Last fall, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District passed new regulations designed to reduce wintertime air pollution from residential wood burning. With a few exemptions — such as if the wood-burning device is your sole source of heat and if you have a non-functional heater — the rule will move the Bay Area away from wood-burning devices.
Residential wood burning is the leading cause of air pollution in the Bay Area during the winter. Particulate matter and toxics from wood smoke is dangerous to our health. That's why reducing wood smoke is key to improving air quality and public health in our region.
The Air District has now launched the Wood Smoke Reduction Incentive Program to assist with change-outs of polluting, wood-burning devices. The program provides $3 million in new funding to help Bay Area residents replace older, more polluting fireplaces and wood-burning stoves with cleaner options, or to decommission their fireplace.
Here are the program details:
- $3 million in program funding will be available for individual grants in amounts ranging from $750 - $12,000.
- The online application is accessible on the Air District's website at www.baaqmd.gov/WoodsmokeGrant. Applicants without internet access can have a proxy apply on their behalf or call 415-749-5195 to request a paper copy of the application.
- To be eligible, applicants must own a property that is a residential unit located within the Air District's jurisdiction, and contains an operational wood-burning stove or fireplace used for heating.
- 40% of the program funding has been prioritized for Highly Impacted Residents, which includes low-income residents, residents located in areas highly affected by wood smoke, and households whose wood-burning device is their sole source of heat. Residents can apply for one of the following project options:
Project Options | Award Amounts |
Replace a wood-burning stove or fireplace with an electric heat pump | $3,500 |
Replace a wood-burning stove or fireplace with a natural gas or propane fueled device | $1,000 |
Decommission (render inoperable) a fireplace or wood-burning stove | $750 |
In addition to these funds, "highly-impacted applicants," including those enrolled in PG&E's CARE program or an equivalent or those whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device, can get additional funding, up to $12,000.
Read more about the Air District's woodsmoke regulations.
Photo courtesy J Aaron Farr via Flickr.