national residential wood combustion survey results...inserts pellet stoves (tons) cords pleasure/...

David Cooley, Jonathan Dorn, and Kait Siegel, Abt AssociatesRich Mason, U.S. EPA

U.S. EPA International Emissions Inventory ConferenceJuly 31, 2019

National Residential Wood Combustion Survey Results

Residential Wood Combustion in the NEI• Residential Wood Combustion (RWC) is a

significant source of air pollution– Approx. 6% of all primary particulate matter =<

2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) emissions in 2014

• Emissions estimation method uses survey data to estimate:

– Fraction of homes in each county that use wood-burning appliances

– Average amount of wood burned in each appliance

• 2014 NEI used data from Energy Information Administration’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey

2

2017 National Survey• 2017 NEI will use data from a national

survey supported by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM)

• Surveyed 21 states throughout the U.S.

• Mailed letters and follow-up post cards; survey conducted by web

• Stratified: more surveys sent to areas likely to burn wood

3

State# of

Responses# of Surveys

SentResponse Rate (%)

AR 68 2,992 2.27CO 90 2,625 3.43CT 140 4,310 3.25GA 91 4,976 1.83ID 42 1,737 2.42LA 33 2,113 1.56ME 223 5,184 4.30MA 215 6,781 3.17MI 237 7,418 3.19MO 113 5,083 2.22NH 150 3,529 4.25NJ 46 2,216 2.08NY 240 7,738 3.10NC 183 7,011 2.61OH 170 7,117 2.39PA 301 8,640 3.48RI 34 1,118 3.04UT 37 1,007 3.67VT 126 2,538 4.96WA 181 5,006 3.62WI 264 5,363 4.92

TOTAL 2,984 94,502 3.16

2017 National Survey

• Survey asked:– Whether respondent used a

particular type of wood-burning appliance

– How much wood they burn (cordwood, pellets, or wax logs)

– When and how often they burn– Age and model number of

appliance– Demographic data

4

Appliances included:• Conventional Fireplaces• Fireplace inserts• Woodstoves• Wood-fired furnaces• Wood-fired boilers• Pellet stoves• Outdoor recreational

equipment (e.g. fire pits)

Survey Results - Summary

5

Do not burn wood70.3%

Burn wood29.7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Conventional Fireplace

Fireplace with Insert

Woodstove

Pellet stove

Wood-burning Furnace

Wood-burning boiler

Outdoor fire rings/ chimeneas/ fire pits

Percentage of households that burn wood

Percentage of wood-burning households that use each appliance

Survey Results – Primary Use

6

Primary use of wood-burning appliances

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Conventional Fireplace

Fireplace with Insert

Woodstove

Pellet stove

Pleasure/aesthetics Supplemental heating Primary heating

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Wood-burningfurnace

Wood-burningboiler

Outdoor wood-burning fire pits,Chimeneas or

fire rings

Cor

ds

Weighted Average

Survey Results – Cords Burned

7

Average Cords Burned Per Appliance

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

ConventionalFireplaces

Woodstoves FireplaceInserts

Pellet stoves(tons)

Cor

ds

Pleasure/ aestheticsBack-up, room heating or supplemental heatingPrimary source of heatWeighted Average

Appliance Fractions and Burn Rates by County Type

8

0%5%

10%15%20%

ConventionalFireplace

Fireplace withInsert

Woodstove Pellet stove Wood-burningFurnace

Wood-burningboiler

Outdoor fire rings/chimeneas/ fire

pits

Hou

seho

lds

Urban Suburban Rural

02468




Wood-burningboiler


pits

Cor

ds/a

pplia

nce

Urban Suburban Rural

Survey Results – Natural Gas Access

9

0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%




Wood-burningboiler


pits

Hou

seho

lds

Natural Gas No Natural Gas

02468




Wood-burningboiler


pits

Cor

ds/a

pplia

nce

Natural Gas No Natural Gas

Survey Results – Type of Dwelling

10

0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%




Wood-burningboiler

Outdoor firerings/

chimeneas/fire pits

Hou

seho

lds

Detached single family home Attached single family home (e.g. townhome)

Duplex (two units) Multi-resident building (3-5 units)

Apartment (more than 5 units) Mobile home

Percent of Households Using Each Appliance by Type of Dwelling

Survey Results – Heating Degree Days

11

0

2

4

6

8

10

12




Wood-burningboiler

Outdoor firerings/

chimeneas/fire pits

Cor

ds/a

pplia

nce

0-10% 10-20% 20-30% 30-40% 40-50%

50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100%

Average Cords Burned Per Year by Heating Degree Day Bins

Warmest

Coldest

Survey Results – Comparison to Other Surveys

12

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%




Wood-burningboiler

Hou

seho

lds

Current Survey NEI 2014 Minnesota 2018 Portland 2014 Vermont 2014-2015

Percentage of Households Using Each Appliance Type: Comparison of Multiple Survey Results

Survey Results – Comparison to Other Surveys

13

Average Cords Burned per Appliance Type: Comparison of Multiple Survey Results

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Conventionalfireplace

Wood stoves Fireplaceinserts

Wood burningforced-airfurnaces

Wood boilers Outdoorrecreationalequipment

Cor

ds

Current Survey National Emissions Inventory 2014 Minnesota, 2014-2015

Comparing RWC NEI Emissions

14

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Fireplace

Outdoor recreational equipment

Wax firelogs

Catalytic Fireplace Inserts

Non-Catalytic Fireplace Inserts

Uncertified Fireplace Inserts

Catalytic Woodstoves

Non-Catalytic Woodstoves

Uncertified Woodstoves

Pellet Stoves

PM25-PRI Emissions (thousand tons)

2017 Draft 2014v2 NEI 2014 RWC Tool

0

50

100

150

200

250

2017 Draft 2014v2 NEI 2014 RWC Tool

PM25

-PRI

Em

issio

ns (t

hous

and

tons

)

By Appliance Total

Summary

15

• The survey represents the most comprehensive national assessment of wood-burning activity in the United States to date

• The most common wood-burning appliances—fireplaces and outdoor recreational equipment—have the lowest burn rates

• There are notable differences in urban, suburban, and rural burning, with wood-burning activity generally being more common in rural areas and areas with little natural gas access

• Results compared reasonably well to other state and local surveys

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national residential wood combustion survey results...inserts pellet stoves (tons) cords pleasure/...

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