The Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable is bringing back the Woodstove Exchange Program in 2017.
Coordinator Kim Menounos says the initiative has provided some positive results.
“It’s responsible for removing 28 tonnes of particulate matter from our airshed every year and it’s a great way to remove some of those old smoky woodstoves that people might have burning in their homes and replace them with EPA-certified wood burning appliances.”
Menounos says the older woodstoves are not that economical anymore. “They don’t burn very clean, they don’t burn very hot so the newer appliances burn wood at a higher temperature and reduce the amount of particulate smoke that can fill a neighbourhood and it’s much healthier for us not to be burning this fine particulate.”
Residents in Prince George and the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George are eligible.
They can receive a $500 rebate and an additional $130 more for those who need a Heating Unit Permit.
Twenty-seven old woodstoves were removed from the PG Airshed last year.