IFPopular Woodstove Replacement Program Back for Limited Time

Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County, CA – In response to popular demand, Mono County and Mammoth Lakes officials announce the return of the Woodstove Replacement Program for property owners who want to upgrade from wood-burning stoves and fireplaces to cleaner and more efficient heating systems.

Following an agreement in early 2014 between the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Air District Board-member agencies received settlement funds allocated on a per capita basis to pay for air pollution prevention programs across their districts. With several hundred thousand dollars between them, officials from the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County chose to spend their funds on reducing wood smoke emissions from wood-burning heating systems throughout the region.

Similar to the Air District’s recent CAPP-funded woodstove replacement program, funding will be provided to local retailers who are contracted by qualified property owners to provide and install the new systems. Shared costs will be required from property owners, with amounts dependent on the new system and installation requirements.

To qualify for program participation, an existing wood-burning system (woodstove or open fireplace) must be a building’s primary heat source, it must be located within Mammoth Lakes or Mono County, and it must fall under one of several qualifying categories:

Within Mammoth Lakes:  For properties purchased in 1990 or earlier* with owners who want to replace pre-1990 wood burning systems, $1,500 may be available toward the cost of a new EPA Phase II wood-burning system, or $2,000 toward a new EPA certified pellet stove or gas heating system. Documented proof of property purchase date is required.

Newly purchased properties within Mammoth Lakes:  For properties required to replace an old, noncompliant wood-burning system by Town Code §8.30.050, and changed title within last few months, $500 may be available toward a new pellet or gas heating system. Documented proof of property purchase date and submittal of building permit is required. New woodstoves are excluded from this offering. 

Within Mono County, excluding Mammoth Lakes:  For pre-1990 wood burning stoves and open fireplaces (not EPA compliant), $1,500 may be available toward a new EPA Phase II wood-burning stove or fireplace, or $2,000 toward a new pellet stove or gas system.

Within Mammoth Lakes and Mono County:  For woodstoves currently being used which are newer than 1990 (EPA Phase I or II-certified stoves, excluding pellet stoves), $2,000 may be available toward a new, cleaner-burning pellet stove or gas heating system. This amount applies to replacing post-1990 woodstoves with pellet or gas (propane or kerosene) systems only.

*Mammoth Lakes properties that were purchased or changed ownership after 1990, and not upgraded to EPA certified heating systems (Phase I or Phase II) as required by Town Municipal Code 8.30, do not qualify for funding under this program.

All replaced stoves must also be freely relinquished to the retailer during new installation, and open fireplaces must be rendered inoperable. See accompanying illustration for identification of EPA certified stoves.

This program is open to public participation through local participating retailers only on a ‘first come, first served’ basis until allocated funds are exhausted, and qualified payments for new systems will only be made to participating retailers.

All interested Mammoth Lakes and Mono County property owners are encouraged to immediately contact one of the participating retailers serving the area:  Alpine Stove & Mercantile (760/934-4416); Angelo’s Stove & Chimney (760/937-0860), Clean Sweep (760/934-3453); High Country Lumber (760/924-2720); Manor True Value Hardware for Mono County only (760/873-3106), and Batchelder Enterprises for kerosene heating systems (760/873-3800).   

For additional program information, please call 760/914-0388 or email  HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected]

HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE AN EPA CERTIFIED WOODSTOVE:  All woodstoves manufactured in the United States after July 1, 1988 are certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be clean-burning. A label on the back of these woodstoves bears the name of the EPA with installation date information.

Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading