The City is offering $500 rebates on a first-come/first-served basis to approved wood stove exchange program participants within the city limits in an effort to improve air quality by lowering smoke emissions.
The Woodstove Exchange Program combines education and economic incentives to assist residents to operate their wood burning appliances efficiently and to exchange older smoky wood stoves for low emission appliances. Funding is limited and the deadline for completed applications is December 31 so act fast!
“New technology appliances are proven to burn 1/3 less wood, reduce emissions by up to 70% and significantly reduce risks of chimney fires,” Mike Thomas, director of Engineering and Public Works, said in a statement released on Friday, September 5. “This program also supports local bylaws restricting the use of non-emission certified appliances.”
This is not a new program. The provincially funded wood-stove exchange program has been in Revelstoke since at least 2007.
The statement identified qualifying stoves as:
- Any wood burning appliance currently providing heat to a residential or commercial building qualifies if it is not certified for efficiency and emission standards.
- Typically inserts or stoves manufactured before 1994 are not efficiently certified as well as most indoor wood burning furnaces and outdoor wood burning boilers do not meet standards.
- A metal plate on the back of your unit will indicate the month and year of testing for EPA or CSA 415B standards.
Replacement stoves should be:
- An EPA-certified wood stove, pellet stove, high efficiency gas stove/fireplace, or an electric space heater.
- An EPA-certified wood insert, pellet insert, high efficiency gas insert, or electric insert.
- An EPA-certified factory-built fireplace may only be accepted if it is replacing a non-EPA-certified wood stove or a non-EPA-certified wood insert, not an existing factory built fireplace).
Residents who think they qualify can pick up and instructions and a checklist package from the Engineering and Development Services Department upstairs at City Hall. They should also acquire a building permit, which is paid for by the City of Revelstoke, and contact the building inspector to determine their eligibility.
