Volume 125
Green Heat News
A monthly news service for everyone
interested in renewable wood & pellet heating

January 2020
NSPS countdown : 129 days until May 15, 2020


Focus on Congress

Congress passed spending package that retroactively extended the $300 tax credit for wood and pellet stoves and boilers back to Jan. 1, 2018 and up through Dec. 31, 2020. Appliances must be 75% efficient or higher. This is the third retroactive extension in five years, giving consumers a mostly unexpected tax break but doing little to drive purchases towards higher efficiency appliances.

Key senators indicated yesterday they intend to revive the push for clean energy tax breaks in 2020, after the Trump administration torpedoed a broader tax deal allegedly struck by congressional negotiators that would have included more incentives sought by Democrats in the talks.

For 2019 purchases, fill out IRS form 5695 and refer to the EPA list of stoves or boilers to confirm the appliance is 75% efficiency or higher. If the stove does not have an efficiency listed on the EPA database, ask the manufacturer for proof that the stove is 75% efficient based on third party certification testing. Consumers should not rely on manufacturer efficiency and eligibility claims without proof from a third party testing facility.


Rep. Welch (D-Vt.) and Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) introduced legislation for a new EPA grant program to upgrade old, inefficient wood stoves to more economical and energy efficient models. It authorizes $75 million annually for six years. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Carper (D-Del.) and Murkowski (R-Alaska).

It's never a bad time to light a fire, particularly for Bernie Sanders. Sanders' presidential campaign manager Faiz Shakir shared a video Tuesday of the Vermont senator and presidential candidate flexing his wood stove skills. 



Green Heat Technology Innovation
 The Bioenergy Technology Office of the US Department of Energy just released a notice of intent to fund "the development and testing of low-emission, high efficiency residential wood heaters." This means that in about one month, they are likely to announce a funding opportunity that could be about $5 million, like last year. 

Green heating involves technology innovation – and policy innovation. In this case, Massachusetts may allow renewable companies to become utilities and compete with gas utilities.

HVAC trends for 2020 include more transparency in pricing of installation, a transition to customer relationship management software, digital marketing and new technologies like solar and geothermal HVAC developments.



Managing forests and firewood collection
The U.S. Forest Service is having a super sale on personal firewood slashing the price from $10 a cord to $2 a cord in hopes of encouraging more people to gather their own firewood and help reduce the amount of potential wildfire fuel building up in the forest.

Buying firewood harvested from forests can benefit birds. Audubon Vermont works with Vermont’s foresters and forest landowners to promote bird-friendly forest practices. Vermont’s existing forests are relatively young and even aged, having been largely cleared a century ago. By harvesting trees selectively from our forests, we can mimic the features of older forests and, in so doing, benefit birds.



Institutional Heating
The US army has the resources and motivation to explore a large variety of biomass technologies. We urge them to help advance R&D and deployment of advanced biomass heating systems for military bases and for selective field operations, as a primary or back-up heat source.



State & International News
Alaska: An couple in Alaska used to get by without electricity easily. But during a recent blackout, they found their wood stove was inefficient and maybe not safe and the propane heater needed electricity. She concludes, "So is the modern way of living just more complicated or are we getting old and intolerant of no electricity?"

Massachusetts: By an overwhelming vote of 207 to 3, members of Brookline, MA Town Meeting approved a bylaw that prohibits the installation of oil and gas heating systems in new construction beginning in 2021. This will likely spur installs of wood and pellet stoves and densely inhabited towns should prepare for that and steer consumers toward pellet devices.

Minnesota: "The company has gained nationwide attention as the first company to meet new federal emissions standards that go into effect next year for wood furnaces. For years, the company was often unable to meet the demand for their products. Now in their new facility, at 9,000 square feet nearly four times the size of their former plant, the company is still struggling to keep up with skyrocketing demand."

Ohio: Heating only with wood in Ohio has increased by 50 percent between the years 2005 and 2012. This number is even higher if you include the homes that use wood as a secondary heat source.  Ohioans “should consider “upgrading” old wood stoves to a new more efficient and cleaner burning one. You will likely use less wood and reduce exposure to wood smoke for you and your neighbors.”

Oregon: Not often that a state builds their own technology. Oregon designed and built air quality sensors, obtained a provisional patent from the U.S. Patent Office, then secured a trademark through the Oregon Secretary of State for the device name, “SensOR”.

International

Ireland: Ireland will extend the smoky coal ban from bigger cities to 13 medium-sized towns (with populations between 10,000 and 15,000) before Christmas. But foreign (American?) coal companies are threatening legal action against the State – arguing that singling out smoky coal would be anti-competitive since peat and wet wood produce similar levels of air pollution. Photo shows how peat or “turf” is still harvested for residential heating.




Best of December Facebook
Dedicated outside air supply, thermal mass, insulation - these Native American Indians knew how to heat their home. Early American settlers could have learned a thing or two …

Whether you believe Santa is real or not, he knows that man made global warming is real. And giving coal to all the bad kids may not have helped.
Conferences & Webinars
Graz, Austria, January 22-24, 2020
The conference will allow users, enterprises, researchers, developers, policymakers and distributors to share their knowledge in the field of bioenergy.

Plainfield, IN, January 27, 2020
This All-Star group of speakers and business consultants have taken many businesses to new heights of operational efficiency and profitability .

Saratoga Springs, NY, February 11-12, 2020
Proposals are currently being solicited.

Verona, Italy, February 19-22, 2020
The largest and most important event for residential pellet and wood heating in Europe.

Wels, Austria, March 4-5, 2020
With more than 450 participants from over 50 countries each year, it is the largest annual pellet event worldwide.

New Orleans, Louisiana, March 11-14, 2020
HPBA's annual gathering of stove, BBQ and patio product manufacturers and retailers.

Save the Date: Renewable Thermal 2020
Washington, DC, March 18-19, 2020
RTC’s annual meeting and member event is open to RTC members and sponsors, as well as other stakeholders. For more info, contact Blaine Collison at  blaine@dgardiner.com .
 
Orlando, Florida, April 1-4, 2020
The NCSG Annual Trade Show gives industry suppliers and technicians a chance to connect and find out the latest in the industry each year.

New Orleans, Louisiana, April, 27-30, 2020
The Conference is the largest meeting of home performance and weatherization professionals in the country.

Washington, DC, June 29-July 1, 2020
Join us for the largest gathering of energy assistance professionals in the country.

Washington DC, July, 2020
Competing teams exhibit and compete at the Build Challenge Event, as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington.
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