| 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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Charlie Niebling, an AGH Advisory Board member, writes: "The Nature Conservancy, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and New York Audubon... know that good markets are necessary for good forestry, and good forestry means healthy forests that stay productive and undeveloped." |
| Have a printer, scanner or computer that is still relatively up to date and in good working order that you don't need? Donate it to the Alliance for Green Heat and get a tax credit. Contact: info@forgreenheat.org |
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4th Wood Stove Design Challenge
Stove designers, sponsors and consumers, please
register for the 2018 Challenge! Registration shows your potential interest in participating and is not a commitment. We encourage everyone to click on the
consumer link to take a 4 minute survey.
This webinar features an American and a European expert on the potential of automation, how it works, barriers and what policies may support this new technology.
Wayne and Margy Lutz built their own electricity-producing wood stove to supplement their solar panels on their floating off-grid home in British Columbia.
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AGH Projects & Activities
If you would like to receive notices of events and news in your state that may not be in the newsletter, please add your email and state here. (We do not rent, sell, give or share our email list to anyone.)
 As a independent non-profit, AGH believes in transparency in our finances. All of our donors and giving levels are posted here. The Alliance keeps its expenses and overhead low and is run by a mission-driven staff of four. If you appreciate our work, please donate!
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Focus on NSPS
 Some labs may be better than others at getting stoves to pass the 4.5 grams per hour limit. AGH produced a chart that shows that in 2013, a substantial number of stoves were certified right at 4.4 grams per hour. Some experts offered reasons on AGH's facebook page.
 On May 15, 2017, EPA rules required all wood furnaces to be certified. Some furnace manufacturers started educating their retailers early and stopped shipping uncertified furnaces. Others did not. AGH found most retailers were willing to stop advertising and selling uncertified furnaces, mostly made by US Stove Company, when we contacted them.
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Washington Watch
The bill to postpone the Step 2 NSPS compliance date from 2020 to 2023 is in the first stage of legislative process and has not yet been referred to committee. It was introduced by Colin Peterson, a Democrat representing Central Boilers district in Minnesota. It now has 19 co-sponsors from Great Lake states, the midwest and south.
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Focus on Innovation
 Kudos to Ben Myren and Brian Gauld for certiying an innovative hybrid stove with automated features based on the ASTM cordwood test method. Getting 1.3 grams an hour is nearly half the PM allowed under the EPA's 2020 standards of 2.5 grams with cordwood. SBI also certified their Waterloo fireplace with cordwood at 1.5 grams an hour.
 A lesser known benefit of automated stoves is safety and user adaptability. "We've put in some automatic features that help prevent chimney fires. And the user can control temperature and monitor the status of the fire inside. Throughout, it's collecting data to learn more about the environmental conditions as well as when the user likes to burn. The system can improve itself so you get better and better performance.
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Featured Resource
A trove of substantive PowerPoint presentations on measuring indoor and outdoor air quality, change out programs, etc. from experts at NESCAUM, NYSERDA, HPBA, AGH, EPA, HUD, BNL and more.
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Focus on Pellets
In Europe, ENplus certification accounts for about 80% of pellets sold in the heating sector. The certification weeds out bad actors and helps get market access. PFI provides that service in the American market and CANplus in Canada.
The Confluence Energy plant in Kremmling, Colorado continued to smolder for hours after it ignited. The fire was fully contained but firefighters allowed a large pile of unusable wood waste product to burn itself out. What caused the fire is being investigated.
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International
Canada: The Actsmart Wood Heater Replacement Program offers incentives for the removal and disposal of domestic wood-burning heaters. Since 2004 the program replaced over 1,000 stoves.
Canada: A British Columbia Lung Association report looks at wood smoke emissions: its sources, impacts on health, advancements in air quality programs, and the challenges of balancing differing objectives.
Denmark: High costs of district heating were leading tens of thousands of Danes to use wood and pellet stoves, instead of hot water from centralized biomass plants.
Germany: A Swedish company is investing 115 million USD to convert electricity from offshore wind farms to make heat.
Norway: Oil producer Norway will prohibit the use of oil and paraffin to heat buildings from 2020 as it tries to rein in domestic emissions of greenhouse gases. Recommended alternatives include heat pumps and stoves burning wood chips.
AK:
Want to burn wood or coal when the air is bad? You'll need a waiver under new rules adopted by Fairbanks. To get a waiver, burners have to prove their stoves are approved, their wood is stored properly, and they know how to burn cleanly.
MA:
Health officials ordered the owners to immediately stop using charcoal and wood for cooking following complaints from neighbors that smoke was seeping into their houses and affecting their health.
New York State proposes tax credit for wood pellets
NY:
The NY Bioenergy Association is supporting a 30% state income tax credit for homeowners on pellet fuel purchases. A 30% credit would be worth approximately $75/ton based on current retail delivered prices.
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Upcoming Conferences
Washington, DC, July 11, 2017
This year's expo will bring together over 40 organizations showcasing a cross-section of renewable and energy efficiency technologies.
Stowe, VT, July 25, 2017
The PFI Annual Conference highlights the various applications of densified biomass, as well as trends and best practices within the densified biomass industry.
Pasadena, CA, July 31-August 3, 2017
This conference is the 36th in the series that provides a global forum for presentations and information exchange on the latest technologies.
The annual gathering of antique stove collectors and refurbishers includes a trade show, auction, bus tour, banquet
University Park, PA, September 12-14, 2017
The first major mid-Atlantic conference, hosted by the Pennsylvania Biomass Energy Association.
Ottawa, ON, September 18-20, 2017
The largest gathering for the Canadian wood pellet industry.
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.
Denmark, May 14 - 18, 2018
The EUBCE brings together industry, scientists, research labs and agencies, and always has a focus on biomass thermal.
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