Norberto Gilchrist asked 4 weeks ago
What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?
If you live in an area where smoke is controlled, it’s important 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 emissions possible. Stoves that are certified as such typically have the ‘Defra approved’ logo in their name or specification.
Approved for Smoke Controlled Areas
Many people believe that living in a Smoke Control Area means you can’t use a wood-burning stove however this isn’t true. In reality, many cities and towns are located in an area that is smoke-free, however this doesn’t mean that you cannot have a stove, it just means that you must make use of an exempt device and only use authorised fuels (usually Briquettes) in your stove. The DEFRA Compliant stoves approved stove is a type of wood burning stove that has been tested to ensure that it meets certain standards in regards to the emissions it emits when burning authorised fuels and therefore it can be used legally in smoke control Area.
The Defra Logo is widely used in the industry, and a lot of stoves are marked with the SE after their names to signify that they are smoke-free. To be SE approved the stove must satisfy strict emission criteria. This means you can be sure that you’re buying the best wood stove on the market.
If you are searching for a stove that burns wood that is Defra-exempt or has SE after its name, you will find that the manufacturer may have taken measures to ensure that there are sufficient air intakes on the front of the stove to ensure that there is a full combustion of fuel, and that the size of the chimney outlet is sufficient to prevent accumulation of soot. This is crucial as it ensures that the smoke from the stove does not escape through the chimney and enter your home.
Another benefit of an Defra approved stove is that it generally permits you to use it with five” chimney liner, which is in compliance with the UK building regulations, whereas stoves that are not Defra approved will need to be fitted with a bigger 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 future air quality standards in mind. Many of our Defra-approved stoves can also be used conjunction with a smoke control system for homes located in Smoke Control Areas. They can be utilized to burn a variety of smokeless fuels, including fire logs.
Approved for Smokeless Fuels
A DEFRA approved wood burning stove, also referred to as a DEFRA exempt stove is the only type of stove that you can put in a smoke-control area when you plan to use it for solid fuel (wood and preferably well-seasoned). They are tested by the government to ensure that they don’t generate excessive levels of smoke and can be used with ‘authorised fuels (coal only).
The difference between a DEFRA-approved stove and one that isn’t approved is usually minimal. With a kit provided by the manufacturer, many modern stoves can be made DEFRA conforming in just a few only a few minutes. This is due to the fact that a Defra approved stove must undergo rigorous testing and must be restricted on how much smoke it can produce.
To ensure that the restrictions are maintained the stove must be able to limit the amount of combustion air so that it doesn’t rob itself of oxygen, which could cause it smoulder. This is achieved by a mechanism inside the stove that allows a small amount of air into the firebox during combustion which is usually hidden within the stove and underneath the base of the fire box.
Stove World UK has a wide range of DEFRA approved stoves from some of the best manufacturers in the world, including Stovax Arada and Burley. They are available in a wide variety of styles and finishes. Choose from a wide range of Ecodesign stoves that are designed to meet the future needs for air quality.
Smoke Control Areas are usually located around cities and towns with large populations and you can look up the website of your local authority to see if your area is classified as one. It is crucial to buy an approved DEFRA-approved stove if reside in a smoke-controlled zone. This will allow you to avoid being fined by the local authority. This is because if you burn ‘unauthorised’ fuel in an unapproved stove, such as coal or other solid fuels and you are fined up to PS300.
Approved for Wood
A DEFRA approved wood stove also known as a smoke exempt stove is an appliance that can be used in a Smoke Control Area when burning wood. The stove will be marked with the Defra approved symbol or ‘SE’ in front of its name meaning it can only be used in areas controlled by smoke if you burn approved fuels. In this instance wood is the fuel.
A lot of older wood stoves release a lot of particles into the air, which can cause or contribute to respiratory problems, asthma attacks, heart problems and premature death. Therefore, it is essential to choose a wood stove that is in compliance with strict emission standards set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. Look for the “EPA 2020 Certified Label” which indicates that the stove is in compliance with the emission limits currently in place.
If you purchase a stove that isn’t EPA certified and you live in a zone of smoke control it is necessary to get it recertified before you can use it. It is costly and time-consuming, DEFRA Compliant Stoves but the law requires it. In addition, homeowners who sell a house with an uncertified wood stove may be liable for clean air tax credits as well as fines.
With a kit, or an adjustment provided by the installer, the majority of modern stoves can be Defra approved. This is due to the primary difference between a DEFRA approved stove and one that aren’t is the combustion air management system that controls how much air passes through the stove during normal operation. The modification will usually be placed on the underside of the firebox, or in the base.
Some manufacturers produce two versions of their wood stoves one that is Defra approved and the other not. This is due to the process of putting a stove through the rigorous Defra tests is very expensive in order to recover some of this expense they’ll offer the non-approved version at a cheaper cost. The DEFRA-approved version will have undergone the combustion air modification in the course of the test procedure.
Approved for Gas
Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in homes for residential use, homeowners could burn any kind of fuel they wanted which resulted in huge amounts of smoke emissions and health issues. To prevent this, Defra established Smoke Control Areas. This meant that residential homes could not produce any smoke except if their wood burners and multifuel stoves were DEFRA approved stylish stoves-approved for burning only authorised materials like manufactured smokeless coke and anthracite.
Defra approved SE (Smoke-Exempt) Stoves have been subjected to rigorous tests to prove they can efficiently burn fuels that are approved within a Smoke Control Zone. The most modern combustion technology allows an unabated minimum of secondary air into the firebox. This lets the stove comply with Defra regulations for Smoke Control Areas even when it is using authorised fuels such as anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals.
If you’re in the market for a brand new wood-burning stove and you live in a Smoke Control Area then we suggest that you look at the selection of DEFRA stoves benefits approved stoves that can be found at The Stove Yard. We have an extensive collection of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from the most reputable manufacturers like Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.
The good news is that there is no visual difference between a Defra-approved woodburning stove and a non-approved model. However the models that are Defra-approved have a few features that are designed to ensure they burn cleaner. They generally have a different grate design and air vents and on the gas models, they may also have an alternative size flue outlet.
A Defra Approved Stove will almost always have 5″ flue outlet (125mm). This means that you can choose a smaller stainless steel twin wall flexible liner that is less expensive than a 6″ (150mm). We’ve used this when the customer has an older 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 larger diameter liner.