qathet Regional District’s (qRD) committee of the whole is recommending a continuation of its wood stove exchange program.
At the January 16 committee meeting, regional directors voted to receive the summary report of the 2019 wood stove program. The committee also recommended the board offer a minimum of 30 rebates on a first-come, first-served basis, of $400 for the exchange of an uncertified wood stove to an EPA-certified wood stove. The committee is recommending a $550 rebate for an exchange of an uncertified wood stove to an EPA-certified pellet-fuelled appliance, a natural gas or propane-fuelled appliance, electric fireplace insert or an electric heat pump in the 2020 wood stove exchange program.
City director George Doubt said the objective was to reduce emissions as much as possible.
“This actually recognizes the requirement and the need in a lot of places like our regional district, to have wood heat in homes, because there is a lot of wood around and wood heat is available,” said Doubt. “There are wood stoves that are more efficient out there in the marketplace and we want to make sure people use them and thereby reduce emissions. A wood stove, in my point of view, as long as it is EPA-compatible, and reduces emissions, is a good way of heating your home.”
According to a staff report, in 2019, qRD was successful in becoming a part of the wood stove exchange program for the first time. The regional district provided additional funding for the program, which ran from March 1 to November 30, 2019. The program was available to municipal and rural electoral area residents, and Tla’amin Nation citizens.
Rebates were offered on a first-come, first-served basis and had to meet pre-qualifying conditions.
According to the staff report, the program began slowly but the demand for rebates through the exchange program increased significantly from September to November. There were 40 tracking numbers given to applicants and 34 were submitted and approved for rebates.
A total of $14,500 in rebates were given out through the 2019 program, and the $2,000 remaining will be rolled over to the 2020 program, which was approved in December 2019 by the regional district board.
“The 2019 wood stove exchange program received very positive feedback from residents, local government partners and retailers; retailers and residents found the program to be user-friendly and the rebates reasonable,” the report stated. “There were rebate enquiries received after the program deadline and retailers anticipate that there will be continued and increased uptake in 2020. Let’s Talk Trash, on behalf of the qRD, looks forward to administering the program in 2020, which will continue to improve the air quality in our region.”
