Chat with the EPA Guy

Last week we had a couple drive down from Pennsylvania to purchase an electric fireplace. He was almost embarrassed to mention to me that he works for the EPA (Environmental Protection Association) and that he had shopped extensively at local stores for electric fireplaces and had not found a model that fit his needs. He wanted an electric fireplace because his job focuses on cleaning up the environment and he feels that wood smoke does a great deal of harm to the atmosphere.

He mentioned that in the valley where he lives, the air stagnates on some days and it is hard to breathe from the smoke that does not move around and dissipate properly. He related stories of being sent to homes where citizens burn trash in barrels in their yards, or have recreational fires in outdoor firepits, or use outdoor wood furnaces to heat their homes, and he asks these homeowners to consider how the smoke they produce affects neighbors with breathing problems miles away. He indicated that at the present time he can't tell them to cease burning fires that bother their neighbors but that this may change before long due to the government's quest to clean up our environment.

It was such an interesting opportunity for me! I got my start in the "hearth" industry selling wood stoves in 1979 as an alternative heating source for Americans who wanted an alternative to foreign oil; a home-grown American fuel that was a renewable energy source that would sustain us in the tough times ahead. Wood heat and its answers for a troubled American economy bring a sense of deja vu to these current times, but as this gentleman and I agreed, these times are different: we now also worry about our "carbon footprints" and how "green" a product is.

This fella was a really nice guy; his job is serving the public and he believes in what he's doing. So do the folks selling wood stoves, even if the two jobs seem at odds with each other. Our store chooses not to sell wood burning products simply because there are no models produced in the sizes that fit the niche of customers we sell to; if they WERE available then we would surely be offering them.

This gentleman indicated there may be tougher times ahead for the wood stove industry and for wood stove users. As Mike and I also burn wood at home, I am taking his advice to heart and would like to share the insight I gained from him, which is to be considerate of your neighbors when burning wood, because it's their complaints and concerns that may lead to bans on what we can burn in our home in the future. So here's my advice:

*Burn only dry, seasoned wood - this produces less smoke
*Try to avoid burning wood on days when there's little or no air moving
*Keep your chimney clean - this helps provide optimal draft and less smoke
*Burn hotter, smaller fires instead of trying to go for long, slow fires. Again, this produces less smoke
*Don't burn trash in your stove or fireplace. Don't burn trash in your yard, either.
*Retire your old wood stove and opt for a cleaner burning model - we don't even sell them so I have nothing to gain from telling you to replace it, except that your actions may help protect my ability to keep burning wood when I want to.

Remember that it's always easier to try and be a good neighbor on a voluntary basis than to be regulated by law and have your freedoms banned. The hearth industry is too small to fight the government to protect this freedom for you. While Victorian Fireplace thinks electric fireplaces are a great alternative for many people, we want you to have the option of buying what you want, even if it's something that we DON'T sell.
-Karen