What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you reside in an area where smoke is controlled, it's important to 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 with this status often feature the 'Defra approved' logo in their name or on their specifications.

Approved for Smoke Controlled Areas

Many people believe that living in a smoke-free zone means they cannot use a fireplace with wood. It's not the case. In reality, a majority of cities and large towns are within a smoke controlled zone but this doesn't mean you cannot have an oven, it simply means that you must make use of an exempt appliance and only burn fuels that are approved (usually briquettes) in your stove. The Defra approved stove is a kind of wood-burning stove that has been tested to ensure it meets certain criteria regarding the emissions it releases when burning authorised fuels, and consequently, it is able to be used legally in a Smoke Control Area.

The Defra logo is widely adopted in the industry and many of the stoves approved have SE after their name, meaning 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 sure that if you select a defra exempt stove you will receive the cleanest and best burning wood stove available.

If you are looking for a wood-burning stove which is Defra-exempt or that has SE after its title You will notice that the manufacturer may have taken steps to make sure 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 adequate to avoid soot accumulation. This is crucial as it helps to ensure that the smoke from the stove doesn't escape the chimney and into your home.

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

Stovax is proud to offer a variety of Defra-approved Fireplaces And Stove and stoves as well as our Ecodesign Ready stoves which have been designed with future air quality standards at heart. 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 therefore can be used with a range of smokeless fuels that are authorised, such as fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless fuels

A DEFRA approved wood burning stove, also known as a DEFRA exempt stove is the only kind of stove you can install in a smoke control area when you plan to use it to burn solid fuel (wood, preferably well seasoned). The government tests them to ensure they don't produce excessive smoke and that they can be used only with approved fuels.

The difference between the difference between a DEFRA approved stove and a non-approved one can be very minimal. A lot of modern stoves can be made DEFRA conforming with a kit that is supplied by the manufacturer and installed within a matter of minutes. This is due to the fact that a Defra approved stove has to undergo very rigorous tests and has to be limited on how much smoke it is able to produce.

To ensure that these restrictions are maintained during testing the stove will have to be able to limit the combustion air supply to ensure that it doesn't deplete itself of oxygen, which may cause it to smoulder. This is accomplished through a mechanism that opens an air pocket in the firebox while it is burning. It is usually hidden in the stove or under the base of its firebox.

Stove World UK offers a wide range of DEFRA approved stoves from some of the top manufacturers in the country, Fireplaces And Stove including Stovax, Arada and Burley. They are available in an enormous range of styles and finishes. You can also select from a wide variety of Ecodesign ready stoves that are designed to meet the future requirements for air quality.

Smoke Control Areas are typically located around large cities and towns and you can look up your local authority's website to see if your area is classified as one. If you live in a smoke controlled area it is very important to purchase an DEFRA approved stove for your home to avoid being fined by the local authority. This is because if you burn unauthorised' fuel in an unapproved stove, such as coal or other solid fuels and you are fined up to PS300.

Approved for wood

A DEFRA approved stove, Fireplaces And Stove also referred to as a smoke exempt wood stove, is an appliance that can be used to burn wood in the Smoke Control Area. The stove will be stamped with the Defra approved logo or an 'SE' in its name meaning it is able to be used in smoke controlled areas when burning approved fuels, in this case wood.

The older wood stoves can release a lot of particulate matter into the atmosphere that can trigger or contribute to respiratory issues asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. This is why it is essential to buy new wood stoves that meets the strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Look for the "EPA 2020 Certified Label" which indicates that the wood stove meets the emission limits that are currently in place.

If you buy a stove that is not EPA-certified, and you reside in a smoke-free area it is necessary to get it recertified before you can use the stove. It is expensive and time-consuming, however the law requires it. Homeowners who decide to sell a property with a wood stove that is 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, most modern stoves can become Defra-approved. The primary difference between DEFRA approved stoves and those that aren't is the combustion air control system that regulates the quantity of air that goes through the stove when it is operating normally. The modifications are usually made on the underside of the firebox or in the base.

Some manufacturers produce two different versions of a wood stove, one that is Defra-approved, and the other that isn't. This is due to the process of running a stove through the rigorous Defra tests is expensive in order to recover some of the cost, they will sell the non-approved version at a cheaper cost. The DEFRA approved version will have had the combustion air modification performed as part of the testing procedure.

Approved Gas

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

Defra approved stoves, also known as SE (Smoke Exempt) Stoves, have been subjected to rigorous tests to prove that they can burn cleanly authorized fuels within a Smoke Control Area. The latest technology for combustion delivers an indefinite amount of secondary air into the firebox. This lets the stove meet Defra regulations for Smoke Control Areas even when it is using authorised fuels such as anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals.

The Stove Yard has a vast selection of stoves that are Defra approved which are perfect for those who reside in a smoke control zone and require a brand new fireplace that burns wood. We offer a variety of stoves that are Defra-approved, including traditional modern, contemporary and inset models, from leading manufacturers like Stovax. Arada, Burley, and AGA.

The good thing is that there's not much of a distinction in appearance between an Defra approved woodburning stove and one that isn't. However, the Defra approved models do have several features that are designed to ensure they burn more efficiently. They generally have a different design of grate and air vents, and on the gas models, they may also have a different sized flue outlet.

Another benefit of an Defra Approved stove is that they'll typically come with five" (125mm) flue outlet, which means you can use a narrower stainless steel twin wall chimney liner that is less expensive than a standard 6" (150mm) liner. This is a great option when you install a Defra-approved wood burning stove into an old or nonstandard chimney stack. It can save money on replacing a bigger diameter chimney liner.