SCAPCA program available to replace wood stoves

Low-income families may be able to get cleaner and more efficient wood stoves through a Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority program.

With the one-time program, the authority hopes to replace 10 to 15 older uncertified wood stoves with new wood stoves or natural gas appliances, spokeswoman Lisa Woodard said. About $25,000 in funding is available for the replacements.

“We really wanted to go after the folks who would not be able to replace them on their own,” Woodard said. To be considered for the replacement, applicants must own and reside in the home, live within the Spokane County smoke control zone and use an uncertified wood stove or insert as the sole source of heat or because of needed repairs to a primary heat source.

Applicants’ monthly incomes must also fall within specific brackets. A household of four, for instance, may qualify if their income is $3,124 or less.

Woodard said the authority is accepting applications through the summer. Six homeowners have received approval for stove replacement. Families that qualify visit participating retailers to get bids and select models, which are then approved by the authority. After the applicants receive the new stoves, they must provide proof that the old stoves have been destroyed or “rendered inoperable.”

“The idea is to take the old polluted wood stoves and make sure that they have been removed from the air-shed,” Woodard said. Stoves made in 1988 and beyond are certified and meet the Environmental Protection Agency emission standards, Woodard said.

Although the authority is still accepting applications, Woodard said with the busy season approaching for retailers, replacements will be put on hold in mid-August and families that do qualify may have to wait until February to get their stoves swapped.

The newer stoves save energy and pollute the air 80 to 90 percent times less than older stoves, Woodard said.

“They use significantly less wood,” Woodard said, adding however that even newer stoves can cause pollution if they are not used properly.

For more information, contact SCAPCA at 477-4727.