Jøtul North America and North American dealers cut wood stove emissions by 87% with changeout program

$14,500 donated to American Lung Association through national woodstove changeout

GORHAM, Maine – This summer, Jøtul North America (Jøtul NA) partnered with wood stove dealers in a national woodstove changeout program. Dealers across North America participated to encourage consumers to trade out older wood stoves for newer, cleaner burning models.

1,406 stoves were exchanged during the program, for a reduction in emissions of nearly 44.4 million grams (48.9 tons) per year*, based on an average burning time of 12 hours per day for 100 days per year. Older wood stoves can emit 30 grams of smoke per hour. Newer Jøtul models emit around 3.7 grams per hour. The result of the program is cleaner air and healthier communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

In an added effort toward cleaner air, Jøtul NA will donate $10 for every stove exchanged through the program to the American Lung Association on behalf of participating dealers. The total amount to be donated is $14,500.

This was the first manufacturer-led national changeout program encouraging wood stove users to replace older models with more environmentally friendly options. Customers were offered a $300 credit toward an EPA-certified Jøtul model when dropping off their old wood stoves. Exchanged stoves were rendered unusable and recycled.

*Calculations were done utilizing generally accepted emissions values for conventional stoves and EPA certification values. While it is well accepted that EPA certified stoves emit significantly less particulate emissions than conventional stoves, there is disagreement as to actually how they perform in the field relative to the lab certified values. Actual real world performance for both types can be affected by fuel quality and operator habits.

About Jøtul North America:

The company was founded in Maine in 1980. The parent company, Jøtul AS, was founded in Norway in 1853; Jøtul stoves have been imported in the U.S. since the early 1970’s.

In the mid-1980s Jøtul North America was a pioneer in the gas hearth products market in the U.S. with its freestanding gas room heater. In 1998, Jøtul North America's Maine facility began the final assembly of the product line of gas room heaters distributed by the parent company. In addition Jøtul North America is responsible for the design and manufacturing of multiple gas products and sells over 30,000 wood and gas units annually.  During January 2006, an acquisition solidified Jøtul's position as a leading global hearth products player within the stove, insert and fireplace industry. Jøtul's Norwegian parent, Jøtul AS, completed the acquisition of SCAN (Denmark), a leading manufacturer of contemporary stoves, inserts and fireplaces. The current face of Jøtul includes a full spectrum of high-end stoves and fireplaces, from the steadfast, often-mimicked traditional Norwegian cast iron designs to cutting edge contemporary units, all constructed with a keen eye on quality craftsmanship and maximum efficiency through Jøtul's clean burn technology.

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Emily Broadbent, gBritt PR

207-775-2126

emily@gbritt.com

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