If you heat your home with firewood or wood briquettes, then you no doubt have heard about the Ready to Burn regulations for kiln dried logs and Ecodesign regulations for wood stoves. Ecodesign regulations came into force in the UK on January 1, 2022. They limit the amount of particulate matter that wood-burning appliances can release during their operation. Uncertified stoves cannot be manufactured and sold in the United Kingdom.
But if you’ve been to a store that sells log burners in the last few months, then you might have noticed yet another new standard. That certification standard is clearSkies and it consists of 4 different levels.
What is the clearSkies standard? Why are additional regulations being implemented? And how does it make choosing a wood stove easier for you?
Let’s explore.
The clearSkies Standard in Simple English?
Explained in simple English, clearSkies is a voluntary certification scheme that provides customers with data on the emissions levels and energy efficiency of wood stoves.
The initiative is run by clearSkies Mark Ltd, an independent UK company run by stove manufacturers as part of their self-regulation efforts.
While the certification scheme is endorsed by Defra, a stove does not have to be clearSkies certified to be sold in the UK.
During clearSkies laboratory testing, the following emissions are measured: particulate matter, carbon monoxide, organic gaseous compounds, and nitrogen oxide. Interestingly, the clearSkies standard does not measure CO2 emissions.
clearSkies vs Ecodesign: What Is Better?
The clearSkies standard is based on the EU-developed Ecodesign standard.
The lowest tier of clearSkies certification, Level 2 (there is no Level 1 certification), is equivalent to full Ecodesign certification. Wood burning stoves certified as clearSkies Level 3 are compliant with the requirements of being Defra-exempt. Level 4 stoves are at least fifteen percent more efficient than what is necessitated by Ecodesign. Level 5 stoves are at least fifteen percent more efficient than Level 4 appliances.
Unlike Ecodesign, however, clearSkies certification is not mandatory in the UK. While Defra does support the clearSkies initiative, it currently has no plans on making it mandatory. As Level 2 certification is equivalent to Ecodesign certification, there is no need for this.
