| Traditional outdoor wood burning boilers/furnaces | | | | smoke. |
| are often substantially dirtier and less efficient | | | | The method used to accomplish this feat is wood |
| than other home heating devices. The smoldering | | | | gasification. The process of wood gasification has |
| fires and short smokestacks of outdoor furnaces | | | | been around since the 50's, but this is the first |
| can create heavy smoke close to the ground | | | | time it's been successfully adapted to small scale |
| where people are more likely to inhale the | | | | use. |
| particulate filled smoke. Repeated breathing can | | | | Wood gasification produces a firebox temperature |
| result in respiratory problems and the worsening | | | | of around 2000 degrees F. This is 800 degrees |
| of existing conditions. | | | | hotter than older models and accounts for the |
| Although these units are designed to burn dry, | | | | higher efficiency and equally lower emissions. |
| seasoned wood, some people use them to burn | | | | As I mentioned earlier, the new EPA emission |
| green wood, which is less efficient and generates | | | | standards are voluntary. However, if you want to |
| much more smoke. Others burn household trash | | | | install an outdoor furnace in Maine, Vermont, |
| or construction debris releasing harmful chemicals | | | | Washington, and some Canadian Provinces, the |
| into the air. Not only is this practice unsafe, it's | | | | standard is mandatory. Each state and local |
| often illegal. | | | | regulating agency will continue to have the |
| In an effort to control the pollution associated | | | | authority to determine if the use of outdoor |
| with traditional outdoor wood burners, the EPA | | | | wood burning furnaces in their areas is |
| has initiated a voluntary incentive program for | | | | appropriate. |
| manufacturers to clean up their act. The new | | | | Homeowners can distinguish the cleaner and more |
| emission standard set by the EPA is 0.60 lbs of | | | | efficient models by the descriptive orange colored |
| particulate per 1 Million Btu of heat input. This is a | | | | hang tags that show the unit meets EPA's |
| reduction of 66% compared to the average 1.8 | | | | voluntary program performance levels. By buying |
| lbs of particulate per 1MM Btu emitted by older | | | | a wood gasification unit, outdoor furnace |
| model outdoor furnaces. | | | | consumers will not only have a cleaner, less |
| In response to the new EPA standards, outdoor | | | | polluting furnace than current models, but also |
| furnace manufacturers have transformed | | | | reduce fuel consumption and heating costs by |
| formerly smoky, inefficient furnaces into 87% | | | | 20-30%. |
| efficient heating plants that emit virtually no | | | | |