Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program

The Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program offers rebates to residents who replace uncertified, high-emission wood stoves with cleaner alternatives, including:  

• heat pumps 
• electric or pellet stoves 
• certified cleaner-burning wood stoves 

 

 

Eligibility  

Applications for this program are accepted from January 1, 2025, through December 14, 2025. For a complete list of program details, see the Green Building Program Terms and Conditions. 

Eligible Applicants  

To be eligible for this program, applicants must:  

• Live in an RDN Electoral Area, City of Parksville, Town of Qualicum Beach or the District of Lantzville, or on First Nation Reserve Land within the boundaries of the RDN
• Complete a mandatory Provincial Survey  

It is also recommended that applicants complete an online wood smoke education course to learn ways to minimize the negative health impacts  of wood-burning.  

Residents of the City of Nanaimo must apply directly to the City of Nanaimo.  

Eligible Appliances and Installations  

To be eligible for this program, new appliances must be purchased from a participating retailer. Installation requirements include:  

• For heat pump installations: the installer must be a licensed residential heating and cooling contractor, listed with CleanBC and registered with AHRI (see the Participating Retailer list) 
• For wood stove installations: to be installed by a retailer or, if completed by the resident, you must submit before and after photos along with a WETT Inspection for the newly listed appliance 

Existing wood stoves must be dismantled, rendered inoperable and brought to a local landfill or transfer station. 

Electoral Area residents installing a heat pump may keep an existing certified wood stove for backup heating during power outages. To qualify, participants must complete a mandatory Provincial Survey and commit to a Clean Burning Pledge. The wood stove must operable and verified as EPA/CSA certified. 

Rebate Amounts

New Device Type​​ (Exchange from Qualifying Uncertified Wood Burning Device​)	Electoral Areas and Member Municipalities	First Nation Communities
Electric Heat Pump Must meet the criteria for CleanBC’s Home Renovation Rebate and Efficiency BC Program	$1,500	$3,000
Pellet Stove EPA or CSA B415.1 Compliant Pellet Stove	$1,000	$2,000
Certified Wood-Burning Stove EPA or CSA B415.1 Compliant Wood Stove	$600	$1,200
Electric Insert Replacing existing non-EPA certified or an older certified wood-burning stove (pre-2015) wood stove	$400	$400

 

Application Process  

Before you begin this process, please note that most insurance companies require notification if you are installing a new heating appliance. Notifying them is your responsibility. The value of the rebate cannot exceed the value of the appliance.  

Require Documents  

To apply for this rebate, you must have:  

• Voucher form, filled out and signed by the retailer 
• Paid invoice, showing that the installation and disposal have been completed 
• For residents completing the wood stove disposal themselves:
  • a disposal receipt is required  
  • a compliant WETT inspection is required 
• Completed mandatory Provincial Survey 
• Electoral Area residents installing a heat pump and keeping their old certified wood stoves must complete the Clean Burning Pledge 

Step One: Qualify  

To qualify, you must have a non-EPA certified wood stove to exchange, an older certified wood stove (pre-2015) to exchange, or be an Electoral Area resident purchasing a new electric heat pump and participating in the pilot program to keep your EPA certified wood stove. Non-EPA woods stoves:  

• Were typically installed before 1994 
• Usually don’t have glass windows  
• Won’t have an EPA label on the back 

The stove must be in use currently, you must live in one of the qualifying areas and you must be replacing the wood stove in a residence you own.  

Step Two: Visit a Participating Retailer  

Only appliances purchased through a participating retailer are eligible for rebates. The participating retailers will help you find a cleaner home heating option.  

If you are a retailer who is interested in becoming part of this program, contact us at: sustainability [at] rdn.bc.ca (sustainability[at]rdn[dot]bc[dot]ca).  

Step Three: Get your Voucher Form  

When you buy your new appliance, the Participating Retailer will supply you with a completed rebate voucher form (digital or printed). It is your responsibility to ensure that the retailer has completed the form in full and that you have reviewed the form to see what supporting documents you need to supply to the RDN when you submit the voucher form. 

Step Four: Decommission your wood stove 

Your old wood stove must be destroyed to receive the rebate. Electoral Area residents keeping an existing certified wood stove must receive approval from the Participating Retailer that the existing appliance qualifies and photo proof is required. 

• If your supplier disposes of your stove, they must indicate this on the invoice. 
• If you handle disposal, you must dispose of the stove at an RDN facility and obtain a receipt for the disposal. 
• If you are an Electoral Area resident opting to keep your existing EPA/CSA-certified wood stove to use in specific conditions, you must provide photo proof of the certification (i.e. the label on the back of the stove) with your application. 

You may dispose of your wood stove at:  

• RDN Landfill: 1105 Cedar Road, Nanaimo, Phone: 250-722-2044 
• RDN Church Road Transfer Station: 860 Church Road, Parksville, Phone: 250-248-5254 

Step Five: Apply  

You may apply online or by submitting the required documents to the RDN by email, mail or in person.  

Please allow up to 6 weeks for processing and delivery of your rebate cheque.
 

If you would like to apply by email, mail or in person, you can submit your documents to:  

• Email: sustainability [at] rdn.bc.ca
• Mail or in-person drop off: 

Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program
c/o Sustainability Coordinator
6300 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo, B.C. V9T 6N2

Resources

• Program Brochure  

If you are going to keep using wood heat, make sure you know how to minimize wood smoke pollution so you protect your family and your neighbourhood. It is recommended that you take the Wood Smoke Course below.

Wood Smoke Course - The Wood Smoke Course is a new, interactive learning tool designed to teach the owners and operators of wood stoves how to burn cleanly and efficiently and explain the benefits of doing so.

Check out these additional resources to learn more about wood smoke and why changing out your old wood stove is so important for protecting the health of your family and your neighbourhood.

• Health Canada information on Wood Smoke (website)
• Guide to Residential Wood Heating from Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (pdf)

Helpful Videos: 

• Wood Seasoning
• Smoke and Your Health
• 5 Rules for efficient burning
• How to identify what type of stove you have Wood Smoke: Tips for a Cleaner Burn