Notes

10 Unexpected Defra Approved Stove List Tips
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 (or SE) stove permits you to burn wood legally in a smoke-controlled space.

They are independently tested to ensure the lowest possible emissions. Stoves with this status often feature the 'Defra approved' logo in their names or specifications.

Approved for Smoke Controlled Areas

Many people think that living in a Smoke Control Area means you can't have a stove that burns wood but this isn't the case. The majority of towns and cities fall under the smoke control zone, however, that doesn't mean that you can't use a wooden burning stove. It's just that they need to burn authorised fuels in their stove (usually brquettes). The Defra-approved stove is a wood-burning stove that has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it is in compliance with certain requirements in terms of the emissions it generates when burning approved materials. It is therefore able to be used legally in areas of smoke control.

The Defra Logo is widely used in the industry, and many stoves are marked with the SE after their names to signify that they are smoke-free. In order for a stove to be SE approved, it must satisfy strict requirements in relation to its emissions, so you can be assured that if you select an exempt defra stove, you will get the most clean and best burning wood stove available.

If you are looking for a wood-burning stove that is Defra exempt or has SE after its name, you'll usually find that the manufacturer has taken care of things like making sure there enough air inlets on the front of the stove to permit full combustion of the fuel, and that the chimney outlet is large enough to stop the build-up of soot. This is crucial because it ensures that smoke from the wood burning stove does not escape through the chimney and into your home.

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

At Stovax we are delighted to offer a range of Defra approved stoves and fires, alongside our Ecodesign Ready stoves that have been created with future air quality standards in mind. In fact, a lot of our Defra approved stoves are 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 variety of authorised smokeless fuels including fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless fuels

The only stove that can be put in within a smoke-control zone is one that is a DEFRA approved wood burner, also referred to by the designation DEFRA exempt. This stove must be used for solid fuel, that is wood, and preferably well-seasoned. They are tested by the government to ensure that they don't produce 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 is not approved is usually very small. With a kit provided by the manufacturer, a lot of modern stoves can be easily made DEFRA compliant in just a few minutes. This is because a Defra approved stove has to undergo rigorous testing and is limited in the amount of smoke it is able to produce.

To ensure that the restrictions are kept the stove must be able limit its combustion air so that it doesn't deprive itself of oxygen, which could cause it smoulder. This is achieved by the mechanism that allows a small amount air into the firebox when it's burning. It is usually concealed within the stove or beneath the base of its firebox.

Stove World UK has a large selection of DEFRA approved stoves from some of the most reputable manufacturers in the world, including Stovax Arada and Burley. They are available in a wide variety of styles and designs. You can also choose from a wide range of Ecodesign ready stoves that have been designed to meet the future standards for air quality.


Smoke Control Areas are typically situated around cities and towns with large populations and you can check the website of your local authority to determine if the area you live in is classed as such. It is crucial to buy an approved DEFRA stove if you live in a smoke-controlled area. This will help you avoid a fine from the local authority. This is because if you use 'unauthorised fuel on an unapproved stove, for example coal or any other solid fuels and you are fined up to PS300.

Approved for wood

A DEFRA approved wood stove, also called a smoke-free stove, is an appliance that can be used in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will have the Defra approved symbol or 'SE' in the front of its name meaning it can only be used in smoke-controlled areas where you can burn approved fuels. In please click the next webpage .

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

If you purchase an appliance that isn't EPA certified and you live in a smoke control area, you will need to have it recertified before you can use it. This can be expensive and time consuming, but it is required by law. Homeowners who decide to sell a property with wood stoves that are not certified may be subject to tax credits or fines relating to pollution-free air.

With a kit, or an adjustment supplied by the installer, a majority of modern stoves can be Defra approved. The primary difference between DEFRA approved stoves and those that aren't combustion air control system that controls the amount of air that flows through the stove operating normally. Modifications are usually applied 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. The reason behind this is that the cost of putting a wood stove through the rigorous Defra testing is high. To offset the costs, they sell the non approved version at a lower cost. The DEFRA approved version will have had the combustion air modification included in the testing process.

Gas Approved

Prior to the Clean Air Acts, residential homes were able to burn any fuel they wanted, resulting in large amounts of smoke emissions. This could cause health problems. To prevent this Defra created Smoke Control Areas which meant that residential homes could not emit any smoke from their multifuel stoves or wood burners unless the appliance was Defra certified to burn only fuels that were authorised, such as manufactured smokeless coals 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 authorised fuels within a Smoke Control Area. The latest combustion technology delivers a constant minimum of secondary air into the firebox. This lets the stove comply with Defra standards for Smoke Control Areas even when it is used with approved fuels like anthracite and manufactured smokeless coals.

If you're looking for a brand new wood-burning stove and are in an area that has a Smoke Control Area then we recommend that you look at the range of Defra approved stoves which can be found at The Stove Yard. We have a broad selection of Defra-approved stoves, including traditional, contemporary and inset models that are made by top manufacturers such as Stovax. Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good thing is that there is no difference in appearance between a Defra-approved woodburning stove and one that isn't. However the models that are Defra-approved include a few features designed to help them burn more efficiently. In general, they have a different grate and air vents, and on the gas versions they might also have an alternative size flue outlet.

Another benefit of the Defra Approved stove is that they'll almost always have a 5" (125mm) flue outlet which means that you can choose a narrower stainless steel twin wall flexible chimney liner, which is less expensive than a standard 6" (150mm) liner. We've used this when customers have an old or non-standard chimney stack which we are installing a Defra approved wood burning stove in to and it saves the cost of re-lining the chimney stack with a larger diameter liner.

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