Learn About Defra Approved Stove List While You Work From The Comfort Of Your Home
What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?
If you live in an area where smoking is controlled, it's essential 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. Stoves with this status 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-free zone means that they aren't able to use a fireplace with wood. It's not the case. In reality, most cities and large towns are located in a smoke controlled zone but this doesn't mean you cannot use a stove, 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 wood-burning stove that has been rigorously tested to ensure that it meets certain criteria regarding the emissions it produces when burning authorised fuels. It can therefore be legally used in a smoke control area.
The Defra logo is widely used in the industry, and a lot of the stoves that are approved have SE after their name, meaning they are smoke exempt. To be SE approved, a stove must meet strict emission standards. This means you can rest assured that you're buying the best wood stove available.
If you are looking 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 like ensuring that there are enough air inlets on the front of the stove to allow for full combustion of the fuel, and that the chimney outlet size is sufficient to prevent soot build-up. This is important as it will ensure that the smoke from the stove doesn't escape the chimney into your home.
Another benefit of an Defra approved stove is that it generally allows you to fit it with a 5" chimney liner, which will comply with UK building regulations, whereas stoves that are not Defra approved will need to be fitted with a bigger 6" liner.
Stovax is proud to offer a selection of Defra-approved stoves and fireplaces and Ecodesign Ready stoves which have been designed with future standards for air quality in mind. Many of our Defra-approved stoves are also able to be used in conjunction with a smoke control system for properties that are located in Smoke Control Areas. They can be used to burn a variety non-smokeless fuels, such as fire logs.
Approved for Smokeless Fuels
A DEFRA approved wood burning stove, also referred to as a DEFRA exempt stove is the only type of stove that you can put in a smoke control area in the event that you intend to use it for solid fuel (wood or wood that is well-seasoned). The government tests these stoves to ensure that they don't emit excessive smoke and that they are only suitable for use with 'authorized' fuels.
The difference between the difference between a DEFRA approved stove and a non-approved one is usually very little. With a kit provided by the manufacturer, a lot of modern stoves can be made DEFRA compliant in only a few minutes. This is because the Defra approved stove must undergo very rigorous tests and must be restricted to the amount of smoke it can generate.
To ensure that the restrictions are maintained the stove must be able to limit the amount of combustion air to ensure that it doesn't deprive itself of oxygen, which could cause it smoulder. This is accomplished by an opening mechanism that lets the air in the firebox when it is burning. It is usually concealed inside the stove or underneath the base of the fire box.
Stove World UK offers a vast selection of DEFRA approved stoves from some of the best brands in the country including Stovax, Arada and Burley. They are available in a wide variety of styles and designs. You can also select from a wide variety of Ecodesign ready stoves that are specifically designed to meet future requirements for air quality.
Smoke Control Areas are primarily located in large towns and city centres and you can visit the website of your local authority to see if your area is classed as such. If you live in a smoke-free zone, it is crucial that you purchase a DEFRA approved stove for your home, to avoid being fined by your local authority. If you burn 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-free stove, is a device that can be utilized in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will be stamped with the Defra approved logo or have the word "SE" after its name, meaning it is able to be used in smoke-controlled areas when burning approved fuels which is in this case wood.
The older wood stoves can release large amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere that can trigger or contribute to respiratory problems asthma attacks, heart issues and premature death. This is why it's important to purchase an updated wood stove 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 purchase an appliance that isn't EPA certified and you live in a zone of smoke control it is necessary to be able to get it certified before you can use it. DEFRA approved wood burning stoves can be time-consuming and expensive, but the law requires it. Homeowners who decide to sell a property with wood stoves that are not certified could be subject to tax credits or fines relating to the clean air.
With a kit or an adjustment provided by the installer, a majority of modern stoves can be Defra approved. This is due to the primary 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 in normal operation. Modifications are typically done to the base or the underside of the firebox.
Certain manufacturers make two types of wood stove, one that is Defra-approved, and the other is not. The reason for this is that the cost of putting a wood stove through the rigorous Defra testing is expensive. To help recoup these costs, they will sell the non approved version at a cheaper price. The DEFRA-approved version has undergone the combustion air modification as part 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 large quantities of smoke emissions and health problems. To stop this, Defra created Smoke Control Areas which meant that residential homes could not emit any smoke from their wood burners or multifuel stoves 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 subjected to rigorous tests to demonstrate that they can efficiently burn fuels that are approved in a Smoke Control Zone. The most modern combustion technology allows an indefinite amount of secondary air into the firebox. This lets the stove comply with Defra regulations for Smoke Control Areas even when it is using authorised fuels like anthracite as well as manufactured smokeless coals.
If you're in the market for a new wood burning stove and you live in an area that has a Smoke Control Area then we suggest that you take a look at the range of Defra approved stoves which are available at The Stove Yard. We offer a wide collection of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from the most reputable manufacturers like Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.
The good news is that there is no difference in appearance between a stove that is Defra-approved and a non-approved model. However the stoves that are approved by Defra include a few features that are designed to ensure they burn cleaner. In general, they have a different grate and air vents, and on the gas models they may also feature an alternative size flue outlet.
Another benefit of an Defra Approved stove is that they'll typically have five" (125mm) flue outlet, which means you can use a narrower stainless steel twin wall flexible chimney liner which is cheaper than a standard 6" (150mm) liner. This is beneficial when putting a Defra-approved wood burning stove into an old or nonstandard chimney stack. It can save money on the cost of relining a chimney with a larger diameter liner.