Green Heat News
A monthly news service for everyone
interested in renewable wood & pellet heating
April 2021
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Focus on the NESCAUM report
Wood stoves and boilers are far cleaner today than 20 years ago, and even cleaner compared to 40 years ago. This report unfairly questions that fact, but calls attention to many important problems at EPA.
Even as the federal government and states dangle tax breaks to encourage sales, buyers of new wood stoves can’t be sure that their purchases aren’t spewing dangerous levels of pollutants, according to a biting new report that calls for an investigation by either Congress or the agency’s inspector general.
Ben Myren's testimony to Alaska details why some of their criteria for identifying cleaner stoves are ill-informed. He also describes why an IDC test method is not only uniquely a poor fit for conditions in Fairbanks, but it also runs afoul of ADEC's requirements on bark content on logs.
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Carbon Benefits of Green Heat |
The former CEO of the Nature Conservanc writes: "Some pathways to bioenergy based on residuals from harvests or mills, very high-yielding energy crops on previously cleared lands, or material from forest thinning to reduce risks of catastrophic fires will be able to compete in a market with a carbon price because they are truly low carbon—and can be proved to be so with good science."
We love geothermal but the public and even experts sometimes forget that their pumps need up to a third of their energy from grid electricity, which is still from gas and coal in most states. While geothermal is always better than fossil heat, there still can be significant carbon emissions unless the systems is powered with renewable electricity.
Many people often overlook the biodiversity and other implications of additional logging to get lumber for construction. And with good reason. Its far, far better than steel and cement, which has huge carbon impacts. But the same people often oppose using the residuals from that logging to displace fossil fuel heat. What gives?
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AGH Programs & Activities |
Tax credit now on Energy Star & Dsire sites
Three months after the becoming law, the two most popular consumer tax credit websites still had not listed the 26% tax credit for stoves. AGH contacted them and got the Dsire site and Energy Star to add the stove credit. An important IRS resource page still does not list it along with solar and others. Consumer Checkbook also updated their pages after AGH contacted them. IRS form 5695 will not be updated until the 2021 form is released later this year.
AGH's President and its Board Chair wrote an open letter to the mayors of Canadian towns seeking to reduce wood smoke. They say reasonable restrictions, like banning new stove installs, can be justified in urban areas or ones with frequent inversions. Like all renewables, they aren't appropriate in all settings.
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Test Methods & Innovation |
This letter from the EPA explaining why it approved an IDC cordwood method is a good read for stove nerds, especially for folks who like reading between the lines. The method was requested for Fairbanks AK, in part to collect cordwood certification data for the EPA and state agencies, after finding the ASTM cordwood method was sub-standard.
A new, gravity fed pellet stove is currently undergoing EPA testing and should be on the market later this year. The designer, Gary Wisener, who invented the original Wiseway gravity fed pellet stove, is trying to vastly improve on his first effort, which is now being sold by US Stove.
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COVID-19 Stove Relief Fund |
The Stove Repair Relief Fund helps families impacted by COVID-19. 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. Dozens of families have been able to keep their pellet stoves running safely
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State News
Arizona: Long-term exposure to air pollution can worsen serious complications from COVID-19 and American Indians and Alaska Natives face hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group. Stove change-outs can are part of the solution.
New Hampshire: "In every way it's been a win for us," says Gates about switching their commerical oil boiler a to wood chip one in NH. Thanks to the Environmental Defense Fund and Nature Conservancy for helping to sponsor this series.
Tennessee: For the Greene County Firewood Ministry, started in 2008, it has been a busy season making sure their neighbors in need do not go cold. They provide free wood to people who lost jobs and income during the pandemic.
Vermont: “Allard offers a great example of how Vermont can transition to cleaner energy sources, including the efficient and sustainable use of wood, as fossil-fuel dependent equipment reaches the end of its useful life,” said Jared Duval, director of the Energy Action Network.
Vermont: Very interesting to see the growing number of utilities in Vermont that offer rebates to their customers to add pellet stoves that help utilities meet demand during winter peak events. Why can't larger utilities in other parts of the US do that?
International News
UK: Biomass is part of the second phase of the UK Public Sector Decarbonization Scheme. The scheme was designed to pave the way for the decarbonization of large public buildings such as schools and hospitals.
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Whole house air source heat pumps are not efficient enough to be powered by typical home solar panels usually but ductless mini-splits can heat part of your house from solar. Almost all households with heat pumps use grid electricity mostly made by fossil fuels. Some heat pumps also revert to extremely expensive resistance electric heating when they have to, in the coldest weeks. Our Facebook post drew many expert and interesting responses from stove installers who also install heat pumps.
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Conferences & Webinars
All events listed below are virtual except the European Pellet Conference, which has a virtual option.
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April 1, 2021
How should these forests be treated? Should we stop all logging? Are managed forests healthier? Should sequestering the most carbon be our priority?
April 13-23, 2021
All events during Energy Week are free. Registration is required.
April 27 - May 6, 2021
This virtual event will feature six sessions on the state of the industry and latest federal policy developments from the US Congress, the Biden Administration and agencies.
Wels, Austria, June 22, 2021
The European Pellet Conference 2021 moves to the summer.
June 23-26, 2021
HBPA just switched its in-person Expo to a virtual one.
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Misleading Advertisement of the Month
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Success! Publicity causes company to stop selling uncertified wood heaters AGH urged members of the wood heating community to call and urge HVACdirect.com to stop illegally selling uncertified wood furnaces. And they stopped. Thank you to all who called. We were also concerned that the company put its numerous NFI certified technicians in a difficult position, selling illegal products. However, a company rep only said they are "presently selling them" which could mean they will sell them again next winter. EPA enforcement should be doing this enforcement, not citizens and non-profits. Ohio consumer agencies also contacted the company.
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Thank you to everyone who donated to AGH during 2020! Your support makes a huge difference and is very appreciated. 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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