Residential Wood Burning Appliance Laboratory Proficiency Test Program

This page provides information related to the EPA's residential wood heater laboratory proficiency test program.

Update:

April 5, 2021 -- EPA is committed to ensuring that new wood stoves and other wood burning devices comply with Clean Air Act standards to reduce health-harming pollution.  In light of information from states and other stakeholders provided in late 2020 and early 2021, the agency is taking a number of actions to address concerns about the methods and manner in which new wood stoves are being tested for compliance with the 2015 New Source Performance Standards under the Clean Air Act.

These actions will take time and continued engagement with stakeholders. Given the concerns raised, EPA is carefully reviewing both current and new Certifications of Compliance and will take actions as appropriate.  For more info, please visit https://www.epa.gov/burnwise/epa-approved-test-labs-and-third-party-certifiers-residential-wood-heaters

• 2023-2024 Proficiency Test Protocol (pdf) (167.58 KB, December 2022)
  This document provides the 2023-2024 updated framework, superseding the 2020-2021 document, informing a Proficiency Test Provider how an EPA Approved Wood Burning Appliance Test Lab Proficiency Test program is to be conducted. It includes detailed direction so that Proficiency Test Providers working independently will provide like data to EPA for evaluation.
• Results of the 2020-2022 Wood Heater Laboratory Proficiency Test Program (pdf) (695.48 KB, 08/30/2022)
• 2020 & 2021 EPA Wood Burning Appliance Test Laboratory Proficiency Test Protocol (pdf) (177.16 KB)
  This document provides a 2020-2021 updated framework, superceding the 2018-2019 framework, informing a Proficiency Test Provider how an EPA Approved Wood Burning Appliance Test Lab Proficiency Test program is to be conducted. It includes detailed direction such that Proficiency Test Providers working independently will provide like data to EPA for evaluation.
• Results of 2018-2019 Wood Heater Laboratory Proficiency Test Program (pdf) (333.95 KB, June 30, 2019)
  This document is the 2018-2019 results of the residential wood heater laboratory proficiency test program. This is a requirement for laboratories to remain on the EPA list of accredited residential wood heater testing laboratories.
• 2018-2019 EPA Wood Burning Appliance Test Laboratory Proficiency Test Protocol (pdf) (396.9 KB, January 31, 2019)
  This document provides the original 2019-2019 framework, informing a Proficiency Test Provider how an EPA Approved Wood Burning Appliance Test Lab Proficiency Test program is to be conducted including detailed direction such that PT providers working independently will provide like data to EPA for evaluation. This 2018-2019 framework is superceded by the 2020-2021 updated framework.
• Proficiency Test Providers (pdf) (256.13 KB, January 30, 2018)
  A list of proficiency test providers for labs that do emissions testing on wood heaters for compliance with the NSPS.