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December 2017
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Green Heat News 
Issue No. 100! |
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| Stay up to date with all things wood heat. All the cool kids are doing it! To sign up, click here 
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November 27, 2017: $58.10 November 27, 2016: $46.72 Source: www.ycharts.com
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4th Wood Stove Design Challenge
The DOE will be announcing which teams are finalists
i
n the 2018
Wood Stove Design Challenge in the next week. Stay tuned. The second and last opportunity to apply to be a finalist is Dec. 31, 2017.
Next in our webinar series is a presentation by two experts on how to make electricity from a wood or pellet stove, which involv
es cooling the parts that make electricity and managing the electric output. Anyone interested in a pellet stove that can make its own electricity and doesn't need to be plugged in? The webinar is free and on Wed. Dec. 6 from 11:00 AM to noon.
Sign up here
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AGH Projects and Activities
100th Issue of Wood and Pellet Heating News
This is our 100th issue! Our monthly newsletter began in 2009 and the first issue was sent to 18 people. Today, the newsletter goes out to more than 12,000 and is open regularly by more than 2,000. And, our blog "
Heated Up" just passed its 1,000,000 reader mark with more than 40,000 last month. Thank you for reading!
AGH editorial: London is making headlines for its mayor's moves to clamp down on wood stoves. Bottom line: the UK made mistake of incentivizing wood stoves in densely populated urban area instead of using pellet stoves for urban areas, and wood stoves for rural areas.
If you value this newsletter and our work, please consider a donation to the Alliance for Green Heat. The Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan organization and donations are tax-deductible. Thank you!
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Focus on Vermont Policy
Vermont is in the process of setting a target of getting 35% of thermal energy needs by 2030 with advanced wood heating. This plan will mostly focus on residential and institutional pellet stoves and boilers, avoiding the unsustainable smoke issues that a rapid expansion of wood stoves could cause.
There is a serious initiative in Vermont for a carbon tax on fossil fuels for transportation and heating. Under the plan, 100 percent o
f the carbon-tax proceeds would be applied to electricity bills, resulting in the lowest electric rates in the region. Environmentalists around the country are pushing for greater electrification since electricity can be generated from less destructive
sources including solar panels, wind turbines, and dams. Taxing oil, propane and gas helps the pellet industry and subsidized electricity helps the heat pump industry,
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Focus on the tax bills
 The tax bill approved by the Senate would open the Arctic to oil and gas drilling, weaken investment incentives for solar and wind and end a big tax credit for new electric vehicles. Its a job killer for renewable energy community.
Wind and electric vehicles stand to lose the most. Lawmakers are looking to slash tax credits for wind by more than a third and eliminate the $7,500 credit for EV purchases.
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Focus on Change Outs
In 2008, Vancouver set a goal of replacing 50,000 ol
d stoves. But after 10 years only about 7,000 wood stoves have been exchanged. "It is unlikely a voluntary incentive program will accomp
lish the goal to remove all uncertified wood stoves by 2020," according to the report.
Wasatch Front residents can vie for a limited number of vouchers to help pay for a cleaner-burning fireplace this year, thanks to a perhaps unexpected partnership between two of Utah's refineries and a nonprofit focused on air quality.
Swiss ESP technology that removes fine particulates from wood and coal stove smoke is being readied for testing in Alaska. The question for authorities is whether ESP retrofits should be eligible for change out funding.
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Focus on EPA and the NSPS
A hearing in the Environment Subcommittee voted on strictly party lines, 12 to 10, to forward HR 453 to the full committee. Below are key quotes from everyone who spoke about the stove bill, HR 453.
Rep. Walden (R-OR): "air quality restrictions... are forcing residents to purchase expensive new wood stoves."
Rep. Carter (R-GA): "A delay [in the NSPS] helps to ensure [stoves] remain available to people who need them.
Rep. Tonko (D-NY): "Delaying rules ... that postpone or undermine clean air rules ... is not good for Americans."
Rep. Pallone (D-NJ) "Makes no sense that we would want to add more pollution from wood burning especially when there are manufacturers producing compliant appliances today. All HR 453 really does is punish manufacturers who invested in cleaner technologies.
Rep. Ruiz (D-CA): "Why are we rewarding the few companies that fail to invest in cleaner appliances at the expense of the public health."
Rep. Green (D-TX): "Standards haven't been updated since 1988 and stoves simply don't meet clean air standards of today."
