Senate Nears Approval Of New Rules For Outdoor Wood-Burning Furnaces

May 22, 2012 | The measure also gives local health directors and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection the power to investigate complaints that wood-burning furnaces are violating state air pollution standards. Outdoor wood-fire furnaces are used across the state by farmers and homeowners as hot water heaters and for other reasons. "People burn clothes, they burn sneakers, they burn lots of trash," he said. Air pollution from a wood-fired furnaces is worse in summer months. However, some of those furnaces, particularly older ones, have caused air-quality issues for neighbors. If the furnaces are found to be in violation, the authorities can shut them down from May 1 to Sept. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford and co-chair of the environment committee, said he heard testimony during a public hearing earlier this year that some homeowners use all sorts of items as fuel. "They burn anything they're trying to get rid of and it makes the smoke that much more odious. Read more »

Make clean air a priority

May 22, 2012 | 20-21** A wood furnace sits outside a lumber mill in East Chatham, NY, Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. As outdoor wood furnaces catch on with homeowners looking to escape high heating bills, they're running afoul with more town and village officials worried

Burn Ban Is On (Again)

May 22, 2012 | The only exception is if a wood stove is a home's only adequate source of heat. • No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimneys. • Burn ban violations are subject to a

Gadgets and gifts for handy people

May 22, 2012 | outside walls, and my clothes in another room's closet (on an outside wall) are showing moldy white spots all over them, especially on the dark colors. I do not have a basement. I have a gas furnace and I am a senior living alone, and I need help.