New Rebates Make Healthier Home Heating More Affordable

More rebates on replacing old wood burning stoves with cleaner options are rolling out.

“Burning wood is one of the largest air-pollution sources affecting B.C. communities, and switching to healthier, clean-heat sources can save people money by heating homes more effectively,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

“By increasing the amount available for rebates, we’re helping more people breathe healthier air in their homes and in their communities.”

Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman says burning wood is one of the largest air-pollution sources affecting B.C. communities, and switching to healthier, cleaner heat sources can also save people.

In partnership with the BC Lung Foundation, the Government of B.C. will provide approximately $240,000 in rebates in 2024 through the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program, which will help replace approximately 470 wood stoves with cleaner alternatives, such as heat pumps or emissions-certified wood stoves, and provide educational materials for municipalities to share with residents.

This year, people in First Nations communities can get as much as $3,000 back for upgrading to a heat pump.

Rebates for heat pumps in other participating communities have doubled since last year up to $2,000, based on each community’s air-quality rating.
Since 2008, the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program has provided more than $4 million to replace more than 10,300 old stoves with cleaner heating options.

This year, the program will distribute $239,050, including $15,300 for “citizen science” projects, through the British Columbia Lung Foundation.
Depending on where they live and how much they earn, people in British Columbia can qualify for multiple rebates that will effectively cover most of the capital and installation costs for many heat pump configurations, especially in First Nation communities.

To see the full release, visit Government of British Columbia, and learn more about the program locally at Strathcona Regional District.