Submitted
For the third year in a row, the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is collaborating with local municipalities to deliver a Wood Stove Exchange Rebate Program.
The program offers residents a financial incentive to replace their old, inefficient wood stove with a new, cleaner-burning heating appliance.The RDCK is one of twelve organizations across BC to receive funding from the Province and the BC Lung Association to run a local wood stove exchange program.
All RDCK electoral areas and municipalities have also committed ‘top-up’ funding, bringing the total value of each rebate to $350. One hundred rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
In order to qualify for the rebate, residents must replace an old (pre-1994), uncertified wood stove with a new, EPA- or CSA-certified wood stove, gas stove, pellet stove, or insert. The stove must be in active use for home heating.
Old stoves must be dismantled and brought to a local landfill or transfer station for disposal.Government organizations across Canada and the US have implemented wood stove exchange programs with the goal of improving air quality in rural areas.
In the RDCK, air quality conditions are often worst during the winter months when wood stove use is at its peak. Wood smoke contains fine particulate matter, which is associated with respiratory problems and heart disease.
New wood stoves reduce smoke by up to 70 per cent and burn up to one third less wood.For more information on the program, or for a copy of the rebate application, visit www.rdck.bc.ca/wood_stove.