MWHPBA REPRESENTS MEMBERS' INTERESTS AT THE $1.9 MILLION CHANGEOUT MEETING

Representatives from the Midwest Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (MWHPBA), Heath, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), and Hoosier Energy recently gathered in Indianapolis, IN to discuss the Southern Indiana Wood Stove Changeout sponsored by Hoosier Energy.  This changeout is a result of a settlement between EPA and Hoosier Energy.  Hoosier Energy will spend $5 million on environmental mitigation projects in its service territory to address the impacts of past emissions, $1.9 million of which will be allocated to the Southern Indiana Wood Stove Changeout.  This changeout will be the largest program of its type EPA has every initiated.  The challenge to the hearth industry is that this changeout will be administered unlike any prior changeout, including the Northern Indiana one. [FULL ARTICLE]

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Hoosier Energy will sponsor a Wood Burning Appliance & Inefficient HVAC Retrofit & Replacement Program among its member systems’ consumers.  The objective of the program will be to mitigate fine particulate matter and harmful air pollution by paying an incentive to replace or retrofit non-EPA certified wood or coal burning appliances, non-qualified outdoor hydronic heater/wood boiler systems and inefficient heating and cooling systems with more efficient and cleaner burning appliances (e.g. gas, pellet, or EPA certified wood stoves) or Energy Star-certified geothermal, air-to-air, or duel fuel heat pumps.

Priority will be placed on the replacements in the following counties listed as PM2.5 non-attainment under the Indiana State Implementation Plans and counties close to non-attainment.

PROGRAM INCENTIVES
The program incentive will begin with an income based incentive program only for the first two years of the program.  (Meaning at or below 200% of poverty level until 2014.) 

Rebate recipients may be eligible for only one of the following for replacement:

All old hydronic heaters and wood stoves must be removed from the premises.  Doors must be removed and disposed of separately from the appliance and the appliance must be transferred to a program-approved recycling facility.

HOW OUR MEMBERS CAN BECOME INVOLVED?

PROPOSED SCHEDULE
The IHCDA has already begun implementing this program internally by informing their CAAs of the program and identifying households in need of assistance.  The program will run until January 1, 2014.  At that time, EPA and Hoosier Energy will review the progress of the changeout and will decide at that point whether to continue to offer the incentives to only low-income households or to open the program up to all Hoosier Energy customers.