Community Wood Smoke Reduction Rebate
Reducing Pollutants in our Local Air Quality
Upgrade to a Heat Pump or EPA-2020 Wood Stove - For Salt Spring & Southern Gulf Island Residents with an existing Wood Stove. Rebates up to $1000.
So many of us rely on wood stoves for our home heating on Salt Spring and the Southern Gulf Islands, but have you considered the cost of burning wood on our community's air quality?
The fact is, wood stoves release a lot of pollutants that create health problems.
Replacing that old clunker with a heat pump can save money, and reduce hazardous air pollution for you and your neighbours. If a heat pump isn't accessible to you, you can upgrade to an EPA-2020 wood stove for reduced pollutants.
Transition Salt Spring helps you upgrade with a up to $1000 Rebate that’s being offered through our Climate Action Coach program. The Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program provides a variety of incentives to upgrade your home heating.
Our Rebate Program for 2023 is offering the following:
- $1000 rebate for upgrading to a qualified heat pump (with the option to keep existing EPA-CERTIFIED wood stove), OR
- $500 rebate for upgrading to an EPA or CSA B415.1 compliant wood stove, OR
- $400 rebate for upgrading to an electric fireplace insert (must be upgrading from existing uncertified insert) OR
- $300 bounty for removal/disposal of an existing old wood stove (with no heat source upgrade)
And here’s an added incentive! As of April 1, 2022, heat pumps are exempt from PST. So that can be up to $6,000 with the additional incentives available from CleanBC and the Greener Homes Canada Program if you switch to a heat pump!
Funding is limited, first come, first served. Apply with our pre-screening form link below and we will let you know next steps.
2023 Rebate Progam Now Open!
Why should I upgrade my wood stove?
On the Gulf Islands, many of us rely on wood heat when the power goes out. Many of us are also attached to the cozy ambiance of a wood stove. And for many islanders, a woodstove is simply our only source of heating.
But, new stoves help us all breathe more easily. Older uncertified wood stoves, for example, release 15 to 30 grams of smoke per hour (g/h), while new EPA-certified stoves produce no more than 2.0 g/h. Burning wood leads to carbon emissions and harmful particulate matter in our neighbourhoods. The good news is we can all take steps to use our wood stoves more efficiently.
At Transition Salt Spring, we recommend anyone with an old wood stove to upgrade to a Heat Pump as their primary heating source and use their existing wood stove during power outages and in extreme cold as supplementary heat.
“Changing out one old, dirty, inefficient wood stove is equivalent to the PM2.5 pollution reduction of taking five old diesel buses off the road,” says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (“Strategies for Reducing Residential Wood Smoke’.)
Residential wood smoke contains PM2.5, carbon monoxide (CO), toxic air pollutants (e.g., benzene and formaldehyde), and climate gases (e.g. methane and black carbon). Exposure to PM2.5 can cause premature death and harmful effects on the heart and blood vessels. Particulate pollution exposure is also linked to a variety of other public health problems, including respiratory diseases.
Watch our 'All About Wood Stoves' webinar replay for wood burning safety and effective burning techniques to reduce air pollution.
Support for this program
The Community Wood Smoke Reduction program is made possible by the BC Lung Foundation and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Participating Retailers:
Salt Spring Home Design Centre
for EPA-2020 Wood Stoves/Appliances.
Salt Spring Home Design Centre is offering an additional $75 discount on eligible wood appliance upgrades if you have been successfully pre-screened in this rebate program.
Mouat’s Home Hardware (Salt Spring)
EPA-2020 Wood Stoves can be purchased online
Mouat's Home Hardware is offering a 15% discount to verified rebate applicants on the purchase any of the following: a wood moisture meter, a log stacker and an EcoFan.
*You may purchase your eligible upgraded appliance from any retailer.
If you have any questions, contact our Climate Action Coach.
Financing Options
If the price tag is a stretch for your budget, we are offering a low-interest Climate Action Loan of up to $5,000 through our partners, the Green Loans Salt Spring (Transition Salt Spring Enterprise Coop.)
