INDIANAPOLIS – After five years of intense debate and discussion, the state’s first rule regulating outdoor wood boilers got initial approval Wednesday from the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board.

Another public comment period is planned for October, with possible final adoption in February. The rule wouldn’t take effect until mid-2011.

Almost 8,000 outdoor wood boilers – also known as hydronic heaters – dot the Indiana landscape, providing a cheaper alternative for heating homes and water. But state environmental officials said they also bring health hazards and can be a nuisance for nearby neighbors.

More than 700 comments on the rule have poured into state offices this year alone.

During Wednesday’s public hearing, people spoke both for and against the rule, calling it either too harsh or too lenient.

“This seems more like embracing than regulating,” said James Donnelly of LaPorte. He said his family has not been able to enjoy their home since their neighbor installed his own heater.

Outdoor wood boilers consist of a firebox near a house. Some sit inside a shed-like structure, while newer units can stand alone.

Wood is burned 24 hours a day and is used to heat both the water and home through pipes that run below ground to the house. The boiler can also be used to heat other buildings, swimming pools and hot tubs.

For Hoosiers with an abundant wood supply, the cost savings can be significant. But state air-quality officials said the devices can emit enough particulate matter to exceed public health standards. This can have short-term and long-term health effects on residents – especially children, older adults and those with asthma or other breathing difficulties.

Frank Moore, president of Hardy Manufacturing Co. in Mississippi, which makes the boilers, said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management should wait until federal standards are issued. He said the rules could increase the cost of the heaters and put them out of reach for many consumers.

“I think we need to take this one step at a time,” he said.

There are three major provisions to the rule. Two of them would become effective when the rule does next year if it is given final approval.

The first limits emissions by requiring that new units bought or installed be certified through the federal Voluntary Outdoor Hydronic Heater program. Cost increase can be $3,500 a unit, according to IDEM.

The second requires a higher stack on existing units so that smoke can clear neighboring homes within 150 feet. Essentially, the stack has to be 5 feet higher than the peak of the roof of the nearby occupied building. But there is a maximum stack height of 22 feet.

This part of the rule would have a compliance date of Aug. 31, 2011.

The third is a summertime ban on operating existing units if they are within 300 feet of an occupied building on neighboring land.

The ban runs from June 1 to Aug. 31 – a time when neighbors often have windows open or children play outside.

nkelly@jg.net