Outdoor wood burner regulations heating up
Homeowners purchasing new outdoor wood-burning broilers to heat their abodes will have a hard time finding them in local hardware stores, especially after the federal Environmental Protection Agency put new regulations in place on manufacturers in February.
The heaters are now required to have 90 percent burning efficiency, putting an increased premium on the units, which usually cost between $7,000 and $11,000. Among the dozens of hardware stores in Washington County, only two specialty retailers in Hopewell Township were found to regularly stock and sell them: Richard Fraer, on Farrar School Road, and R.I.S. Heating, on Jefferson Avenue.
“We’ve been in business since 2003. We sell about 75 a year, mostly to rural customers,” said Trudi Rush, owner of R.I.S. Heating, “and we had a lull period around February from our manufacturers because they had to catch up building new models that meet federal regulations.”
“The old-style burners, which operate at 75 percent efficiency, are still allowed in commercial and business settings under the new EPA regulations, and residential consumers who had them before 2015 can still operate them as they’ve been grandfathered in,” she said.
Michael Hixenbaugh, of Jefferson Avenue, said he bought an old-style oil and wood hybrid burner in 2002 for nearly $7,000, but purchased an additional one from R.I.S. recently to heat his farmhouse because the old one wasn’t efficient enough.
“This second one, just a wood burner, cost around $8,500. I’ve got a lot of space, so I needed it. But I was using electric heat before; that plus kerosene heaters dotted around the house, my bills were killing me,” he said.
The smallest and cheapest models can heat 500 to 3,500 square feet, according to Rush, while the largest and most expensive units can heat up to 15,000 square feet.
The choice to purchase an outdoor heater is an investment, according to Rush, who said that as most rural gas or electric heating bills for mid- to large-sized homes average $2,500 annually, the return on investment comes after about four years.
“Whether the old-style or the new burners, these things last over 20 years. This is a long-term solution for people who have access to wood,” she said.
Russ Crupe, of Hopewell, said the cost of propane was the driving factor in his purchase of a large, $11,000 broiler to heat his home.
“I was spending around $700 a month for propane. No way,” he said.
Roy Miller, of Farrar School Road, was the early adopter in Hopewell, purchasing a dual-fuel heater from a company in Maryland in 2002.
“The Rushes actually came over to check this thing out, and that’s what kicked off their business. But I like this unit because it’s hooked up to heat my driveway to melt ice, it’s hooked up to heat the pool, and it provides a nice, even heat in the house. Regular gas furnaces have an irregular temperature variance,” Miller said.
But some municipalities have choked out the flames for those hoping to heat their homes with the outdoor heaters. South Strabane Township allows them only in agricultural areas.
“In 2009, the supervisors adopted an outdoor fuel burning ordinance. They voted to not allow it any residential areas because of the density of homes,” said South Strabane manager John Stickle.
Other municipalities are stoking the fires.
Hanover Township just passed a largely hands-off ordinance Aug. 20.
“Hanover had nothing on the books, and people were using them anyway. So after a couple of complaints, the township got up to date regarding state and federal law,” said solicitor Dennis Makel.
Some of the regulations require a stack or chimney structure to be at least 10 feet from the ground, and that the heater be at least 150 feet from any occupied dwelling on neighboring properties, and 50 feet from any property line. Hanover Township residents can install and use new-style, high-effeciency heaters as of Oct. 1, according to the ordinance. Fines start at $100 for infractions.
Makel said a majority of the nearly 20 townships he represents don’t have prohibitive ordinances on outdoor wood heaters, allowing homeowners to fall back on EPA regulations. The basic regulations require the burning of clean wood or wood pellets, and not alternative fuel sources.