CleanBC Income Qualified Program
CleanBC is offering enhanced rebates to cover 60-95% of Heat Pump costs up to $9500 for certain household incomes. See program link for more information.
Up to $40,000 in Interest-free loans if you participate in the Greener Homes Canada Grant program.
Guidelines for rebates
You can view a PDF-version of this information: HERE.
- You are eligible if you answer yes to all these questions.
- Your existing wood appliance in use and: on this list.
- Your existing wood appliance is in a legal dwelling unit on property located within the Salt Spring Island/Southern Gulf Islands Electoral District. The application must be supported by the registered property owner.
- The wood appliance to be replaced is for home heating (Not for a shed, garage, barn, or other secondary structure.)
- You can replace your existing:
- One of these:
- Freestanding uncertified* wood stove
- Homemade or barrel stove
- Uncertified wood-burning furnace
- Uncertified wood-burning cookstove, OR
- Uncertified outdoor wood boiler
- With one of these:
- EPA-2020* or CSA B415* certified* wood stove ($500 Rebate)
- Electric heat pump ($1000 Rebate)*
- One of these:
- Or you can keep your existing CERTIFIED wood stove and upgrade to:
- Electric heat pump ($1000 Rebate)* and MUST Sign "Clean Burning Pledge"
- Or you can replace an:
- Uncertified wood-burning insert installed in an open hearth
- With one of these:
- EPA* or CSA B415* certified* wood insert ($500 Rebate)
- Electric heat pump* ($1000 Rebate)
- Electric fireplace insert* ($400 Rebate)
- With one of these:
- Uncertified wood-burning insert installed in an open hearth
- OR you can get rid of your old wood stove without replacement.
- $300 Bounty - the removed existing, operational wood-burning appliance must be uncertified or EPA/CSA certified but older than 2005. Appliances that are not currently installed and in use are not eligible.
HOW TO APPLY
- Plan your purchase, installation and inspection of the new appliance. This must take place between January 1, 2023, and November 30, 2023. Invoices need to be dated between those two dates.
- Get a quote for price and timing for a new appliance and installation.
- Take a photo of your old appliance to include in the pre-screening form.
- Submit the pre-screening form to TSS to apply to secure your rebate funding for six months: HERE
- Receive pre-approval notice from TSS for rebate funding secured for six months from receipt of this notice.
- Download and print our Rebate Brochure to collect signatures. LINK pg1 HERE and pg2 HERE
- Photo and Signature OR Pledge
- Decommission and Recycle your old appliance: provide photographic proof and signature of the recycler of the old wood appliance having been decommissioned and recycled. DO provide photos of appliance labels whenever possible.
- For bounty only, the removed existing and operational wood-burning appliance must be uncertified, or EPA/CSA certified but older than 2005.
- OR Sign Clean Burning Heat Pump Pledge if eligible to keep your existing wood appliance- LINK HERE.
- For the option to keep an old stove following the installation of a heat pump, the existing wood stove must be EPA or CSA certified.
- Decommission and Recycle your old appliance: provide photographic proof and signature of the recycler of the old wood appliance having been decommissioned and recycled. DO provide photos of appliance labels whenever possible.
- Photo and Signature OR Pledge
- Purchase and install your new appliance. Get it WETT inspected if not installed by a WETT professional. You are responsible for all necessary Building Permits.
- Take a photo of your new appliance in place.
- Take the Burn it Smart wood smoke course or watch the ALL About Wood Stoves video (*if upgrading to a new wood appliance)
- Submit the final application and survey within six months of your pre-screening review, with the final submission date of November 30, 2023. Incomplete applications or applications received after the November 30, 2023 deadline will not be eligible for a rebate. Applications will be processed within eight weeks of receipt of completed applications. Link to be sent in pre-screening approval notice.
How to apply
Our 2023 program is now open for applicants. Apply now to our pre-screening form. Eligible applicants will be notified if funding is available to them within 2 weeks of submission.
