KEENE, N.H. — The wood stove was blazing in Rosemary Urato’s living room on Christmas Eve, giving off a hypnotic glow and only a hint of smoky smell. It is brand new and cleaner than its predecessor, which was dispatched to a scrapyard last month.
There it joined dozens of others — sooty Tempwoods and All Nighters, squat Vermont Castings and Fishers etched with pines — recently discarded by Keene residents. In return, the state gave the residents $1,000 toward the cost of a new stove that meets current emissions requirements.
“The old one was a little scary,” said Steve Perkins, Ms. Urato’s landlord.
A spin on the federal Cash for Clunkers program, which helped people trade gas guzzlers for more efficient vehicles, the program is a small step toward clearing the air in rural New England, a tradition-bound region that has clung to its wood stoves for sentimental reasons even as much of the country has declared them passé. It aims to replace 100 old stoves in Keene, population 23,000, by February.
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