The Provincial Wood Stove Exchange is designed to encourage British Columbians to change out their older, smoky wood stoves for low-emission appliances — including new CSA-/EPA-certified
clean-burning wood stoves
Offered at the community level, the program involves funding to promote the exchange and offer incentives to replace old wood stoves. It also delivers education to help people operate their wood-burning appliances efficiently.
The program is managed by the Wood Stove Exchange Steering Committee, which has representation from the provincial government; federal government; local governments or community groups; the BC Lung Association; the Wood Energy Technicians of BC (WET BC); along with manufacturers, suppliers and dealers of wood-burning and other fuel appliances.
In 1994, B.C. introduced a regulation requiring all solid-fuel wood-burning appliances sold in the province to meet CSA/EPA emission standards (Solid Fuel Burning Domestic Appliance Regulation). New-technology appliances are proven to burn 1/3 less wood, to reduce emissions by up to 70%, and to significantly reduce risks of chimney fires. However, there is still a significant amount of old, smoky wood stoves in operation around the province. These units can affect the health of homeowners, their neighbours, and overall airshed health.
Any
community nonprofit, government, or airshed-/air-quality-management organization in B.C. that is willing to run a wood stove exchange program is eligible to receive funds to implement a program.
This is provided the organization demonstrates a high local or regional need, strong community buy-in, capacity to deliver the program, and a long-term plan for education and program sustainability. Individual communities may submit proposals or join with other communities or the regional district to submit a proposal.
A list of criteria that proponents must demonstrate, along with their relative weightings, is available in Project Proposal Content (PDF: 23 KB/2 pages).
Groups interested in implementing an exchange program this fall or winter are invited to put together a proposal and submit it to the Wood Stove Exchange Steering Committee.
The committee will evaluate the proposals and work with successful proponents to get a program in place. Communities are encouraged to offer the program over multiple years in order to build momentum and encourage lasting change.
Communities can choose to run an exchange program year round, starting in September, or to run the program in March and April during the industry's discount period. The selection committee reviews applications, notifies proponents of their success and transfers grants. The most recent application deadline was July 24th, 2009.
QUESTIONS can be sent to the steering committee via Rebecca Freedman or by calling (250) 952-1507.
Top