10 Healthy Defra Approved Stove List Habits

What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you reside in a smoke-free zone 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.

They are independently tested to provide the lowest possible emissions. Stoves with this status typically have the logo 'Defra-approved' in their name or on their 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 and this is not true. In reality, most cities and large towns are in a smoke controlled zone but that doesn't mean you can't have a stove, it just implies that you have 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 thoroughly tested to ensure that it meets certain criteria in regards to the emissions it emits when burning authorised materials. It can therefore be used legally in a smoke control area.

The Defra logo is widely used in the industry and many of the stoves that have been approved have SE after their names, meaning they are smoke free. To be SE approved, a stove must meet strict emission criteria. This means that you can be sure that you're buying the best wood stove available.

If you are searching for a wood-burning stove that is DEFRA legislation stoves-exempt or that has SE after its name You will notice that the manufacturer may have taken measures to make sure that there are enough air intakes on the front of stove to allow full combustion of fuel and that the size of the chimney outlet is sufficient to prevent accumulation of soot. This is crucial because it ensures that the 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 permits you to use it with five" chimney liner, which complies with UK building regulations, whereas non-Defra approved stoves will need to be fitted with a bigger 6" liner.

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

Approved for Smokeless Fuels

The only stove that can be installed in a smoke-control area is a DEFRA approved wood burner, which is also known as DEFRA exempt. This stove must be used with solid fuel, which is wood, and preferably well-seasoned. They are inspected by the government to ensure that they don't generate excessive amounts of smoke and are able to be used with 'authorized fuels (coal only).

The difference between a DEFRA approved stove and a non-approved one typically is very small. With a kit from the manufacturer, a lot of modern stoves can be easily converted to DEFRA compliant in minutes. This is because a Defra approved stove must undergo very rigorous tests and has to be limited on how much smoke it can produce.

To ensure that the restrictions are maintained the stove has to be able to limit the amount of combustion air to ensure that it doesn't starve itself of oxygen which can cause it smoulder. This is achieved by a mechanism that opens the air in the firebox when it's burning. It is typically hidden within the stove or beneath the base of the fire box.

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

Smoke Control Areas are usually located in large towns and city centres and you can check your local authority's website to see if your area is classified as one. If you reside in a smoke controlled area it is very important to purchase an DEFRA approved stove for your property, to avoid being fined by your local authority. If you burn coal or any other solid fuels in a non approved stove, you could be fined up PS300.

Approved for Wood

A DEFRA approved stove, also known as a smoke exempt wood stove is an appliance which can be used to burn wood in smoke Control Area. The stove will bear 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, in this case wood.

The older wood stoves produce huge amounts of particulate matter, which can lead to or worsen asthma attacks, respiratory problems and heart issues. This is why it is important to purchase a new wood stove that is compliant with the strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Look for the "EPA 2020 Certified Label" which means that the stove has met the emission limits currently in place.

If you purchase an appliance that isn't EPA certified and you live in a smoke control area it is necessary to be able to get it certified before you can use it. It can be costly and time-consuming, however it is legally required. Homeowners who sell a house with wood stoves that are not certified may also be subject to tax credits or fines that relate to clean air.

Modern stoves can be modified to be Defra approved using an adjustment kit or kit that the installer offers. The primary difference between Defra endorsed stoves approved stoves and those that aren't combustion air control system, which controls the amount of air that flows through the stove when it is in normal operation. Modifications are typically done to the base or the underside of a stove's firebox.

There are some manufacturers who produce two versions of a wood stove: one that is DEFRA approved wood burning stoves-approved and the other that isn't. The reason behind this is that the cost of putting a stove through the rigorous Defra testing is high. To offset these costs, they will sell the non-approved version at a cheaper cost. The DEFRA approved version will have been subjected to the modification of combustion air done as part of the testing procedure.

Approved Gas

Prior to the Clean Air Acts, residential homes could use any fuel they wanted to, resulting in high levels of smoke emissions. This could cause health problems. To prevent this, Defra established Smoke Control Areas. This meant that homes could not emit smoke in the event that their wood burners or multifuel stoves were Defra-approved for burning only approved materials like manufactured smokeless coke and anthracite.

Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been subjected to rigorous testing to prove they can burn authorised fuels cleanly within a Smoke Control Area. They accomplish this by using the latest technology for combustion that constantly delivers a minimum level of secondary air to the combustion chamber, so that even if the stove is being used with approved fuels like anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals it will still be able to comply with Defra's rules for Smoke Control Areas.

The Stove Yard has a vast selection of stoves that are Defra approved which are perfect for those who reside in a smoke control area and need a new wood-burning fireplace. We offer a wide collection of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from industry-leading manufacturers like Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good thing is that there is no distinction in appearance 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 make them burn cleaner. They will usually have a slightly different grate and air vents as well as on gas models they may have a different size flue outlet.

A Defra Approved Stove will almost always have 5" flue outlet (125mm). This means you can choose a smaller stainless steel twin wall flexible liner, which is less expensive than a 6" (150mm). We've seen this helpful when a customer has an old or non-standard chimney stack that we are installing a Defra approved wood burning stove into and also saves the expense of re-lining the chimney stack with a bigger diameter liner.