in the stove or under the base of the fire box.

Stove World UK has a wide range of DEFRA approved stoves, from some of the best manufacturers in the country such as Stovax Arada and Burley. These are available in a huge variety of styles and finishes. You can also select from a vast variety of Ecodesign ready stoves that are specifically designed to meet future requirements for air quality.

Smoke Control Areas are typically situated around cities and towns with large populations and you can look up the website of your local authority to see if your area is classed as such. It is essential to buy a DEFRA-approved stove if you reside in a smoke-controlled zone. This will help you avoid a fine from the local authority. If you burn coal or other solid fuels using a non approved stove, you may be fined PS300.

Approved for wood

A DEFRA approved wood stove also known as a smoke exempt stove, is an appliance that can be used in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will be marked with the Defra approved symbol or the word 'SE' in the title, which means it is only permitted to be used in areas controlled by smoke where you can burn approved fuels. In this case wood is the fuel.

A lot of older wood stoves release large amounts of particles into the air which can trigger or contribute to respiratory issues, asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. This is why it's crucial to purchase new wood stoves that is compliant with the strict emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Look for a "EPA 2020 Certified" label, which means that the stove has met the emissions limits currently in place.

If you purchase a stove that is not EPA certified and you reside in a smoke-free zone it is necessary to get it recertified before you can use it. It is time-consuming and expensive, but the law requires it. In addition, homeowners who sell their home with an uncertified wood stove could be subject to clean air tax credits as well as fines.

Modern stoves can be upgraded to become Defra approved with a kit or an adjustment that the installer offers. This is because the main difference between the DEFRA approved stove and those which aren't, is the combustion air management system which regulates the amount of air that passes through the stove during normal operation. The change is usually made on the underside of the firebox or in the base.

There are some manufacturers who produce two versions of a wood stove: one that is Defra-approved and the other that isn't. This is due to the process of putting a stove through the rigorous Defra tests can be very costly and to offset some of the cost, they'll sell the non-approved model at a lower price. The DEFRA-approved version will have undergone the combustion air modification in the course of the test 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 huge amounts of smoke emissions and health issues. To combat this, Defra established Smoke Control Areas. This means that residential homes can not produce any smoke except if their wood burners and multifuel stoves were Defra-approved for burning only approved materials such as manufactured smokeless coke and anthracite.

Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been subjected to rigorous tests to prove that they can efficiently burn fuels that are approved within a Smoke Control Area. They achieve this by utilising the latest technology for combustion that continuously delivers a minimum amount of secondary air to the firebox to ensure that even if the stove is used with approved fuels like anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals, it will still be able to 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 live in a smoke control area and require a new wood-burning fireplace. We have a broad range of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from industry-leading manufacturers like Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good thing is that there's not really a difference in appearance between the appearance of a Defra approved woodburning stove and one which isn't, however the Defra approved models do have various features that are designed to ensure they burn more efficiently. They usually have an aesthetically different grate and air vents as well as on gas models they might have a slightly different size flue outlet.

Another benefit of a Defra Approved stove is that they'll almost always come with a 5" (125mm) flue outlet, which means you can choose a narrower stainless steel twin wall chimney liner that is cheaper than the standard 6" (150mm) liner. This is useful when installing an approved wood burning stove from DEFRA requirements stoves into an old or non-standard chimney stack. It can save money on the cost of relining a chimney with a larger diameter liner.