Buying guide
Many towns and cities in England are smoke control areas. You can still have a log burner in one; it just has to be a stove that has been tested and listed as exempt, and you have to burn the fuel its exemption covers.
What is a smoke control area?
Smoke control areas were set up under the Clean Air Act to stop smoke from homes. Inside one, you must not let smoke come from your chimney, and you can only burn authorised fuels, unless your appliance is exempt.
- Authorised fuels are smokeless fuels, such as anthracite and manufactured smokeless fuels on the authorised list. Smoke control rules let you burn them without an exempt appliance, but only in a stove whose maker allows them.
- Wood is not an authorised fuel. You can only burn it in an exempt appliance, a stove that has passed a smoke test and is on Defra's list for England.
- Exempt appliances are exempt only when used as the maker instructs, with the fuel their exemption names and any settings or parts it requires.
To be exempt, a stove has to pass a smoke test. The current limit for appliances on Defra's list is 5g of smoke per hour, plus 0.1g for every 0.3kW of output. The January 2026 consultation proposed a tighter limit for new stoves in future; its outcome is still awaited, and it is not aimed at stoves already installed.
Councils can issue penalties when a chimney emits smoke in a smoke control area, and buying unauthorised fuel to burn in an appliance that is not exempt is also an offence. Outdoor barbecues, chimineas and pizza ovens are not covered.
How to check if you live in one
Your council publishes its smoke control areas, and Defra has a map of them for England. Search your council's website for "smoke control area" with your postcode, or ask its environmental health team. Large parts of most cities and many market towns are covered, and some cover whole boroughs.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each nation keeps its own list of exempt appliances and its own rules. The exemptions we describe here are for England; check your own nation's list if you live elsewhere.
Our smoke control exempt stoves
| Stove | Output | Fuel | Efficiency | Flue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC4 Eco | 4kW | Multi-fuel | 81.8% wood | 125mm |
| FDC5 Eco | 5kW | Multi-fuel | 81.7% wood | 125mm |
| FDC5W Eco | 5kW | Multi-fuel | 80.8% wood | 125mm |
| FDC8 Eco | 8kW | Multi-fuel | 81.1% wood | 125mm |
| Carron ECO 5kW | 5kW | Wood, multi-fuel with kit | 78.6% | 125mm |
| Carron ECO Revolution 5kW | 5kW | Wood | 82.7% | 125mm |
| Carron ECO Revolution 8kW | 8kW | Wood | 77.7% | 125mm |
| Woolly Mammoth 5, 5 Widescreen and 8 MK2 | 4.6kW to 8.2kW on wood | Multi-fuel | 75.6% to 78.7% wood | 125mm |
Exempt stoves can use a 125mm flue. Approved Document J allows 125mm for a closed stove up to 20kW that meets the Clean Air Act requirements when burning wood, where other wood stoves need 150mm. That makes these stoves a good match for many existing 5 inch liners.
Choosing an exempt stove
Size it to the room first: about 1kW per 14 cubic metres of room volume. Then decide whether you want wood only (the Carron ECO Revolution stoves), wood with a multi-fuel option later (the Carron ECO 5kW) or full multi-fuel now (FDC and Woolly Mammoth), which also lets you burn authorised smokeless fuel.
Our first suggestions: the Carron ECO Revolution 5kW for efficiency, the FDC4 Eco for a small room and the FDC8 Eco for a large one.
Standard Opus stoves are not exempt, but you can choose the SE (smoke exempt) version on our Opus Trio LS and Melody listings; the Opus Harmony, Aria and Calypso we list are not exempt. Check the listing options or contact us.
Installing an exempt stove
An exempt stove is installed like any other log burner: by a HETAS registered installer who self-certifies the work, or with building control. Ask your installer to set the stove up as its exemption requires and to leave you the manual. A carbon monoxide alarm is required in the room. If you are replacing an old stove that is not exempt, the existing liner may be reusable if it is sound and the right size; your installer will check it.
Staying within the rules
- Burn dry wood. Under 20% moisture. Wet wood smokes in any stove. In England, wood sold in quantities under 2 cubic metres must be certified Ready to Burn.
- Follow the manual. The exemption covers the stove as the maker sets it up, including any air control limiter or plate supplied for exempt use.
- Do not shut the air right down. A starved fire smokes. Run the stove at a steady, lively burn.
- Keep it maintained. Sweep the chimney and service the stove so seals and baffles work as designed.
Our guide to the rules on wood burners in England covers fines, fuel sales and what the 2026 consultation proposed.
Common questions
What is a Defra exempt stove?
A stove that has passed a smoke emissions test and is on Defra's list of appliances exempt for use in smoke control areas in England, burning the fuel its exemption names.
Can I burn wood in a smoke control area?
Only in an exempt appliance, and only the fuel its exemption covers. Outdoor barbecues, chimineas and pizza ovens are not covered by the rules.
Can I burn smokeless fuel in any stove in a smoke control area?
Smoke control rules allow authorised smokeless fuels without an exempt appliance, but only burn a fuel your stove's maker allows. Wood-only stoves, such as the Carron ECO Revolution, must not burn smokeless coal.
How do I know if I live in a smoke control area?
Check your council's website or Defra's smoke control area map for England, or ask your council's environmental health team.
Is a Defra exempt stove the same as an Ecodesign stove?
No. Ecodesign is the emissions and efficiency standard for new stoves sold in Great Britain. Smoke control exemption is a separate test that allows wood burning in smoke control areas. Many stoves, including ours here, have both.
Do exempt stoves need a smaller flue?
They can use one. Approved Document J allows a 125mm flue for exempt stoves up to 20kW burning wood, where other wood stoves need 150mm.
Can I get fined for using a wood burner?
In a smoke control area, councils can issue penalties for smoke from a chimney, and buying unauthorised fuel for a non-exempt appliance is an offence. Use an exempt stove with dry wood and follow the manual.
Are Opus stoves smoke control exempt?
Only the SE versions. You can choose an SE (smoke exempt) version on our Opus Trio LS and Melody listings; the standard versions, and the Opus Harmony, Aria and Calypso we list, are not exempt.
What smoke limit does an exempt stove have to meet?
Currently no more than 5g of smoke per hour, plus 0.1g for every 0.3kW of output. A tighter limit for new stoves was proposed in the January 2026 consultation, and the outcome is still awaited.
Does the exemption apply in Wales and Scotland?
Each nation keeps its own list of exempt appliances. Exemptions are listed separately for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check the official list for your country before you buy.
Burn wood, stay legal
Every stove here is listed as exempt for smoke control areas in England. Compare sizes and flues on each listing.