State wants to regulate wood boilers

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Outside wood boilers are efficient ways to heat your home, but state officials say they are also big polluters, and now the state wants to regulate these boilers.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is proposing new regulation on outdoor wood boilers. The purpose of the regulation, to keep the air clean.

Outdoor wood boilers are said to be highly efficient ways to heat your home.

"I was burning about 10 cords of wood in the woodstove and only heating half the house, and I was still burning oil. Now, I'm burning 9 cords and heating the whole house," said Scott Wright.

State officials say some older boilers are more efficient polluters than traditional wood stoves because they don't burn contaminants at high temperatures

RI DEM Director, W. Michael Sullivan said, "I think the outdoor wood boiler, poorly run, low temperature, they are more of a risk to human health."

W. Michael Sullivan wants to keep the older models of these boilers out of the state.

"How we can do that is by specifying performance standards that the U.S. EPA describes," said Sullivan.

Sullivan said the new EPA guidlines will force a cleaner burn and exhaust and therefore fewer health problems. Additional legislation in the works, could regulate where a stove could be installed and the height of the stack pipes.

The goal of that regulation is the same, to keep the air clean.

Scott Wright said he's invested a lot of money in his boiler, but he listens to his neighbors.

"We're trying to work with everybody. We have a day care across the street. I go over there often and ask them if I'm bothering them.They say no problem," said Wright.