ST. JOHN'S - A provincial government program that will pay up to a quarter of the cost of wood pellet stoves will likely spur people to install the efficient heaters, says a local retailer.
The program allows any Newfoundland and Labrador homeowner who has a wood pellet stove or furnace installed by a qualified technician a 25 per cent rebate on the cost of purchasing a new wood pellet stove or furnace, up to a maximum of $1,000 for a wood pellet stove and $1,500 for a wood pellet furnace.
The rebate applies to furnaces and stoves bought between April 1, 2008 and Feb. 28, 2009. You also need proof of installation to receive the rebate.
The hope is that the rebate will help create a market for wood pellets, allowing sawmills in the province to diversify by producing the product.
The rebate is part of a $14-million injection to diversify the forestry industry announced by the government in April, which includes fostering the pellet industry.
Christine Hand, owner of Handy Man Home Hardware in C.B.S., said her business started stocking up on the stoves months ago, when it was announced that the province would likely go ahead with the rebate program.
"We had heard that they were going to approve it, it was just a matter of time, so we pre-bought a lot of pellet stoves," she said.
Hand said the stoves at her store cost about $2,000, plus about $200 for an installation kit. But the fuel efficiency and convenience is worth it, she said.
"You dump in a bag of pellets, and that lasts about a day and a half," said Hand, adding that the 70-pound bags cost about $7.
Hand said the only problem is that right now the pellets, made of compressed sawdust and wood shavings from sawmills, are currently being imported to Newfoundland from suppliers. She said she'd like to see pellet plants open in the province soon.
Hand, and anyone buying a pellet stove or furnace, may not have to wait long. The first pellet plant in this province, located in Cottlesville, is expected to produce pellets within weeks. Meanwhile, another plant at Bishop's Falls is in the development stage and is scheduled to begin producing early in the new year.
The guidelines and application form for the wood pellet appliance rebate are available on the government's website at www.nr.gov.nl.ca/nr/.
Provincial rebate program hopes to boost wood pellet stove sales
A provincial government program that will pay up to a quarter of the cost of wood pellet stoves will likely spur people to install the efficient heaters, says a local retailer. The program allows any Newfoundland and Labrador homeowner who has a wood pellet stove or furnace installed by a qualified technician a 25 per cent rebate on the cost of purchasing a new wood pellet stove or furnace, up to a maximum of $1,000 for a wood pellet stove and $1,500 for a wood pellet furnace.
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