What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you live in a region where smoke is controlled, it's crucial to purchase a DEFRA exempt stove. A DEFRA exempt stove (or SE) allows you to legally burn wood in a smoke-controlled area.

The stoves are independently tested to ensure the lowest emission possible. Stoves that are certified are usually branded with the 'Defra approved' logo on their specifications or name.

Approved for Smoke Controlled Areas

Many people believe that living in a Smoke Control Area means you can't use a wood-burning stove and this is not true. In reality, most cities and towns are within a smoke-free zone, but this doesn't mean you cannot use stoves, it just means that you must 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 terms of the emissions it generates when burning authorised fuels. It can therefore be used legally in areas of smoke control.

The Defra logo is widely adopted in the industry and many of the stoves that are approved bear SE after their name, meaning they are smoke-free. To be SE approved the stove must meet strict emission criteria. This means that you can be sure that you're buying the best wood stove on the market.

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 enough air intakes in the front of stove to allow for full combustion of the fuel, and that the size of the chimney outlet is adequate to avoid soot accumulation. This is crucial because it ensures that the smoke from the wood stove doesn't escape through the chimney into your home.

A Defra-approved stove allows you to install a 5" liner that is in compliance 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 designed with the future of air quality standards in mind. In fact, many of our Defra approved stoves are also able to be used with smoke control kits for those properties that are located in a Smoke Control Area and therefore can be used with a range of approved smokeless fuels, including fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless Fuels

The only stove that can be put in in a smoke-control area is one that is a DEFRA approved wood burner, also known as DEFRA exempt. This stove must be used for solid fuel, which means wood, preferably well-seasoned. The government tests them to ensure they don't produce excessive smoke and that they can be used only with 'authorized' fuels.

The distinction between a stove that is DEFRA approved and one that isn't approved is usually very small. Modern stoves can be converted to DEFRA conforming with an approved kit supplied by the manufacturer and then fitted in a matter of minutes. This is due to the fact that a Defra approved stove must undergo rigorous testing and is limited in the amount of smoke it is able to produce.

To ensure that the restrictions are not violated 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 to smolder. This is achieved by a mechanism in the stove which opens an air pocket into the firebox during the process of combustion, which is usually hidden within the stove and underneath the base of the firebox.

Stove World UK has a vast selection of DEFRA accredited stoves approved stoves, from some of the best manufacturers in the country including Stovax Arada and Burley. They are available in a wide variety of styles and designs. You can also pick from a wide selection of Ecodesign ready stoves that have been designed to meet future air quality requirements.

Smoke Control Zones are located predominantly in towns and cities with large populations. You can check the website of your local authority to see whether you reside in one of these. If you reside in a smoke controlled area it is very important to purchase a DEFRA approved stove for your property, to avoid being fined by the local authority. If you burn coal or any other solid fuels using a non approved stove, you could be fined up PS300.

Approved for wood

A DEFRA approved wood stove also known as a smoke exempt stove, is a device that can be utilized in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will bear the Defra approved symbol or 'SE' in the title, which means it is only permitted to be used in smoke-controlled areas where you can burn approved fuels. In this case wood is the fuel.

Many older wood stoves emit large amounts of particulate matter, which can cause or worsen asthma attacks, respiratory problems and heart issues. It is therefore important to choose a wood stove that meets strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Look for a "EPA 2020 Certified" label, which means that the 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, you will need to get it recertified before you can use it. It can be costly and time-consuming, but it is legally required. Homeowners who sell a home with wood stoves that are not certified may also be liable for tax credits or fines that relate to clean air.

Modern stoves can be altered to be Defra approved with an adjustment kit or kit that the installer offers. The primary difference between DEFRA approved stoves and ones that aren't is the combustion air control system, which controls the amount of air that flows through the stove when it is operating normally. Modifications are usually applied to the base or the underside of the firebox.

Some manufacturers produce two versions of their wood stoves, one that is Premium DEFRA stoves approved and the other not. The reason for this is that the cost of putting a stove through the rigorous Defra testing is high. To reduce these costs, they sell the non-approved version at a lower cost. The DEFRA-approved version has been subjected to the modification of the combustion air as part of the test procedure.

Approved for Gas

Prior to the Clean Air Acts, residential homes could use any fuel they wanted, resulting in high levels of smoke emissions. This could cause health problems. To stop this, Defra established 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 fuels that were authorised, such as manufactured smokeless coals and anthracite.

Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been put through rigorous testing to prove that they can burn authorised fuels cleanly within a Smoke Control Area. The latest technology for combustion delivers an indefinite amount of secondary air into the firebox. This lets the stove meet DEFRA list stoves standards for Smoke Control Areas even when it is using authorised fuels like anthracite and manufactured smokeless coals.

If you're looking for a new wood burning stove and live in Smoke Control Area then we would recommend that you look at the range of Defra approved stoves that can be found at The Stove Yard. We offer a variety of Defra-approved stoves, including traditional modern, contemporary and inset models from top brands like Stovax. Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good thing is that there is no difference in appearance between a stove approved by Defra and a stove that is not approved. However, the Defra-approved models do come with a few extra features that are designed to help them burn more efficiently. They typically have a slightly different grate and air vents and on gas models, they may have a smaller flue outlet.

Another benefit of an Defra Approved stove is that they'll typically have a 5" (125mm) flue outlet. This 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 found this useful when customers have an older or non-standard chimney stack which we are installing a Defra approved wood burning stove into and it saves the cost of relining the chimney with a bigger diameter liner.