What is a Defra Approved Wood Burning Stove?

If you live in a region where smoke is controlled, it's essential 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 possible emissions. Stoves with this status are usually branded with the 'Defra approved logo on their name or the 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 and this is not true. Many towns and cities fall under a smoke control zone but that doesn't mean you can't use a wooden burning stove. It's simply that they must burn authorised fuels in their stove (usually briquettes). The Defra approved stove is a kind of wood-burning stove that has been tested to ensure that it meets certain criteria in regards to the emissions it releases when burning authorised fuels and consequently, it is able to be legally used in a Smoke Control Area.

The affordable DEFRA stoves logo is widely used in the industry, and a lot of the stoves that have been approved bear SE after their names which means they are smoke-free. To be SE approved, a stove must meet strict emission criteria. This means that you can be confident you are purchasing the top wood stove on the market.

If you're looking for a wood-burning stove which is Defra-exempt or that has SE after its title You will see that the manufacturer might have done things like ensure that there are sufficient air intakes on the front of the stove to allow full combustion of fuel and that the size of the chimney outlet is adequate to prevent the accumulation of soot. This is important as it ensures that smoke from the wood stove is not able to escape through the chimney into your home.

Another benefit of the Defra approved stove is that it usually allows you to install it with five" chimney liner, which is in compliance with UK building regulations. However, non-Defra Approved Stoves - Www.Tractiontoolkit.Org, will need to be fitted with a bigger 6" liner.

At Stovax we are pleased to offer a variety of Defra approved stoves and fires, as well as 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 also able to be used with smoke control kits for properties in a Smoke Control Area and therefore can be used with a range of authorised smokeless fuels including fire logs.

Approved for Smokeless Fuels

The only stove that can be used within a smoke-control zone is one that is a DEFRA approved wood burner, which is also known as DEFRA exempt. The stove has to be used with solid fuel, which means wood, and preferably well-seasoned. They are inspected by the government to ensure that they don't create excessive levels of smoke. They can be used with 'authorised fuels (coal only).

The difference between the difference between a DEFRA approved eco design stoves approved stove and one that is not can be very minimal. With a kit from the manufacturer, many contemporary stoves can be converted to DEFRA compliant in minutes. This is due to the fact that Defra approved appliances must pass very strict tests and are restricted in the amount of smoke they are able to produce.

To ensure that these limitations remain in place during the testing process, the stove will have to be able to limit the combustion air supply so that it does not starve itself of oxygen, which may cause it to smoulder. This is achieved through a mechanism within the stove that allows a small amount of air into the firebox during combustion which is usually hidden within the stove, and under the base of the firebox.

Stove World UK offers a large selection of DEFRA approved stoves from some of the best brands in the country including Stovax, Arada and Burley. These are available in an enormous range of styles and finishes. You can also pick from a vast selection of Ecodesign ready stoves that are designed to meet the future air quality requirements.

Smoke Control Zones are located predominantly in large cities and towns. You can visit the website of your local authority to see whether you are in one of these. If you live in a smoke-free zone, it is essential to purchase a DEFRA approved stove for your property, to avoid being fined by your local authority. This is because if you burn 'unauthorised fuel in a non-approved stove, for example coal or other solid fuels that could result in fines of up to PS300.

Approved for Wood

A DEFRA approved high-quality stoves approved stove, also known as a smoke-free wood stove is an appliance which can be used to burn wood in a Smoke Control Area. The stove will have the Defra approved symbol or 'SE' in the title that means it can only be used in smoke-controlled areas where you can burn approved fuels. In this instance wood.

Many older wood stoves emit lots of particles into the air, which can cause or contribute to respiratory issues asthma attacks, heart issues and premature death. This is why it is essential to buy a new wood stove that is compliant with the strict emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Look for a "EPA 2020 Certified" label, which means that the stove has met the emissions limits that are currently in place.

If you purchase a stove that is not EPA certified and you live in a smoke control area you must be able to get it certified before you can use it. It is time-consuming and expensive, but the law requires it. Homeowners who sell a home with wood stove that is not certified may be liable for tax credits or fines relating to the clean air.

With a kit, or an adjustment provided by the installer, a majority of modern stoves can be Defra approved. The major difference between DEFRA approved stoves and those that aren't is the combustion air control system that regulates the amount of air that flows through the stove when it is operating normally. The change is usually located on the bottom of the firebox or within the base.

Some manufacturers produce two versions of a wood stove: one that is Defra-approved while the other not. This is due to the process of placing a stove through strict Defra tests is expensive, so to help recoup some of this expense they will sell the non-approved model at a lower price. The DEFRA-approved version has undergone the combustion air modification as part of the testing process.

Approved for Gas

Before the Clean Air Acts were brought in residential homes could burn any kind of fuel they liked which resulted in large amounts of smoke emissions and health issues. To combat this Defra established Smoke Control Areas which meant that homes in residential areas couldn't emit any smoke from their multifuel stoves or wood burners unless the appliance was Defra certified to burn only approved fuels like manufactured smokeless coals and anthracite.

Defra approved stoves, also referred to as SE (Smoke Exempt) Stoves, have undergone rigorous testing to demonstrate that they are able to burn cleanly authorized fuels within a Smoke Control Area. They accomplish this by using the latest combustion technology which continually delivers a minimum amount of secondary air to the firebox so that even when the stove is used with approved fuels like anthracite or manufactured smokeless coals, it will still be able to comply with the regulations of Defra for Smoke Control Areas.

If you're looking for a new wood burning stove and are in an area that has a Smoke Control Area then we would recommend that you take a look at the selection of Defra approved stoves which are available at The Stove Yard. We have a broad range of traditional, contemporary and inset Defra approved stoves from the most reputable manufacturers like Stovax, Arada, Burley and AGA.

The good part is that there's much of a difference in appearance between the appearance of a Defra approved wood-burning stove and one that isn't, however the Defra approved models do have various features that are designed to ensure that they burn more efficiently. They generally have a different grate as well as air vents. On the gas models they might also have a different sized flue outlet.

A Defra Approved Stove will almost always have 5" flue outlet (125mm). This means you can choose a smaller stainless steel twin wall flexible liner, which is less expensive than a 6" (150mm). We've found this useful when the customer has an old or non-standard chimney stack that we are installing the Defra approved wood burning stove in to and it saves the cost of relining the chimney with a larger diameter liner.