Blog / What DEFRA approval actually means
18 April 2026 · 3 min read
What DEFRA approval actually means
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If you live in a smoke-control area, you can only burn wood on a stove that’s been approved by DEFRA as an “exempt appliance.” Here’s what that means in practice.
Exempt appliances explained
A DEFRA-approved stove is designed to burn cleanly enough that it can be used in a smoke-control area without breaking the rules. The approval is about emissions, not heat — plenty of excellent stoves are exempt.
- Check whether your address is in a smoke-control area
- If it is, choose a DEFRA-approved (exempt) model
- Burning dry wood still matters, approved or not
Not sure whether it applies to you? We’ll confirm during your free survey and only recommend stoves that are right for where you live.
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