What is a Defra Log Burner?

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs regulates the emissions of smoke from wood-burning stoves. They have regulations in place that ban chimney smoke in Smoke Control Areas in the absence of an exempt appliance and authorised fuel.

These new rules limit the amount of smoke a stove could emit to 3g/hour and homeowners face hefty on-the-spot fines for not complying. To avoid this, you must make sure you use Defra approved log burners and only burn dried kiln-dried wood that bears the "Ready to Burn" mark.

What is a Defra Approved Stove?

A stove that is Defra-approved that has passed the DEFRA test. This means that it is exempt from the smoke control laws in areas where wood (and other materials that are authorised) are allowed to be burned. The Defra Logo is well-known in the industry. Stoves that are Defra approved usually have SE (Smoke Exempt) after their name, as an easy way to recognize them.