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Ecodesign Ready Stoves & Fires

Ecodesign Stoves are lowering emissions to an absolute minimum, their cutting-edge designs make them some of today's cleanest burning fires.

Featuring high efficiency combustion systems, they use 70% less logs than an open fire and 20% less than a standard stove to heat your home.

What is Ecodesign Ready Stoves & Fires?

Ecodesign Ready stoves represent the future of wood burning. Supporting the Government’s Clean Air Strategy, these advanced stoves burn so cleanly they meet, and in many cases even exceed, 2022 air quality and efficiency targets.

Why has air quality suddenly become an issue?

Recent studies have shown that air quality, particularly in urban areas, requires even greater improvement. This is due to a number of factors with key contributors to particulates, which affect air quality, identified as vehicle exhaust and brake-dust emissions, industrial processes, household solvents and the burning of solid fuels for heating. It’s worth bearing in mind that pollution attributed to the burning of solid fuels for heating is taking into account open fires, which are far more polluting than stoves or glass fronted solid fuel appliances.

In 2017 London suffered from a number of smoggy days that had a significant impact on air quality in the capital. Various sources of the pollution were identified, in particular people using solid fuels to heat their homes. The independent, not-for-profit body HETAS, which approves solid fuel heating appliances, believes that the majority of particulates were caused by inefficient solid fuel heating with households burning the wrong types of fuel such as poor quality wet wood and highly polluting bituminous house coal, on open fires and old inefficient stoves.

Why does it matter what I burn?

The amount of particulates caused by burning solid fuels varies dramatically depending on what and how it is burnt. It is crucial that only good quality solid fuels such as dry logs or authorised smokeless mineral fuels are burnt.

Poor quality logs, usually found for sale in petrol stations, have often been recently felled. Although they might appear dry, they are usually wet on the inside with each log containing up to a pint of water. They are highly polluting when burnt, releasing dark, black smoke and only yielding about a quarter of the heat you get from dry logs, meaning far more are required to heat your home.

Stovax Ecoready Infographic

Stovax Ecoready Infographic


Pallet, painted wood or timber that has been in any way chemically treated (such as decking, fences etc.) must never be burnt on a wood burning stove or fire. Not only can the chemicals damage the appliance and chimney, harmful fumes will be emitted that can dramatically reduce air quality in the local area.

In addition to poor quality wood, bituminous mineral fuels and those with over a 2% sulphur content such as house coal are also highly polluting, and whilst these can readily be bought in towns and cities, are not actually permitted in urban areas due to the dirty black smoke they produce.

How do I know what to burn?

The first thing to consider is your appliance and where you live. If you live in a town or city, the chances are that you live in a smoke control area. Smoke control areas were created under the Clean Air Act in 1956 to prevent pollution and keep air clean. To burn logs in a smoke control area you must have a DEFRA smoke control exempt stove; a list of these appliances can be found on the government’s website. If your stove is not exempt, or you have an open fire, you cannot burn logs and are limited to authorised smokeless mineral fuels only.

Buying wood that has the Woodsure Ready To Burn label is certified to have a low moisture content, so you can be sure you are burning the right wood on your DEFRA exempt stove, and taking full advantage of this environmentally friendly, carbon neutral heat source. Burning wood that you source yourself is also fine; however, logs must be seasoned to less than 20% moisture content. Typically, wood needs to be seasoned for around two years to achieve this. Moisture content can be easily checked with a moisture meter to give you an accurate idea of when your wood is ready. Watch the video on how to identify good firewoord.

Ecodesign stoves feature next generation combustion technology and advanced engineering that reduces smoke emissions to 80% less than appliances even 10 years old. They are a natural progression from the clean burning stoves designed for smoke control zones, producing even less emissions. We began working on Ecodesign Ready stoves many years ago, and launched our first Ecodesign range, the Elise, in 2015. Since then we have launched three more complete stove ranges, the Vogue , Vision, and Sheraton offering a total of 26 Ecodesign Ready models. We also offer a huge range of other Ecodesign stoves from our Lotus, Dovre, Nordpeis and Varde brands.

Can I still use my existing stove after 2022?

Ecodesign Air Quality standards only apply to manufacturers, and there has been no indication that you will not be able to use a non-Ecodesign stove after 2022. However, if you are using an open fire or older stove to heat your home, you may wish to consider replacing it with a clean burning, high efficiency model that produces less emissions.

Are wood burning stoves being banned?

The government has at no point suggested that any woodburning stove will be banned. They may, however, look at creating zero emission zones in London’s most polluted areas, which would be enforced at certain times of the year.

What can I do to burn cleanly in an Urban areas?

  • Use a clean burning or Ecodesign stove that is exempt from DEFRA smoke control zones. Only DEFRA approved appliances with clean burn technology are allowed to burn logs in urban areas. When burnt correctly using good quality fuel, these appliances produce minimal smoke, with only a hazy, barely noticeable emission from the chimney.
  • Purchase your stove from an Expert Local Retailer. They will be able to make sure the right size stove is selected for your room for optimal heating efficiency, as well as arranging for correct installation by a HETAS qualified engineer. You should also have your stove serviced regularly to ensure it continues to function correctly.
  • Burn only dry wood with no more than 20 % moisture content. If you are buying logs, only choose suppliers that have signed up to the Woodsure Ready to Burn Scheme. This wood is guaranteed to be ‘Ready to Burn’ with a moisture content of 20% or less.
  • If sourcing and seasoning your own wood, store in a dry but ventilated place and wait up to two years for the moisture to evaporate. You can easily check your logs are ready to burn using a moisture meter. See pages 12-13 of the Woodsure and HETAS Ready to Burn guide for the best technique.
  • Follow manufacturer’s instructions on how to light and fuel your stove. Tips and advice can often be found on their website and can help you get your stove to maximum heating efficiency without burning excess wood
  • Have your chimney swept at least once a year. Not only will this ensure your stove is burning correctly, it is also important to prevent chimney fires.