Photo essay: wood stoves around the world

(Updated, March 2022) Heating with wood stoves is common in many countries around the globe, particularly in rural areas where wood is plentiful.  Wood heating is also tied to poverty to a certain extent in most countries and can rapidly grow when fossil fuel prices spike.

We show typical wood heating stoves in 40 countries, though its impossible to capture a country's stove heating culture in a single photo.  Most countries where wood heating is popular have a wide range of stove technology, from older, obsolete stoves to modern, expensive models.  We focused on older stoves as they tend to be more common in most countries to show the widespread problem of aging stoves that need to be replaced with newer ones - or other affordable heat sources.  Most countries have no regulations that set particular matter standards for new stoves. The issue of public funding for change out programs is often not an option.

We compiled a separate photo essay of firewood collecting cultures around the globe that tell equally important stories about the benefits of using a free, local fuel as well as the problems it can cause.

A home in the United States

Many countries are neglecting the development of a generation of cleaner wood and pellet heating stove technology.  Wood stove technology is developing in many countries, as shown in some of the photos below. But the pace is far too slow to match the economic opportunity and environmental and benefits that wood offers, and the air quality dangers it can otherwise pose.

Over the last 10 years, we have seen populations turn to wood stoves in large numbers our of political and/or economic necessity. The invasion of Ukraine is driving increased energy prices, and thus the increased reliance on old and new stoves; the 2008 banking crisis in the US and Europe contributed to a meltdown in Greece, leading to widespread unemployment and a nationwide resurgence in wood stove use; incentive structures in the U.K. have led to more wood stoves, instead of pellet stoves.

These photos show how this ancient fuel source persists in helping to affordably keep people warm.

Albania

Armenia

Bhutan

Byurakan, Armenia

Australia

 Austria

Azerbaijan

Belarus


Bulgaria

Canada

Chile 

China 

Czech Republic

Denmark

Ecuador 

Finland

France



Georgia (formerly USSR)

Germany

Greece



Hungary

India

Italy

Ireland


Japan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Korea 

Lithuania

Montenegro


New Zealand

Norway

South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast
(former USSR) 

Peru

Poland

Portugal


Romania

 Russia

Slovakia

Syrian refugees (in Bulgaria)


Tajikistan

Tibet

Ukraine

United Kingdom




United States

Vatican

Uncertified Imported Stoves Openly Sold on Craigslist

December 2019 update: The Masport stoves appeared to sell on Craigslist for about a year and its not clear if the importer sold their entire stock, which may have been anywhere from 25 to 200 stoves, but we have no data to support the number of stoves involved.  Currently, there are a number of uncertified pellet stoves openly sold on the internet by outlets such as the Lion Energy Pellet stove sold on E-Bay, and by the importer, Lion Energy.  Some outlets, like Amazon and Sears, selling the Lion Energy pellet stove are now saying its temporarily out of stock and may be back soon which may mean its selling really well.  The EPA has been well aware of Lion Energy but its unclear if they have the capacity to react.

December 2012 - New Masport wood stoves, made in New Zealand but neither certified by the EPA nor exempted, have been advertised in the Washington DC area on Craigslist for several years. A recent photo on Craigslist shows a room with multiple new, boxed Masport wood stoves for sale:



The Craigslist ads were recently removed, likely as a result of EPA enforcement action. However, the stoves are still being sold according to the person answering the phone number in the ad. The Masport stoves are advertised for sale at “$1,500 or best offer.”

The full description of the ad read: “New Masport Panorama Wood Burning Stove, still in box, minimal assembly required. ... This wood burning stove is a high efficient low carbon emission. This quality stove costs for over $3,000. 3500 sq. ft. heating capability!!!!!!!!!! ... If you have any questions or interest in purchasing, please call 703-XXX-XXXX. Delivery available for an additional charge!”

If you are aware of someone selling uncertified stoves that have not been approved as exempt, send it to EPA enforcement at sanchez.rafael@epa.gov.

Update: Dave Wenham, the New Zealand manufacturer of Masport stoves, said the company was "surprised to see one of our products for sale in North America." He also told the Alliance for Green Heat that the stoves appeared to have been manufactured prior to 1993, but could not confirm whether Masport stoves were sold in the U.S. prior to the 1988 NSPS regulations.    

Further reading:

An overview of uncertified wood stoves (Dec. 2020)  

More than 40,000 uncertified stoves sold each year, says the EPA (March 2014)

Keene Sentinel Publishes AGH letter on Change out Program

Dear Editors,

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013 in Keene NH.
Keene is surrounded by hills,
trapping wintertime wood smoke.

The upcoming Keene woodstove changeout program could well become a national model for such programs. No other change out program in the US has had such a high rebate amount ($1,000) for all applicants.

But the long term benefits of the program will be undermined unless the City of Keene is able support it with some other measures. For example, anyone in Keene can go out and buy a new polluting wood stove that uses a loophole to avoid EPA emission standards, and install it tomorrow. What's the point of giving $1,000 rebates to take polluting stoves out of commission if you allow more polluting stoves to be installed? To remedy this, the Keene City Council needs to pass an ordinance requiring that any stove installed in Keene has to be EPA certified. This will also help prevent people from buying and installing old, second hand uncertified woodstoves in the City of Keene. Scores of old, polluting woodstoves are available in southern New Hampshire on Craigslist for as low as $75. Washington State and California already ban installing uncertified stoves but in most of the US anyone can buy a $200 stove made in China that can foul indoor air, as well as outdoor air.

Many of us in the woodburning community believe that to promote wood burning as a viable low carbon renewable energy, like wind and solar, we have to incentivize cleaner burning stoves, and phase out the most polluting ones. Woodstoves are an excellent and relatively inexpensive way to reduce your carbon footprint. A $1,000 - $2,000 woodstove can shave 3-4 tons of carbon from your carbon footprint every year, often the equivalent of what a $10,000 - $20,000 solar or geothermal system will shave off.

Sincerely,

John Ackerly,
Alliance for Green Heat