Updating Wood Heater Rules

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing standards to limit the amount of pollution that future wood heaters can emit. These standards, which were last updated in 1988, reflect the significantly improved technology that is now available to make a range of models cleaner burning and more efficient. The new rules will provide important health benefits to communities across the country and will be phased in during a five-year period, giving manufacturers time to adapt their product lines to develop the best next-generation models to meet these new standards.

It will not affect current heaters already in use in homes. It also does not replace state or local requirements governing wood heater use. Instead, it ensures that consumers buying wood heaters anywhere in the United States in the future will be able to choose from cleaner-burning models.

Wood heaters can increase particle pollution, sometimes called soot, to levels that pose serious health concerns. Particle pollution is linked to a wide range of serious health effects, including heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks. People with heart, vascular or lung disease, older adults and children are the most at risk from particle pollution exposure. Smoke from wood heaters also includes volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and air toxics. EPA’s updated standards will build on the work that states and local communities have done to improve air quality in these communities and are based on significant improvements in technology. 

Emissions from new models will be reduced by roughly two-thirds, improving air quality and providing between $3.4 billion and $7.6 billion in public health benefits. This means that for every dollar spent to bring cleaner heaters to market, the American public will see between $74 and $165 in health benefits.

Consumers purchasing new models will also benefit from efficiency improvements, which means they will use less wood to heat their homes. Consumers can play an important role in cutting pollution by following the guidelines in their owner’s manuals and following best burning practices available on EPA’s website.

More information at epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters.