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Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program
The 2023 program will be launching on March 1! Check out our latest article in the January edition of the Cowichan Valley Voice for a sneak peek at the new program!
2022 Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program
Are you ready to become more healthy and climate-smart in 2022? The CVRD can help by providing rebates to replace old, smoky wood-burning appliances as follows:
- Heat Pump: A $2,000 incentive for replacing a wood-burning appliance with a heat pump. $1,850 is provided by the CVRD and a $150 discount should be offered by participating retailers.
- Pellet Appliance: An $800 incentive for replacing a woodstove or an outdoor wood boiler with a 2020 or newer EPA-certified pellet stove or pellet boiler. $750 is provided by the CVRD and a $50 discount should be offered by participating retailers.
- Wood-Burning Appliance: A $350 incentive for replacing:
- an uncertified wood-burning appliance; or,
- an EPA- or CSA-certified wood stove that is at least 5 years old for a 2020 or newer EPA-certified woodstove. $300 is provided by the CVRD and a $50 discount should be offered by participating retailers.
Apply for the CVRD Rebate!
Read the Program Guidelines to find out more about the rebate requirements before applying for a rebate.
Residents wishing to apply for rebates for replacing an old woodstove with a new woodstove are required to complete an online wood smoke education course to learn ways to minimize negative health impacts from wood-burning.
Stack Rebates to Reduce Costs!
Additional rebates (~$6,000) to support your healthy home heating system are available through the federal Greener Homes Program and the provincial BC Clean Homes rebate programs. Visit BC Home Energy Coach or phone 1.844.881.9790, who will help you navigate rebate options and maximize rebates!
Additional rebates to offset 80% of the upgrade cost (up to $12,000) are available through BC Clean Homes to support home heating upgrades within First Nation communities. Coupling this with a CVRD rebate may cover 100% of the upgrade cost!
Heat Pumps – Keeping you Warm in the Winter and Cool in the Summer
Heat pumps not only heat your home, but they also keep you cool during heat waves and can filter indoor air quality impacted by dust, pollen and wildfire smoke. Heat pumps may also reduce home insurance costs.
To learn more about how heat pumps can benefit you and the Cowichan Valley as a whole, click on the poster below!
Tips for Reducing Air Pollution
Heat pumps are powered by clean, hydroelectricity which means that if you switch your current fossil fuel heating system (natural gas, propane or oil) to a heat pump, you’ll be reducing your household’s environmental footprint.
If you are considering a heat pump, this video, provided by Clean BC, the Regional District of Nanaimo and the CVRD, has lots of helpful information.
• Dry wood reduces air pollution
• Dry wood saves you money. To get the most out of your firewood, only use dry firewood (wood with less than 20% moisture content); otherwise, your fire won’t burn as hot and you will produce harmful smoke by drying wood in your woodstove. Also, you have to use a lot more wood to try to stay warm if your wood is not properly dry.
• Use a $20 moisture meter to verify the moisture content of firewood; simply insert the probes into the firewood log to obtain a reading.
• If you don’t want to get a moisture meter, check the firewood log ends. Dry, seasoned wood should have cracks and split ends. Also, if you knock dry wood together, you should hear a hollow sound, not a wet ‘thud’.
• Within 15 minutes of starting a fire in your woodstove, no visible smoke should be emitted from your chimney.
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Recycling & Waste Management
Physical Address
175 Ingram Street
Duncan, BC V9L 1N8
What are the Air Quality Pollution Levels Right Now?
Check out the maps below for information on real-time air pollution levels:
Purple Air Sensor Map – will show you what the small particulate matter (PM2.5) levels are right now. PM2.5 is bad news for your heart and lungs.
Real-time Air Pollution Levels in Cowichan
Video Resources:
Learn How Heat Pumps Work in 2 Minutes
Healthier Home Heating: Clear the Air Cowichan