Green Heat News
December 2018
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4th Wood Stove Design Challenge
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First prize in both the automated and thermoelectric categories went to the Wittus unit, which performed extremely well in terms of PM, CO, efficiency and electric output. Second prize for automated stoves went to SBI, for a simple, affordable automated stove. Second prize for thermoelectric went to Vulcan energy that modified the Wiseway gravity fed pellet stove. Read on for more details ....
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The general public voted on which stove they thought had the most potential, and the winner was
509 Fabrications
, the first stove to burn pressed wood logs. In our testing, it was incredibly clean and its efficiency was 81% HHV.
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The fueling protocol used at the Wood Stove Design Challenge is like no other. Instead of filling a pre-heated firebox with a consistent amount of wood, setting it on a single air setting and letting it burn until the fuel is gone, as the EPA does for certification tests, we took a radically different approach.
AGH measured indoor and ambient air quality at the Design Challenge, using a Thermo Scientific pDR 1500 aerosol monitor, a Speck and a Purple Air PA-II-SD monitor. Check out the results.
Hosting a wood stove event on the National Mall brings interesting folks out to learn, explore and marvel at new stove technology. Dave Atkins captured that here.
The MHA Tech Committee organized a 5 person testing team to send to the event, brought 3 complete Condar PM sampling systems, and conducted a total of 15 three hour test runs over the course of 5 days.
The Capitol News Service did this
TV spot
, and CSIA, who also provided certified installers, did a great video.
EESI - Though humans have been using wood as a fuel for thousands of years, there is still room for improvement in stove efficiency, design, and integration with emerging smart home technologies.
Many thanks to the DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office, Osprey Foundation, NYSERDA, the USDA Forest Service, the Masonry Heater Association, Olympia Chimney, HPBA, Lignetics, Chimney Safety Institute of America, Myren Labs, Schott Robax Glass, the Catalytic Hearth Coalition, Allegheny Society for American Foresters the National Fireplace Institute, Biomass Thermal Energy Council, Testo and Bell's Brewery. We could not host this event without their generous support.
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The EPA issued its long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. They are proposing to give a 2 year sell-through for the very dirtiest appliance classes – furnaces and boilers. A public hearing is being held in Washington DC on Dec. 17 and comments are due by Jan. 14.
Some boiler companies have sold thousands of filthy appliances, keeping product costs low and highly competitive while knowing regulations were coming. For years/decades those companies chose to skimp on available technology. If the EPA allows a 2 year sell through for boilers and furnaces, they will be hurting the exact companies that make the cleaner units that the EPA supposedly wants on the market.
Lamppa manufacturing says they would be punished for the hard work and investment while others are rewarded for their inactivity. They argue that if their small company can meet 2020 standards, that larger companies with bigger R&D departments should not profit from non-compliance.
Extending the deadline until 2023 will put hundreds of thousands of higher-emitting, lower-efficiency appliances in homes, and only a fraction of those homes will have exchanged the new stove for an old one. We need a real commitment from industry to innovate for the future, not more lawsuits and lobbyists to preserve the status quo for as long as possible. Our neighbors will thank us.
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In Europe, there is a new push for a pan-European eco label that would recognize the cleanest and most advanced wood and pellet heaters. The US needs an eco label as well to give consumers the confidence and ability to choose efficient efficient and eco friendly models.
Exceeding PFI pellet standards without testing to them
Studies show that labels are becoming even more important to establish trust with consumers. One study said "innovative retailers and manufacturers will employ a product label content strategy" to promote the values of their consumers. It may be innovative to say you exceed the standards of a label that you do not certify to, but it doesn't add value to the label.
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State & International News
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States
Alaska:
With Proposition 4, Fairbanks now has little authority to call burn ban and has suspended other programs, including the wood stove changeout program and waivers from burn bans. Voters wanted the state and the feds to take control.
California:
In a local CA election candidates were asked: “Do you agree that replacing older wood stoves with newer, certified stoves is not the best approach for reducing wood stove pollution?” Of the 44 respondents, 32 agreed, 6 did not agree, and 6 skipped this question.
DC:
A vote in District of Columbia moves the district closer to 100 renewable electricity - but also involves a carbon tax on gas - used for heating. Thanks to our friends and CCAN who focused on both heat and electricity!
Maine:
You have to order firewood early in the year. "Its not like ordering pizza." “Kiln dried wood is starting to take off” but the kiln adds about $70 per cord.
Maine:
More than 100 major buildings in Maine have made the conversion to heating with wood instead of oil. In most cases, the report says, wood chip or wood pellet systems replaced those using heating oil. The installations have been on college campuses, schools and institutions.
Montana:
Lewis & Clark County is reminding people that Nov. 1 marks the beginning of outdoor air-quality requirements.
Utah:
“It got to the point where people, just like parking tickets, were ignoring them. It wasn’t a deterrent,” said Donna Kemp Spangler, spokesperson for the DEQ. Fines are now an option.
Vermont:
Congrats to Efficiency Vermont for leading the way and setting up a rebate program for pellet stoves. Vermonters can get $650 - $1,000 for installing one of the 55 cleanest and most efficient pellet stoves on the market. VT joins a small group of states that incentivize pellet stoves without requiring folks to change out an old wood stove.
International
Macedonia:
Skopje, a city of more than half a million people, has been listed by the World Health Organization amongst the cities in Europe with the highest concentration of harmful fine particulate matter (PM) 2.5 in the air.
UK:
Wood-burning stoves emit six times as much pollution as a diesel truck... and they're ruining your health even if you don’t own one.
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Best of November Facebook
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Misleading Webpage of the Month
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This month, the misleading web page award goes to the EPA for its persistent and incorrect definition of hydronic heaters being "outdoor wood boilers, are typically located outside in small sheds with short smokestacks." In addition, they use this image, provided by HPBA, the trade association that promotes outdoor wood boilers. Hydronic heaters can be indoor, outdoor, wood or pellet, yet despite requests, the EPA continues to promote the term hydronic heater as outdoor wood boiler. Isn't it time to focus on cleaner indoor wood and pellet boilers?
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Aurora, CO, December 17-18, 2018
A two-day Workshop on Household Energy Impact Evaluation aims to accelerate transitions toward cleaner household energy systems and policy-oriented impact evaluation research designs. Spaces available for 50 experts.
Kirkland, WA, January 25-29, 2019
The conference aims to expand its reach from previous annual meetings, encouraging participation of Southern partners, international stoves experts, and development specialists with field experience in the transfer of cooking technologies.
Portland, Oregon, February 11-12, 2019
Join industry leaders along with fellow weatherization professionals, home performance contracting businesses, program administrators, and others working in the residential energy efficiency industry.
Wels, Austria, February 27-28, 2019
The 2 conferences present the work and achievements of young researchers (born after 1983) in the fields of biomass and energy efficiency. They offer an opportunity to interact with researchers and industry experts from all over the world.
Wels, Austria & Nurnberg, Germany, February 24 - March 6, 2019
EBF19 participants will work together, discovering why Austria made progress in advanced heating systems, and which of the best methods and equipment might be adapted to conditions here.
Dallas, Texas, March 13 - March 16, 2019
HPBExpo 2019 is in Dallas this year.
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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.
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