Good Deals for Good Neighbors
An Outdoor Wood-fired Furnace Incentive Program
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is committed to the reduction of particulate pollution from wood-fired heaters. The Good Deals for Good Neighbors Program is designed to incent the removal of outdoor wood-fired furnaces (OWFs); or the replacement of existing OWFs with cleaner, more efficient units that meet EPA’s most stringent standard for Hydronic Heaters. With EPA’s new rule requiring new wood heaters to be cleaner and more efficient, the result will be a substantial reduction in emissions, reduced exposure to wood smoke, and improved public health. As part of its efforts to alleviate adverse health impacts associated with wood burning and to foster cleaner wood combustion, DEEP is offering a second round of funding that will assist residents with the removal, or replacement of existing OWFs that do not meet EPA standards or which do not conform to current Connecticut siting requirements.
The program offers two levels of funding:
$3,000 for the removal (scrapping) of an existing OWF; and
$6,000 for the removal of an existing OWF and replacement with a new OWF that meets EPA’s proposed emission standard of 0.1 lb/MMBtu of particulate matter.
Submission Deadline: Applicants have until October 30, 2015 to submit an application. Applications will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis. Applicants will be notified if the program is fully subscribed (funding exhausted) prior to the submission deadline.
Project Completion Deadline: Applicants have until January 31, 2016 to complete removal or removal/installation of the OWF and submit verification and certifications to DEEP.
How can the local health directors help: Local health directors and staff are on the front line responding to complaints from the operation of OWFs. You can play a key role in reducing the complaints and reducing the emissions in your neighborhoods. DEEP would appreciate your assistance in contacting owners of OWFs in your district, especially the units subject to neighbors’ complaints and inform them of this incentive program. The attached flyer can also be displayed at the town halls.
Additional Information: More information about the Good Deals for Good Neighbors incentive program can be found at www.ct.gov/deep/owfip.
CT DEEP Contacts: Any questions should be directed to Lakiesha Christopher at Lakiesha.christopher@ct.gov or 860 424-3189.