Chronology of Wood Heat

1906: The National Fire Protection Association first develops standards for clearances between wood stoves and combustible walls, floors and ceilings. 1

1906: Sam Daniels begins marketing the first widely used hot air wood furnace in the US.

1927: Heatilator patents the first air-circulating fireplace.

1929: During Great Depression, corn becomes a popular heating fuel, particularly in the Midwest, when corn was nearly worthless.

1940: 22.7% of homes in the US use wood as a primary heat source.

1972: Eva Horton, of Norwegian descent, starts importing Jotul Stoves.

1973: Oil embargo begins, and sales of wood stoves soar. Before the embargo, only 0.9% of homes in the US used wood as a primary heat source.

1973: Pellet stove is invented in Washington State but production doesn't begin until the early 1980s.

1974: Reawakening of wood burning in the US following the oil crisis.

1976: The Wood Energy Institute (WEI) was formed and held its first meeting in Howard Johnsona's in Cambridge, MA.

1976: The wood stove insert hit the market.

1978: The Fireplace Institute hires Auburn University to test the performance rating of "woodburning fireplace stoves."

1979: Vermont Castings makes the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies, doubling in size each year, and bringing in up to $29 million a year (in 1979 dollars).

1979: Three Mile Island nuclear accident sends wood stove sales sharply up again.

1980: 55% of all wood removals in the US were consumed for fuel purposes (both industrial and residential) 2

1980: The Wood Heating Alliance, the predecessor of the HPBA, was formed.

1980: Richard Wright published the first issue of "Wood 'n Energy" and in 1989 changes its name to "Hearth & Home."

Nearly 2 million stoves and inserts were sold annually in the early 1980s.

1981: 8.2% of homes in the US use wood as a primary heat source. One fourth of all households nationwide burn wood, and one half of rural Americans burn wood, according to a study by the US Forest Service.

1982: Wood stove sales climb to over 1.5 million per year and approximately 450 wood stove manufacturers sprout up around the US.

1983: The first residential pellet stove is introduced on the US market.

1983: Consumer Product Safety Commission requires stove manufacturers to provide a safety-related label.

1983: Studies by Jay Shelton and Paul Tiegs show adapting the catalyst from automobiles successfully reduced pollutants in wood stoves.

1986: Oregon bans the sale of the most polluting stoves, and other states begin to follow suit.

1986: NRDC and New York State threaten to sue the EPA for failing to keep the country's air clear of wood smoke.

1988: EPA Phase I emission standards enforced, requiring stoves to be manufactured to emit less than 8.5 grams per hour. (316 models pass muster)

1990: EPA Phase II emission standards enforced, requiring stoves to be manufactured to emit less than 7.5 grams per hour. (134 models pass muster)

1990s: After the EPA standards, hundreds of wood stove manufacturers close down. Of the approximately 500 manufacturers prior to the EPA regulation, only about 100 remained. 3

1991: The Gulf War causes another oil shock and wood stoves become popular again.

The Wood Heat Association (WHA) changes its name to the Hearth Products Association (HPA).

1992: All new stoves sold must meet Phase II standards. From a high of about 450, only about 50 stove manufacturers are left making EPA certified stoves.

1993: Catalytic stoves become very popular during initial period of EPA standard enforcement, but customer dissatisfaction quickly put a damper on that and spurred cleaner designs of non-catalytic stoves.

1993: Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) established.

1995: Washington State requires all stoves sold in the state emit no more than 4.5 grams per hour.

1998: Masonry Heater Association establishes a rigorous heater-mason certification program in the US.

1999: The Y2K scare spurs another brief rise in wood stove sales.