The Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) is partnering with the American Lung Association and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) to provide up to $5,000 in instant rebates to Porter County residents who change out or retrofit their older, high-emissions wood burning boilers, stoves and fireplaces with more efficient appliances.

The Northern Indiana Wood Stove Changeout Program was designed to help improve air quality and reduce pollution by encouraging adoption of cleaner-burning appliances, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

Residents of Porter, Lake, LaPorte, Allen, Elkhart, Starke, and St. Joseph counties are eligible to receive this voucher, and can work with local participating retailers to find and install the best-suited appliance or retrofit for their homes.

“Older, wood-burning appliances release more particulate air emissions and cause more air pollution,” said Kelly Carmichael, director of environmental policy for NIPSCO. “By helping connect residents with more efficient technologies, this program not only helps improve air quality in the home, but it also has a positive effect on neighbors and the larger community.”

Two types of vouchers are available through the program:

•The General Residential Voucher provides credits of up to $5,000 depending on the type of heating appliance installed and is administered by the American Lung Association.

•The Income-Qualified Voucher provides credits of up to $4,000 towards a new heating appliance and is administered with the help of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). Eligible households for the Income Qualified Voucher are within 150 percent of the poverty level or currently receive assistance from food stamps, medical assistance, the Women, Infants, and Children’s Program or income-qualified home energy assistance programs.

The American Lung Association has managed similar changeout programs in other areas.

“We recently completed a large project like this one in Western Massachusetts where over 150 families received vouchers for cleaner burning stoves,” said Alison Martin, executive director of the American Lung Association in Indiana. “The community response to that program was overwhelming and we hope to see the same kind of enthusiastic response in these communities.”

More information, including a list of qualifying products and participating retailers, can be found at www.NIPSCO.com/WoodStoveChangeout

The Northern Indiana Wood Stove Changeout Program is effective through June 30, 2013 or until funds are exhausted.

This program is one of several Environmental Mitigation Projects which are a part of a consent decree between Northern Indiana Public Service Company, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Posted 11/28/2012