On January 3, 2014, the EPA released the formal draft proposal of its revision of the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). This proposal includes changes to the certification process and to targets for wood stoves. It also brings all pellet stoves, wood furnaces, wood hydronic heaters, and masonry heaters into the EPA’s certification process.

The release of the proposal begins a formal public-comment period that will last for 90 days after the rule’s publication in the Federal Register. The EPA will consider the comments and then issue a final version of the rule, possibly in early 2015. The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) has been preparing for this moment for the past four years and will be filing extensive comments on all aspects of this proposal after thorough consultation with the manufacturers directly affected (on December 10, 2013, the full section of all manufacturers in the Wood and Pellet Section met to review the anticipated costs of these comments; the group also changed its name to the Solid Fuel Section).

Although the complete proposal package is more than 350 pages long, changes to the test methods and to the proposed targets are the key items. For wood stoves, as difficult as the suggested grams-per-hour changes might appear, the real challenges are found in proposed changes to the test methods (which are totally unsupported by data, in the EPA proposal).

In addition, the proposal sets very aggressive targets for both warm-air furnaces and hydronic heaters, along with a new (and unique) target for masonry heaters. The HPBA states that it will be counting on manufacturers to study these changes in detail (and not to assume that the detailed changes to the methods are inconsequential). The solid-fuel side of the industry is facing its most critical challenge in the past 25 years.

Manufacturers will be able to review this package together in their subsections, as well as at the Solid Fuel Section’s meeting at HPBExpo on March 5, 2014, in Salt Lake City, Utah. There will be a briefing for retailers and representatives on March 7 at HPBExpo. Contact John Crouch (crouch@hpba.org) with questions.