Privately Financed Change-out Programs Started by Jotul and NH Retailer

Two separate, privately financed, wood stove change-out programs were started this summer with the aim of selling more new stoves in the off-season and removing as many old, uncertified ones in the process.

Jotul’s national program has Jotul dealers give a $100 to $300 discount to consumers who turn in an old, uncertified stove. The discount is funded half by Jotul and half by the retailer. Consumers can drop their stoves off at an authorized Jotul dealer or a recycling center and provide the receipt to the retailer to prove the old stove has been retired. 450 out of 1,000 Jotul dealers in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the program so far. Jotul is also donating $10 to the American Lung Association for every uncertified stove that it is taken out of circulation.

Fireplace Village, a New Hampshire hearth retailer with four locations, is providing an even more

generous offer to consumers. They are giving a $500 discount to consumers who trade in an old, uncertified wood stove. They have also discounted their removal fee to $100 if the consumer wants them to remove the old stove.

Change-out programs typically are undertaken mainly with government funding and often with in-kind assistance from the stove industry. Those change-out programs tend to provide higher rebates or discounts and also often have high overhead costs to manage the program. These privately funded and managed change-out programs are likely to result in the removal of hundreds of old stoves this summer and help families heat with cleaner, more efficient stoves. This could be a program that other manufacturers and retailers use as a model.