clearSkies certified appliances meet the minimum performance level for Ecodesign Regulations. clearSkies certification is the minimum legal requirement for an appliance manufactured in the UK from 1st January 2022.
The following information is taken from the clearSkies website.Â
Efficiency & emissions criteria for clearSkies Certification
The Ecodesign Regulations cover specific minimum criteria that an appliance (in our case, our stoves) must achieve under set test conditions, which are independently run.
These criteria are the minimum energy efficiency of the appliance and the maximum levels of emissions permitted of:
- CO – Carbon Monoxide
- PM – Particulate Matter
- OGC – Organic Gaseous Compounds
- NOx – Nitrogen Oxide
These new Ecodesign Regulations represent a significant tightening of these criteria over the current CE requirements.
You can read more about the types of emissions covered under Ecodesign here.
Defra Exemption
In addition to meeting the requirements of Ecodesign for efficiency and emissions, all clearSkies certified appliances at Level 3 or above will also have been verified by the scheme administrator as meeting the requirements for Defra Exemption.
Defra Exemption is where an appliance’s emissions have been independently tested and are low enough that Defra has granted exemption to allow the appliance to be burnt with wood in a Smoke Control Area.
Defra is The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom.
All Level 3 and above appliances certified under the clearSkies scheme have been verified by the clearSkies Administrator, Kiwa Ltd, as complying with both the Ecodesign efficiency and emissions performance requirements, and Defra Exemption and as having the appropriate independent test certificates in place to confirm this.
clearSkies Levels explained
A clearSkies label on a wood burning appliance means you can be assured that the appliance you are buying meets all the energy and efficiency criteria, and the different levels allow you to identify how far beyond Ecodesign criteria they go in terms of reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. This is set out in the different levels of clearSkies certification which are:
All of our stoves are clearSkies level 4 or 5.Â
clearSkies level 4 is 15% improvement on Ecodesign and Defra exempt.
clearSkies level 5 is 15% improvement in emissions & efficiency performance on Level 4, and Defra exempt.Â
You can see our stoves on the clearskies website here.
Ecodesign compliance
All manufacturers with appliances certified under the clearSkies scheme have had all their emission and efficiency performance data in respect of their Ecodesign compliance and CE mark verified, and the manufacturers have self-certified to clearSkies that they have complied with all other aspects of Ecodesign and CE mark compliance.
Manufacturing control for clearSkies certified appliances
In addition to providing evidence to confirm the efficiency and emissions of an appliance, manufacturers also need to confirm that they have a process in place for ensuring manufacturing control over their clearSkies certified appliances to ensure consistency of production.Â
This is a requirement of the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125 and gives further assurance that your clearSkies certified fireplace or stove is manufactured to the highest standards.
Please note: Defra Exemption is granted by each individual country in the UK, and you therefore need to ensure that exemption is in place for the country where you are installing the appliance if you are installing it in a Smoke Control Area. The clearSkies product listing shows the specific countries where the appliance is Defra Exempt