Rep. Matsui (D-CA): "I oppose bills that undermine clean air. In my district in Sacramento, CA, most air pollution in the winter comes from fireplaces and stoves."
The Senate Subcommittee held a hearing on Nov. 14 on S.1847 to extend the 2020 deadlines of the NSPS to 2023. HPBA did not testify itself but coordinated the testimony of Paul Williams, VP for Market Intelligence for US Stoves.
Senator Capito (R-WV) "It also makes common sense when the EPA has not even certified the new test procedure for these wood stoves and hydronic heaters. Its is hard for anyone to study for a test when you don't know what will be on it."
Paul Williams, US Stove Company: "I represent all wood stove and heater manufacturers and retailers.,, The industry supports these federal standards. All we are asking in this bill is for a three year extension. ... Step 1 dramatically affected ... forced air furnace sales. Product prices doubled from $1,000 to $2,000. ... People and families trust our products to have a live fire in their home. We take that seriously."
John Walke, NRDC: There are already significant numbers of stoves complying with the Step 2 standards and the 2020 compliance date... Those companies are complying and we should not delay the bill for those that are not.
The EPA just released an updated list of certified stoves. Five out of six of the wood stoves are under 2 grams an hour, showing that manufacturers are able to meet what many claimed was impossible.
EPA is starting to highlight cord wood testing issues more. Some existing stoves that were designed and tested for crib wood may perform fine with cordwood. Others may not.
One concern about stoves meeting 2020 emission deadlines is the number of available test labs. Industry says there are 5 test labs but the EPA lists 8 with a 9th coming online soon. At least one North America is not backed up and the new ones in Europe are relieving pressure by certifying imported stoves.
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Focus on Pellets
Using wood pellets to heat a home in New England produces about half the amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel sources, according to research from University of New Hampshire professor John Gunn.
Pellets from sawmill residues showed the strongest greenhouse gas benefit compared to fossil fuel and propane. Wood pellet fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 54% vs. home heating oil, and 59% vs. natural gas.
The source of the wood can really change the equation, according to this study.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced that Clarkson University discovered a new process to eliminate the release of dangerous carbon monoxide gas from wood pellets in storage.
What's more Earth-friendly, a pellet
"Mr. Green", who does a regular Q&A column for the Sierra Club magazine, says a pellet stove is more "earth-friendly" than a wood stove. We agree, based on amount of smoke from a pellet stove, but disagree with some of his facts and other reasoning.
After months of research and tryouts, I finally put together a system that eliminates once and for all the use of plastic wood-pellet bags. By simply lifting a little door, you now have wood pellets all year round without going outside. This system is the first on the market.
The managers of the River Station Apartments in Montpelier unveiled their new wood pellet boiler system. They say it will bring down the cost of fuel for the building by 40 percent.
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Focus on Firewood
The firewood shortage that helped give birth to America
 A firewood shortage in England in the 1500s led some to move to America. Then, by 1740, the US was experiencing firewood shortages. Wood use for fuel spiked around 1870, providing 90 percent of railroad fuel. The United States now has more trees than it did a century ago, but only two-thirds as many trees as there were in 1600.
The Humboldt, California Senior Resource Center and Sheriff's Office Work Alternative Program, will be offering low-cost firewood vouchers to low-income seniors. The program set off a vigorous debate on an AGH Facebook post by neighbors who say the wood is not seasoned.
Illegal firewood cutting hits juniper trees in Flagstaff
Over the past three months, Steve Kenyon has found dozens of juniper stumps that have been illegally cut near his house in the Townsend-Winona area. The trees are part of the Coconino National Forest. The Forest Service is investigating the illegal cutting.
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Industry News
Empire purchases majority ownership in SBI. SBI's market for its wood and pellet stoves is primarily Canadian but their brands are also popular in the US and include Osburn and Drolet.
MF Fire, a Baltimore-based startup developing a high-tech stove designed to burn wood more efficiently, has secured $1.2 million in an initial funding round.
"We have reimagined wood fire as a clean energy source, and used state-of-the-art fire science and technology to bring that vision to life."
Meet the new Survival Stove
Over the last 14 months, Woodstock Soapstone develop a small hybrid wood and coal stove for the Navajo Nation. A version for the general public will also be available called the "Survival Stove." Shipping to the Navajo reservation in late December/early January.
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Most Shared Stories on Facebook
For breaking ne
ws, great photos, stove
innovation and more.
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CA:
A California county service institution opts to build a biomass CHP system when their existing geothermal system got too expensive.
