Air Quality District Offering Grants to Replace Wood-Burning Heating Devices

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA — Residents of rural Marin County are among those who may qualify for a new Bay Area Air Quality Management District incentive program launching Thursday for Bay Area residents to replace wood-burning heating devices with environmentally cleaner options.

The air district's board of directors approved $3 million in funding for the project earlier this year, which is expected to be enough to assist some 1,500 households with projects ranging in cost from $750 to $12,000.

"The Wood Smoke Reduction Incentive Program will help reduce the health impacts of wood smoke in the Bay Area and will target the areas that need it most," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, which is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. "Funding is expected to go quickly, so we are urging Bay Area residents to apply when the program opens on Aug. 26."

The program will open at 10 a.m. Thursday on a first-come, first-served basis. Homeowners and landlords can apply online Baaqmd.gov/woodsmokegrant or call 415- 749-5195 for assistance with their application.

Landlords and homeowners can apply to cover the cost of installing an electric heat pump or natural gas or propane stove or insert, which looks like a gas stove but is installed inside a fireplace. Residents also have the option to decommission their fireplace or wood-burning stove, permanently taking it out of service.

"This program is really about removing wood-burning devices from our region," said Air District Spokesman Tom Flannigan.

The cleaner devices are designed to be the home's chief heating source.

Priority will be given to groups that are considered heavily impacted, such as low-income households and people living in rural areas where natural gas is not available are eligible for additional money.

Some rural areas that may qualify are rural Marin County, western San Mateo County and parts of Sonoma County, Flannigan said.

Households whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device are also eligible for the program.

That's important because starting Nov. 1, those households must use an Environmental Protection Agency-approved device, a pellet-burning device or install a gas or propane device, Flannigan said.

The households also must register with the air district, he said.

Projects that have been initiated or completed before receiving the air district’s approval are not eligible for funding.

The air district has offered incentive programs for wood-burning fireplaces or stoves in the past, starting in 2008. Incentives ranged from $200 to $600 for new gas, pellet or EPA-certified fireplaces or wood stoves. The new program will only offer incentives for non-wood burning devices. Other air districts in California and Washington state also offer wood-burning device change-out programs with incentives ranging from $1,500 - $7,200.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report. Image via Pixabay.