Choosing the Right Hydronic Heater

 

 

Hydronic heater emissions are a significant concern in many local areas. Numerous scientific studies report potentially serious adverse health effects from breathing smoke emitted by residential wood combustion. Residential wood smoke contains fine particles, which can affect both the lungs and the heart. In some areas, residential wood smoke can be a significant source of exposure to fine particle pollution. Many local agencies have developed ordinances that ban or restrict the use of hydronic heaters, establish minimum distances to neighbors, and set minimum stack heights.

 

The Voluntary Hydronic Heater Program ended May 15, 2015.  This information is for historical purposes only.

EPA's Voluntary Hydronic Heater Partnership Program was first launched in 2007, providing a process for manufacturers to demonstrate models that were 70 percent cleaner than unqualified models. The program goal was to achieve early emission reductions, protecting public health sooner than a federal regulation. The program evolved to Phase 2, and EPA-qualified units were up to 90 percent cleaner than older, unqualified units.

Now that hydronic heaters are included in the New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) effective May 15, 2015, the Voluntary Hydronic Heater Program has sunset.

 

The list of certified hydronic heaters includes hydronic heaters formerly included in the voluntary program which meet Step 1, and in some cases, Step 2 of the 2015 NSPS. Some models in the voluntary program are not certified under the NSPS because they were tested with a pervious hydronic heater test method (M28 OWHH). The 2015 NSPS did provide a sell-through period for these models, allowing manufacturers and retailers to sell them until December 31, 2015. After this date, the models listed in the hydronic heater sell-through list can no longer be sold in the United States.