CO:
Whatever decision a person makes is not being made just for themselves but for their neighbors as well. The use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces on Air Quality Action Days is not allowed below 7,000 feet in seven metro area counties.
ME:
To save money and go green, first, seal air leaks. Second, buy renewable electricity from your utility (many now offer it) and third, invest in multiple technologies. "We have an oil furnace, solar hot water, a wood stove and a pellet stove," says the author, a state representative in Maine.
MO: An honest account of how a Missouri family struggled with affordable heat over the years, including using lighter fluid to start their self-installed wood stove and concerns of CO dangers from a cracked fossil fuel heat exchange.
NV:
There are fewer than 40 vouchers left to Washoe County residents who live in the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area and can qualify for the program.
OR: A "no-burn" regulation for Portland, Oregon that exempts pellet stoves, low-income families or homes without other source of heat.
OR: Harney County-based High Desert Biomass Co-op and regional business lender Craft3 have closed on a $1.1 million loan to allow for long-term, community ownership of an innovative, biomass district heating system in Burns.
UT: "No burn" periods are a great... low-effort tactic that might prepare homeowners for an inevitable all-out ban on these types of stoves in the future."
VT: Low grade wood for biomass is produced by all forestry operations. This article is one of best that breaks it all down and shows how it fits into an expanded vision for advanced wood heating in the 21st century.
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Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
December 6, 2017, 11:00AM - 12:30PM EST
This webinar is designed for teams seeking to compete in the 2018 Stove Design Challenge or anyone interested in developing a thermoelectric stove.
Register here.
Fredericton, NB, Canada, December 12, 2017
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada, together with media partner Candian Biomass Magazine, is organizing the NB Wood Pellet Forum.
Youth Climate Leaders Academy
Fairlee, VT, December 7-8, 2017
This academy will guide and support high school students in planning and implementing a project related to climate change.
Kirkland, WA, January 26-28, 2018
The conference encourages participation of Southern partners, international stoves experts, and development specialists with field experience in the transfer of cooking technologies.
New York Home Regional Home Performance Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY, February 13-14, 2018
Join together with industry leaders working in the residential energy efficiency industry for a cutting edge educational experience.
Wels, Austria, February 28 - March 2, 2018
The World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) are one of Europe's largest annual conferences in this field.
Wels, Austria, February 28 - March 1, 2018
With more than 500 participants, the European Pellet Conference held in Wels is the largest annual pellet event in the world.
Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Expo
Nashville, TN, March 7-10, 2018
HPBExpo is being held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee with Outdoor Burn Exhibits located across from the center.
Portland, OR, April 18-21, 2018
Over 30 hours of business and tech breakout session, trade show featuring more than 80 booths, and much more.
Philadelphia, PA, April 23-26, 2018
The HPC National Conference is where you will join over one thousand residential energy efficiency professionals for four days of outstanding educational sessions, networking, and inspiration.
Denmark, May 14-18, 2018
The EUBCE brings together industry, scientists, research labs and agencies, and always has a focus on biomass thermal.
Philadelphia, PA, July 22-27, 2018
Join us in Philadelphia to meet with the international indoor air and climate community in an exciting week of networking, exchange of ideas, and discussion of the latest indoor air science.
Davis, CA, September 10, 2018
ASIC brings together stakeholders from academia, government, and communities to promote and advance air pollution sensors.
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Please Support Our Work
Thanks
to ...
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The Alliance for Green Heat is an independent non-profit organization working to promote cleaner and more efficient biomass heating. Please consider making a generous contribution. The Alliance is a tax exempt 501 (c)(3) organization.
You can make a secure donation online through PayPal here:
For ongoing AGH programs and activities
-- William and Frances Ackerly
-- Arbolito Foundation
-- Aprovecho Research Center
-- Classic Heat Source
-- Ann Down
-- Tina and Dave Egan
-- Family Foundation
-- Sat Jiwan Khalsa
-- New York State Energy & Research Development Authority
-- Osprey Foundation
-- Jim & Patty Rouse Foundation
-- Julie Segre and Nick Salafsky
-- Victoria Sujata
-- Takoma Foundation
-- University of Maryland Extension Service
-- U.S. Forest Service
-- West Penn Power Energy & Sustainability Fund
As sponsors of the Wood Stove Design Challenge
-- Chimney Safety Institute of America
-- Department of Energy, Bioenergy Technology Office
-- Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
-- Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
-- DC Dept. of Transportation, Urban Forestry Administration
-- Schott-Robax
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