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The Time Has Come To Expand Your Defra Approved Stove List Options
What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you live in an area where smoking is controlled, it's crucial to 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 ensure the lowest possible emissions. Stoves that are certified 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 they cannot use a fireplace with wood. This isn't the case. Many towns and cities fall under the smoke control zone, however that doesn't mean they aren't able to use a wood burning stove. It just means they must burn authorised fuels in their stove (usually Briquettes). The Defra-approved stove is a wood-burning stove that has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it meets certain standards in terms of the emissions it generates when burning approved materials. It can therefore be legally used in smoke-control zones.

The Defra Logo is widely used in the industry, and a lot of stoves feature the SE after their names to indicate that they are smoke-free. To be SE approved the stove must satisfy strict emission standards. This means you can rest assured that you are buying the best wood stove that is available.

If you're looking for a wood-burning stove which is Defra-exempt or has SE after its title You will see that the manufacturer may have taken measures to ensure that there are sufficient air intakes on the front of the stove to allow for 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 smoke from the wood burning stove doesn't escape through the chimney and into your home.

A stove that is Defra-approved allows you to use a 5" liner which is compliant with UK building regulations. pop over to this website -Defra-approved stoves require a 6" liner.

At Stovax we are delighted to offer a selection of Defra approved stoves and fires. We also have our Ecodesign Ready stoves that have been designed with the future of air quality standards in mind. In fact, many of our Defra approved stoves are also capable of being used with smoke control kits for properties located 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 inside a smoke-control zone is a DEFRA approved wood burner, also referred to as DEFRA exempt. The stove has to be used with solid fuel, which is wood, which is best seasoned. They are tested by the government to ensure that they don't produce excessive amounts of smoke and are able to be used with 'authorized' fuels (coal only).

The distinction between a stove that is DEFRA approved and one that is not approved is usually minimal. With a kit supplied by the manufacturer, many modern stoves can be converted to DEFRA conforming in just a few only a few minutes. This is because Defra approved appliances must pass extremely stringent tests and are restricted in the amount of smoke they are able to produce.

To ensure that the restrictions are maintained, the stove must be able to limit its combustion air to ensure that it doesn't starve itself of oxygen, which could cause it smoulder. This is achieved by a mechanism inside the stove that allows the air into the firebox during combustion which is usually hidden within the stove and beneath the base of the firebox.

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

Smoke Control Areas are primarily located in large towns and city centres and you can look up your local authority's website to determine if your area is classed as such. It is essential to buy an approved DEFRA stove if you reside in a smoke-controlled zone. This will allow you to avoid being fined by the local authority. If you burn coal or other solid fuels using a non approved stove, you could be fined PS300.

Approved for wood

A DEFRA approved stove, also known as a smoke-free wood stove is a device that can be used to burn wood in smoke Control Area. The stove will bear the Defra approved logo or an 'SE' in its name which means it is able to be used in smoke-controlled areas when burning approved fuels only, in this case wood.

The older wood stoves can release large amounts of particles into the air that can trigger or contribute to respiratory problems asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. It is therefore essential to choose a wood stove that is in compliance with strict emission standards as set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Look for the "EPA 2020 Certified Label" which means that the wood stove meets the emission limits currently in place.

If you purchase a stove which is not EPA-certified and you live in a smoking area, you'll need to renew the certification before you can use the stove. It can be time-consuming and expensive, but the law requires it. Homeowners who sell a home with a wood stove that is not certified may also be liable for tax credits or fines related to the clean air.

Modern stoves can be modified to be Defra approved with a kit or an adjustment that the installer offers. This is due to the primary difference between the DEFRA approved stove and one that are not, is the combustion air management system which controls how much air passes through the stove in normal operation. The modification will usually be placed on the underside of the firebox or in the base.

Certain manufacturers will make two versions of their wood stoves one that is Defra approved and the other that is not. The reason behind this is that the cost of putting a stove through the rigorous Defra testing is expensive. To reduce these costs, they will sell the non-approved version for a lower cost. The DEFRA approved version will have had the combustion air modification included in the testing procedure.

Approved for Gas


Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in homes for residential use, homeowners could burn any type of fuel they liked which led to large amounts of smoke emissions and health problems. To prevent this, Defra established Smoke Control Areas. This meant that residential homes could not produce any smoke unless their wood burners and multifuel stoves were Defra-approved for burning only authorised substances like manufactured smokeless coke and anthracite.

Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been subjected to rigorous testing in order to prove they can burn authorised fuels cleanly in a Smoke Control Zone. They do this by using the latest technology for combustion that continually delivers a minimum amount of secondary air to the firebox so that even when the stove is being used with fuels that are authorised, such as anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals it can still meet Defra's regulations for Smoke Control Areas.

The Stove Yard has a wide range of Defra-approved stoves that are ideal for those who reside in a smoke-free area and require a new wood-burning fireplace. We have an extensive collection of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from industry-leading manufacturers such as Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good part is that there's really a distinction in appearance between the appearance of a Defra approved wood-burning stove and one that isn't, however the Defra approved models do come with several features that are designed to ensure they burn cleaner. They generally have a different design of grate as well as air vents. On the gas versions they may also feature a different sized flue outlet.

Another benefit of a Defra Approved stove is that they will almost always have a 5" (125mm) flue outlet which means that you can use 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 old or non-standard chimney that we are installing a Defra approved wood burning stove in to and it saves the cost of relining the chimney with a wider diameter liner.

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