What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?
If you reside in a smoke control area it is essential to 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 possible emissions. Stoves that have this status are often branded with the 'Defra-approved' logo on their specifications or name.
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. The majority of towns and cities are in a smoke control zone, but that doesn't mean they aren't able to use a wood burning stove. It's just that they have to burn approved fuels in their stove (usually Briquettes). The Defra approved stove is a kind of wood-burning stove that has been inspected to ensure it meets certain standards in relation to the emissions that it produces when burning fuels that are approved and therefore, it can be used legally in a Smoke Control Area.
The Defra Logo is widely used in the industry, and many stoves feature the SE after their names to signify that they are smoke-free. In order for a stove to be SE approved it must meet strict requirements in relation to emissions, so you can be assured that if you choose a defra exempt stove you will receive the cleanest and best burning wood stove available.
If you are searching for a stove that burns wood that is Defra-exempt, or has SE after its title, you will find that the manufacturer has taken measures to make sure that there are enough air intakes on the front of the stove to allow full combustion of the fuel, and that the size of the chimney outlet is sufficient to prevent accumulation of soot. This is important as it ensures that smoke from the wood stove doesn't escape through the chimney into your home.
Another benefit of the Defra approved stove is that it generally allows you to install it with five" chimney liner, which complies with the UK building regulations, whilst non-Defra approved stoves will need to be fitted with a bigger 6" liner.
At Stovax we are proud to offer a selection of Defra approved stoves and fires. We also have our Ecodesign Ready stoves that have been developed with future air quality standards in mind. In fact, many of our Defra approved stoves are capable of being used with smoke control kits for those properties that are in a Smoke Control Area and therefore can be used with a variety of authorised smokeless fuels including fire logs.
Approved for Smokeless fuels
The only stove that can be installed within a smoke-control zone is one that is a DEFRA approved wood burner, also known as DEFRA exempt. The stove has to be used with a solid fuel, that is wood, preferably well-seasoned. They are inspected by the government to ensure that they don't create excessive levels of smoke. They are able to be used with 'authorized' fuels (coal only).
The difference between a DEFRA-approved stove and one that isn't approved is usually minimal. A lot of modern stoves can be transformed into DEFRA certified by an approved kit supplied by the manufacturer and then fitted in just a few minutes. This is due to the fact that a Defra approved stove has to undergo rigorous testing and is limited to the amount of smoke it can produce.
To ensure that these limitations remain in place during the testing process, the stove must be able to limit its combustion air supply so that it does not deplete itself of oxygen, which can cause it to smoulder. This is achieved by a mechanism in the stove that opens an air pocket into the firebox during combustion which is typically hidden within the stove and beneath the base of the fire box.
Stove World UK offers a vast selection of DEFRA approved stoves from the best brands in the country including Stovax, Arada and Burley. read this are available in a wide range of styles and finishes. You can also select from a vast variety of Ecodesign ready stoves that have been specifically designed to meet future air quality requirements.
Smoke Control Areas are typically located in large towns and city centres 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-free zone, it is crucial that you buy a DEFRA approved stove for your property, to avoid being fined by your local authority. If you burn coal or any other solid fuels using a non approved stove, you may be fined 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 bear the Defra approved logo or bear an 'SE' in its name meaning it can be used in smoke controlled areas, when burning approved fuels only that is, in this instance, wood.
A lot of older wood stoves release a lot of particulate matter into the air that can trigger or contribute to respiratory issues, asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. It is therefore important to purchase a stove that is in compliance with strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Look for the "EPA 2020 Certified Label" which means that the wood stove meets the emission limits that are currently in place.
If you buy 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. This can be expensive and time consuming, but it is required by law. In addition homeowners who sell their home with a wood stove that isn't certified may be liable for clean air tax credits and fines.
Most modern stoves can be upgraded to be Defra approved with a kit or an adjustment that the installer provides. This is because the primary difference between the DEFRA approved stove and one that 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 underside of a stove's firebox.
Certain manufacturers will make two versions of their wood stoves, one that is Defra approved and the other not. This is due to the process of running a stove through the rigorous Defra tests is very expensive, so to help recoup some of the cost, they'll offer the non-approved version at a cheaper price. The DEFRA approved version will have been able to have the modification to the combustion air done as part of the testing procedure.
Approved for Gas
Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in residential homes could burn any type of fuel they wanted which resulted in large quantities of smoke emissions and health issues. To prevent this, Defra established Smoke Control Areas. This meant that residential homes could not emit any 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 stoves, also referred to as SE (Smoke Exempt) Stoves, have undergone stringent testing to prove that they are able to burn cleanly authorized fuels within a Smoke Control Area. They do this by using the latest combustion technology which constantly delivers a minimum level of secondary air to the combustion chamber, so that even when the stove is operating with fuels that are authorised, such as anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals it can still meet Defra's regulations for Smoke Control Areas.
If you're looking for a new wood burning stove and you live in an area that has a Smoke Control Area then we would recommend that you look at the range of Defra approved stoves which are available at The Stove Yard. We have a broad selection of Defra-approved stoves. These include traditional, contemporary and inset models that are made by top manufacturers such as Stovax. Arada, Burley and AGA.
The good news is there is no distinction in appearance between a stove that is Defra-approved and a stove that is not approved. However the models that are Defra-approved come with a few extra features designed to make them burn cleaner. They usually have an unintentionally different grate as well as air vents and on gas models, they may have a slightly smaller flue outlet.
Another benefit of the Defra Approved stove is that they'll typically come with a 5" (125mm) flue outlet which means that you can choose a narrower stainless steel twin wall chimney liner that is less expensive than the standard 6" (150mm) liner. We've seen this helpful when customers have an older or non-standard chimney stack which we are installing the Defra approved wood burning stove in to and also saves the expense of re-lining the chimney stack with a wider diameter liner.