Green Heat News
A monthly news service for everyone
interested in renewable wood & pellet heating
May 2022
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5th Wood Heater Design Challenge
The short application to be a contestant in the Wood Stove Slam is now available and is due on June 15. The Slam, to be held virtually on Sept. 29, will showcase teams pitching the most modern, innovative wood and pellet stoves from all over the world. Part technology slam, part shark tank - it promises to be informative, eye-opening and entertaining.
Rules for the Slam
A one hour webinar on May 19, 11-12 EST about the DOE's effort, via the 5th Design Challenge, to engage and broaden the US wood heating community to accelerate R&D and show how wood heat can be a part of a broader renewable energy strategy.
Powerpoints now available for workshops
Workshop 1: Basics of wood combustion, automatic air controls, wood heating in 2030
Workshop 2: Overview of wood heater testing, EPA method testing, Citizen science
Workshop 3: Adoption of New Wood Heater Technology and Integration with Other Renewables
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Featured Stories
A 2019 Challenge Fund sought an innovative stove design for an energy-efficient wood-burning stove that addresses the local needs in Georgia, a former Soviet republic. It also needed to be affordable and made in local factories.
Using a credit system, it would require and incentivize heating-fuel distributors to decrease the amount of fossil fuels they sell over time, switching instead to a list of heating technologies and fuels that produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, including advanced wood and pellet heat.
During an energy audit, auditors follow pages and pages of instructions to ensure that the boiler or furnace is working properly and safely. But for wood stoves, there is barely half a page. Ironically, it is the wood stove, not boilers and furnaces, which are far more likely to be (poorly) self-installed and are right in the living space, not the basement. Meanwhile, depressurization, which can cause smoke spillage when reloading, has not yet been connected to stoves, as it is with other appliances.
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Energy and the invasion of Ukraine |
Wood and pellet stove and boiler sales are soaring across Europe. Stove salespeople and stove builders are also registering a growing demand. Michal Sládek, owner of one of a stove companies in Czech Republic, recorded a 300 percent annual increase in demand for stoves.
The U.K. Pellet Council and Forest Stewardship Council have announced they will no longer recognize wood products coming from Russia and Belarus, stopping their import for use in bioenergy applications. Drax and several other producers have pulled out.
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The New York Times wrote a rare, top-notch review of pellet stoves! The Alliance for Green Heat is quoted extensively and recognized for conducting the "only credible side-by-side pellet stove test."
Pellets are also one of the most environmentally friendly fuels for cooking in Africa! Using crop and woody residuals keeps the pressure off local forests.
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State News
Minnesota: When this Minnesota company makes staves for barrels, they produce a lot of sawdust, which they will now use to make pellets. They will make heating pellets, and cooking pellets and heat their factory with pellets too.
Montana: The new Seeley Lake Wood Stove Zone was approved, where only the cleanest and most efficient stoves can be installed. New stoves will be required to meet the 2020 EPA standards of 70% energy efficiency. Wood burning devices currently in place are grandfathered.
New Hampshire: The transition to a net-zero carbon economy is a complicated enough challenge without completely discarding renewable energy sources that are immediately available, beneficial, affordable and accessible.
Oregon: Funding includes chimney sweep vouchers, wood moisture meters, wood stove thermometers and funding collaborative research to evaluate indoor air quality for residents enrolled in the home heating program.
Oregon: An important conversation about how to best communicate health impacts of wood smoke. However, the issue is oversimplified and does not consider when some smoke, such as from a pellet stove, was better than using fossil fuels.
Vermont: We love the comparison Emma Hanson makes: What is more advanced, a $6,000 Tesla Powerwall, or a $300 cord of wood that stores 333 times as much energy as the Powerwall?
Washington: Washington state's stove bounty program is targeting certain zip codes, paying $300 for old, uncertified stoves. This can be a far more cost-effective way to reduce wood smoke compared to change-out programs.
International
Canada: Another acquisition: the Canadian wood cook stove manufacturer Elmira, that also builds a line of retro kitchen appliances was just bought by another Canadian company.
Germany: Germans are also snapping up wood and coal, despite the arrival of Spring, with an eye on climbing gas prices and uncertainties about the effects of a prolonged war in Ukraine.
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Possibly THE most pervasive problem with wood burning is people not using seasoned wood. Here is a great video with tips from the EPA's Burnwise program.
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Verona, Italy, May 4-7, 2022
A massive world trade show of pellet heating systems, held every two years.
Ashland, VA, May 5, 2022
A focused workshop on how to operate firewood business.
Penn State, May 15-18, 2022
This joint conference will bring leading energy educators and practitioners together to showcase land grant university Extension and research program successes.
May 19, 11-12 EST
The DOE is working to engage and broaden the US wood heating community to accelerate R&D and show how wood heat can be a part of a broader renewable energy strategy.
Arlington, Wisconsin, June 15, 2022
A two day business workshop for the split firewood industry.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 21-24, 2022
More information to follow.
Dowagiac, Michigan, September 25-27, 2022
Our thanks to Bill and Sheila Krohne and Tom and Kim Hardy for hosting the 2022 Convention!
Washington DC, October 20-21, 2022
Keep an eye out for updates regarding the 2022 RTC Summit soon!
Burlington, Vermont, October 27-28, 2022
Celebrating its 22nd year, REV’s Annual Conference and Expo is the leading renewable energy event in northern New England.
Leipzig, Germany, April 18-20, 2023
As a prospective network-hub of the branch the WORLD OF FIREPLACES focuses on the topic of fireplaces and cosy ambience of living.
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