
A movement to eliminate continuous pilots in gas fireplaces is underway.
In June, the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association submitted a proposal to the CSA Group — the entity that oversees ANSI standards — to amend the certification standards to make pilots obsolete on newly-manufactured vented gas fireplaces, fireplace inserts and freestanding stoves. These products are currently covered under codes Z21.50 and Z21.88.
Continuous pilot lights stop the flow of gas when no flame is present. However, trace amounts continue to flow, driving up energy costs. That’s why the Department of Energy last year proposed eliminating the feature from certain products altogether.
The HPBA established a taskforce to explore ways to comply.
“HPBA is always looking for ways to ensure that our industry’s standards are evolving with consumers’ needs,” Ryan Carroll, HPBA’s director of government affairs, stated in a press release. “That’s why we are working to ensure that the certification standards for vented gas fireplaces, inserts, and stoves are revised to further support energy conservation.”
The HPBA, however, determined that the same standard should not apply to outdoor products, most of which operate on small propane cylinders.
The association anticipates phasing out the feature by 2019.