Ever wondered how many of the approximately 10 million wood
stoves in the field today are clean-burning? According to a new article written
by James E. Houck and published in Hearth
& Home magazine, 35% of free-standing cord wood and pellet stoves are
EPA-certified. The estimate is based on manufacturing records supplied by HPBA
and the American Housing Survey, and does not include fireplace inserts.
Finding accurate data on certified vs. uncertified stoves
was no easy task, Houck writes, because many home occupants don’t know the
status of their heaters. To make matters worse, many states in the South and
Mid-Atlantic region have few regulations or programs to encourage the purchase
of new lower-emitting wood stoves. Oregon remains the only state that requires
uncertified stoves to be removed when a home is a sold. It seems much more must
be done before the reality of wood heat catches up to the precedent set by the
New Source Performance Standard, passed over two decades ago.
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