If you are in the market for a new log burner for your home, chances are you have noticed various certificates on each stove. All new stoves will be marked as EcoDesign or EcoDesign Ready, while others may have ClearSkies ratings or be a HETAS Cleaner Choice stove. But what does it all mean?
Development of EcoDesign Stoves
As part of government initiatives to improve air quality, new measures were put in place to improve solid fuel stoves. New seasonal minimum efficiencies and maximum emissions were put into place on 01st January 2022. To be awarded with the EcoDesign Approved certification each stove is individually tested to ensure its compliance.
Any stove marked as EcoDesign approved is operating at an A efficiency rating or higher and performs according to DEFRA's maximum emission requirements. This means that these stoves perform at a higher energy efficiency than non-EcoDesign stoves. Moreover, these stoves produce less waste emissions while burning. This means the EcoDesign stoves release less small particle matter (PM), organise gaseous compounds (OGC), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrous oxides (NOx) than stoves produced before 2022.
EcoDesign stoves burn more efficiently than pre-2022 stoves, ensuring that you get the best burn for your fuel, and improving the air quality in your home when compared to burning in an open fireplace.
ClearSkies Rating
ClearSkies ratings are an additional form of testing that manufacturers can choose to put their stoves through. If a stove is awarded ClearSkies level 3, this means it has been verified as DEFRA-exempt. This stove can be used in smoke control areas. If a stove has been awarded ClearSkies level 4 or 5, then this stove exceeds the standards determined by DEFRA. It is a clean burning appliance and an excellently efficient stove.
The following stove brands are tested according to the ClearSkies mark:
HETAS Cleaner Choice
HETAS is a not-for-profit regulatory body for the stove industry. HETAS also independently tests stoves to ensure their efficiency. Stove manufacturers can choose to be tested by HETAS to become registered on the HETAS product approval scheme. Stoves can be registered as HETAS Cleaner Choice once they have been proven to exceed EcoDesign and DEFRA exemption requirements. The HETAS Cleaner Choice scheme is a great way to identify highly efficient, clean burning stoves.
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