Kelowna, British Columbia "Great Okanagan Wood Stove Change Out Program"
Type: Program
Status: Ongoing
Source File: http://www.kelowna.ca/CM/Page576.aspx
Description:
How does the Great Okanagan Wood Stove Change Out Program work?
This program allows consumers with older wood stoves an opportunity to replace them with new EPA/CSA emission approved wood, gas, pellet or electric appliances. Discounts offered by participating manufacturers, distributors and retailers ranges from $100 to $450. The consumers receive a 15% discount on their new stove, but only if they surrender their old stove, which must then be destroyed. Additionally a $250 cash rebate is available through the program; however, funding is limited for the cash rebate and will be distributed on a “first come - first serve basis”. You must be a resident within the Central, North or Okanagan Similkameen Regional Districts in order to receive the $250 cash rebate; however, anyone residing in B.C. is eligible for the 15% discount.
The incentives, offered by government, dealers and manufacturers together, are discounts and cash rebates off the purchase price of the new appliance, given at the point of sale. The discount in the Okanagan is 15% or $100 to $450 off the price of a typical appliance, which is instantly given to you at the time of sale. The cash rebate, is an additional $250, which will be mailed to you by local government while funds last (if funding is depleted the retailer will inform you of that before time of sale).
A "tracking form" is used to record the family's name, address and phone, as well as the type of stoves, which went in and came out of the house. Signatures on a form for the dealer and the junkyard person provide tracking right to the end, and finally, an emission inventory impact analysis is done based on the mix of replacements.
Goal of the Great Okanagan Wood Stove Change Out Program
The goal of the Great Okanagan Wood Stove Change Out Program is to encourage homeowners, through incentives, to trade in uncertified, dirty-burning wood stoves and replace them with new, EPA and CSA certified, clean burning appliances. The changed out stoves are recycled, not resold.
A wood stove change out program has been identified by air quality and health officials in the Okanagan Valley as a way to get cleaner and more fuel-efficient stoves into homes fast. The goal of local government and health officials is to reduce wood smoke pollution by achieving two objectives:
- to raise awareness of and educate the wood burning public about the importance of efficient, safe, smoke-free wood burning, and
- to encourage wood burners to take action to improve their ability to burn wood smoke-free, efficiently and safely by offering information and financial incentives for positive change.