Green Heat News
A monthly news service for everyone
interested in renewable wood & pellet heating
November 2020
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Congrats to Vincent Boudreau Président of Stuv Canada, for identifying the public figures in our celebrity wood heat photo contest. Brandi Carlisle, pop singer; Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, Gus Speth, co-founder of the NRDC and the World Resources institute; Elle Macpherson, Australian model and businesswoman. He won a Biolite campstove that can charge his cell phone.
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Featured Stories
An investigation conducted by Alaska officials is shaking up the wood stove world. Its embarrassing for the EPA and potentially for test labs. Here is what we know so far, and what you should know as it unfolds.
Philbrick said that a quality pellet stove will cost between $2,500 and $4,500. He warned against budget pellet stoves. Most stoves available at big box stores like Home Depot are more likely to need repairs and not produce the heat that they claim.
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Focus on Federal Agencies
Time is running out for an EPA proposed sell-through. The agency has been mum about it which many expected to start on Oct. 1. Scores of retailers have kept selling their Step 1 stoves, but some are waiting on word from the EPA. It may be mid or late November until any decision, leaving barely one month before Jan. 1
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This updated blog includes excerpts of HPBA’s latest filing, that argues the EPA brief is an exercise in post hoc rationalization. "They failed to provide a reasoned basis for its audit testing requirements in the 2015 Rule, which barely mentions major changes from the 1988 Rule." said HPBA.
On Oct. 7, the EPA published some minor "clean up" corrections to the NSPS in the Federal Register: “During certification tests, the manufacturer may communicate with the third-party certifier, and only in writing, to notify them that the manufacturer has observed a deviation from proper test procedures by the laboratory. All communications must be included in the test documentation required to be ... consistent with instructions provided in the owner’s manual required.”
A conservation group sued the federal government over an action taken this year to no longer allow polluters to reduce their fines by paying for projects to help the environment through SEPs, such as wood stove change-outs.
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Focus on Federal Agencies |
Our Dept. of Agriculture has funding for wood heating projects! Please spread the word. And many thanks to DC- based BTEC for getting Congress to provide more funding for this important program.
The EIA expects there will be more residential energy consumption in the US this winter as more people are working and attending school from home this year. Propane heat could cost as much as 41% more whereas heating oil and gas could be similar or lower. AGH advocacy efforts led the EIA to include wood heating in its report, but it still can't forecast regional prices. Instead, they now analyze the number of households that use wood as primary and secondary heat.
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If Biden wins, he can start promoting renewable energy right away through executive orders and other channels. Leaders of the advanced wood heat community need to be at the table and make sure the political appointees in top positions know what can help to promote cleaner and more efficient wood, pellet and chip heating.
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Greentech Manufacturing says its having its best year ever. Their success story dates to 2015, when the EPA required boilers to be certified and then to 2020, when they had to meet cleaner standards. They first built to UK standards, then transferred that knowledge to meet US standards. “We do plan on growing our overseas market.”
The stricter 2020 EPA regulations were the hardest for forced air furnaces, driving the dominant player out of the field. SBI's Drolet brand just certified the 3rd furnace to 2020 standards and its the "offspring of our winning wood stove design" at the 4th Wood Stove Design Challenge hosted by AGH. Unlike previous furnaces it has built in automation to optimize comfort and reduce emissions with minimal maintenance.
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A forum post discussing instruments that measure CO, O2, and CO2. These are used in the lab and the field, are lightweight and connect to a phone or iPad.
NESCAUM published a draft Integrated Duty Cycle (IDC) protocol for pellet boilers with external thermal storage, and previously published a draft IDC for cordwood stoves and operating procedures for using a TEOM with a dilution tunnel.
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The Stove Repair Relief Fund helps families impacted by Covid-19 to keep their stoves running safely. Air quality agencies, change out programs and low-income winterization programs can link to this fund to help their clients and residents. It provides up to a 50% reduction in the price of pellet stove parts for orders up to $500.
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States
Maine: Cumberland County is home to Portland, Maine's largest city (pop. 66,000) and surrounding towns. It also one of Maine's most densely populated counties, making it a good place for a program to change out old wood stoves and outdoor boilers. Incentives go up to $5,000.
Maine: Maine is creating a climate action plan and one of the recommendations going into it: Reduce CO emissions from fossil fuels used for building heat/power by encouraging the consideration of installation of efficient modern wood heat/power technology in homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and other institutions.
South Carolina: Supporters of the ban say the heaters pose health hazards, while others say its harassment, given that only one home uses the device, and if they ban outdoor boilers they may come for fireplaces next.
Vermont: Inspections and repairs of wood stoves should be part of all weatherization programs. This one in Vermont goes further, offering good rebates to install new wood or pellet stoves.
International
France: France is increasingly incentives for wood and pellet heaters. For the lowest-income homes 90% of quoted costs could be covered, going down to 75%, 60% and 40% for those with greater financial means. To be eligible stoves must have a Flamme Verte 7 stage green label.
EU: This unit claims to be the first mobile pelletising unit that can crush, mill, dry and press renewable raw materials, including wet wood. These include hardwood, wood from recycling centres, vine branches, forest residues, leaves, straw, hay, mill dust, manure and coffee grounds. The units only need one user to operate, as the system is largely automated.
Sweden: With solar panels, biomass heat, thermal energy storage and heat pump systems, homes and apartments become ‘prosumers’, producing rather than just consuming enough power the residents’ needs. With high levels of smart meter usage, it’s a model that looks set to spread across Sweden.
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Best of October Facebook |
Got my 2 tons of pellets yesterday, enough to heat a modest home in Maryland without using hardly any natural gas. With solar panels and wood pellets, our home is getting pretty close to eliminating fossil fuels. For 3 - 4 months, the solar panels create more than enough electricity for the house and the car (a Chevy Bolt). The rest of the year, we add some renewable grid electricity purchased from a wind company.
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Nov 5 - Climate Conscious Central Heat
Nov 12 - Innovation in Large Scale Boiler Systems
Nov 19 - European Project Report
November 5, 10am CET
As part of the Switch4Air campaign, Bioenergy Europe presents the unique opportunity for policy and industry stakeholders to come together to explore the Renovation Wave.
November 12
Case study: Pellet boiler system at boat maintenance facility in NY.
November 9-10
The Renewable Thermal Collaborative is convening the first annual RTC Summit, the premier event dedicated to renewable thermal solutions.
November - December
Renewable Energy Vermont’s annual conference is virtual this year, with sessions from September through January. Topics include renewable energy, electricity, heating, and transportation solutions.
Wels, Austria, February 21-22, 2021
The conference shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how the pellet sector can profit from this deep transformation.
Louisville, KY, June 2021
HBPA moves to Louisville in June 2021.
June 2021
NEUAC is dedicated to heightening awareness of the energy needs of low income energy consumers. Proposals for presentations open through November 30.
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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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