Wood-burning appliances account for about half of all particulate-matter emissions in the winter within Placer County, or about 6.5 tons of emissions daily but new Placer County regulations are expected to reduce emissions by an estimated 20.76 tons by the end of 2012. The new policy will mandate the use of EPA-certified wood stoves and ban the installation of older, non-certified stoves in all new and existing construction in the county by January 1, 2009. Non-compliant stoves have to be permanently disabled in homes put on the market by Jan. 1, 2012.
The county is working to make the switch easier for local homeowners by offering an incentive to people making the change, including $300 for removal or replacement of a non-compliant stove with a new stove, and $500 for replacement with a pellet or gas stove and in 2008 they have already received applications for the rebates from about 200 households.
In Truckee, homeowners will be required to remove all non-certified stoves by May 31 of this year. The Town, one of the first to adopt initiatives to reduce emissions in 1994, offers homeowners the same monetary change-over incentives but will review each property on a case-by-case basis and provide extensions to comply when necessary. The $300 removal rebate for the woodstove and $500 towards a replacement does not cover the cost of the approved pellet or gas stoves, both of which run from $3,000 to $4,000. Nevada County has a similar program in play.
EPA-certified wood stoves emit approximately 70 percent less pollution than traditional wood stoves. Replacing 20 older stoves with EPA-certified stoves can prevent the emissions of one ton of particulate matter into the environment per year.
