ClearSkies Mark – helping to inform your stove choice
ClearSkies is a new and entirely independent emissions and energy performance certification and rating scheme for wood burning stoves and it will become increasingly important in the run up to Ecodesign in 2022 and in the years well beyond that. The scheme has been introduced with the support of the stove industry and Defra to enable stove buyers to make informed decisions about the environmental benefits of their stove choices, particularly with regards to the reduction in emissions that help improve air quality. The ClearSkies rating system has 5 levels covering the effectiveness of the efficiency versus emissions mix of each stove and over time the scheme's aim is to drive improvements in both. ClearSkies is still very much in its infancy and because manufacturer's have to pay to have their stoves appraised – and with the industry also having been heavily impacted by pandemic lockdowns, listing has yet to gain momentum and therefore we'll have to wait a while for anything like a comprehensive database of stoves. Having said that ClearSkies is a scheme that will ultimately really benefit consumers and the environment and that's why we at The Stove Yard heartily approve of it.