Wood Heat Design Challenge

Finalists selected for Wood Heater Challenge

The DOE announced three finalists from the Technology Slam - Davidon Industries, Kleiss Engineering and Aprovecho Research Lab. Those three stoves will be tested at Brookhaven Lab in the winter and spring of 2023 and the top stoves will receive first place prize!

Watch a 10-minute summary of the Slam

We did a highlight reel condensing the 2-hour Wood Heater Technology Slam to 10-minutes. See the highlights of all 9 teams who competed.

Firewood banks

AGH now accepting applications from wood banks

With $590,000 to give in grants, AGH has received applications from 10 wood banks in the first two weeks, adding up to $120,000. Applications are being processed on a rolling basis. To receive funding, firewood banks must agree to certain safety protocols, such as using chainsaw chaps.

Meet AGH’s new Grant Managers

Pam Porter and Leroy Wandahsega (with niece) are now processing grants for firewood banks. Pam lives in Madison, WI and previously worked for the state of Wisconsin on climate issues and with the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC). Leroy previously worked for his Potowami tribal council and has managed various grants and lives in Michigan's Upper Pennisula.

UMaine awarded Forest Service grant for National Wood Bank project

UMaine and UMass Amherst received funding to support wood banks by hosting a national wood bank virtual summit, creating educational webinars for wood banks and doing a survey of wood banks. AGH will be working closely with them on these projects which will help inform our grant giving.

Study shows how firewood banks support fuel-poor households 

Firewood banks provide no-cost, local firewood to fuel-poor households, but little is known about key details such as where they are operating, who is accessing them, and why. Qualitative analysis identified four explanations for household fuel poverty preceding accessing a wood bank: economic poverty, health-related challenges, old age, and emergency need. https://tinyurl.com/firewoodbank

Agencies 

EIA predicts drop in wood heating this winter?. 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its Winter Fuels Outlook, predicting that U.S. homes will face increased energy costs this winter but fewer homes will usie wood as a primary heating source. However, virtually all indicators point to the opposite. How do they made their predictions?!

$1 Billion Bipartisan Program to enhance energy systems in rural and remote communities. 

RFI seeks input on the types of energy demonstration projects, programmatic design considerations, equity, environmental and energy justice to ensure that projects selected are scalable and replicable. Feedback to RFI due to ERA@hq.doe.gov  by Nov 28.

IRS requests comments on stove tax credit

AGH urges stakeholders to tell the IRS to recognize the EPA's database of certified wood heaters to determine if a stove is 75% efficient or higher. This is the first time IRS has formally asked our community about eligibility criteria for the tax credit. Using the efficiencies on the EPA database creates a level playing field for manufacturers and certainty and transparency for consumers.  

Consumer alert: check EPA database for efficiencies

Stove manufacturers still use different ways of reporting efficiency for purposes of the tax credit. Most use the standard HHV EPA's database certified stoves, including major US manufacturers. Others use more arcane methods which are not transparent to the consumer for non-cat stoves which can be as low as 70 or 71% efficiency on the EPA list.

Do standards for heat pump tax credits hurt adoption?

With heat pumps - and wood and pellet stoves - there is always a debate at how strict eligibility for the tax credit should be. Congressional language is sometimes not 100% clear, leading to loopholes that can get bigger and bigger. But with each appliance, the issues and goals may be different.

As Russia bombs Ukraine's energy grids, volunteers build stoves

Stove engineers needed in Ukraine! They are churning out very basic stoves that may not even have baffles and some sort of brick or lining around the interior walls. Without this, stoves will use more wood and be more dangerous.

Webinar: Thee outlook for wood heat

Four industry professionals discuss on the current state of the wood heat sector in northern New England and New York - from domestic wood heat policy and technology to pellet mill production and commercial/institutional wood heat systems.

10 things endangering your indoor air quality

From wood stoves to cooking to mold, here is what to look for.

State News



Town starts innovative firewood program

Illinois: The wood consists of oak harvested from fallen tress in local parks and natural areas. Buyers are responsible for loading and hauling wood from the town maintenance building.

Missouri extends wood energy tax credit program

Missouri: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Oct. 5 signed House Bill 3. The legislation, in part, retroactively extends the state’s wood energy tax credit program from June 30, 2020, through June 30, 2028.

NJ requires Master Hearth Specialist license 

New Jersey: NJ is establishing a Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee under the Division of Consumer Affairs to enforce their new license for hearth product installers.

What you need to know about buying, transporting firewood as winter approaches  

Michigan: It’s always good to know what you are actually burning when it comes to wood. After a tree has been cut down, the new logs can sometimes be the host of harmful insects that you wouldn’t want to bring into your home.

While home-heating fuel prices surge, demand for firewood causes new challenges  

Vermont: As home-heating fuel prices surge, the state’s firewood sellers and wood stove installers say they’re struggling to keep up as more Vermonters turn to wood heat. .

International

European Parliament to continue to recognize woody biomass as a renewable energy source

Germany: The German government is laying the foundations for the sustainable use of biomass from forestry, agriculture and waste management.

What are the rules for using wood stoves in Italy?

Italy: Italians consistently buy more each year than Americans and Canadians combined with 1/6 the population. They also take regulations seriously: five Italian regions – Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany – currently have laws banning residents from using low-efficiency fireplaces and wood stoves, and the rules are being enforced. 

From coal to heat pumps:Poland's energy transition

Poland: Can Poland skip from coal stoves to heat pumps, bypassing wood stoves? 46% of homes are heated with coal and a scant 4% use wood and pellets.

Official: rural homes should install stoves, ignore urban environmentalists

UK: A government official urging people in rural areas to buy wood stoves. He supports restrictions in urban areas, “but people in rural areas, where air quality is not an issue, need no lessons from urban environmentalists about burning wood."

Best of Facebook

How many of you have dried your wood this way or on top of your stove?  While it may help slightly, it is far more dangerous than any benefit.

Misleading Article of the Month

"Heat pumps don't burn fossil fuels"

CNET, a reputable news outlet, doesn’t understand the basics of technology they report on. Numerous of their articles say things like “Heat pumps don’t burn fossil fuel” and “Electrifying a house means swapping out fossil fuel-burning appliances for ones that run on electricity.” Most grids have less than 20% renewables on them. The benefit of heat pumps is not that they use renewable energy but that they use any kind of energy more efficiently.