Featured

The role of rebates for modern wood heat

The Northern Forest Center (NFC) provides a breakdown on the importance of wood heat state rebates and how they can boost regional adoption. The NFC recently helped persuade Maine to keep their rebates (of up to $6,000) for wood boilers and furnaces.

California is home to millions of urban trees. What happens when they die?

“It’s humankind’s favorite building material, as far as you look into the past, as far as you can look into the future — it’s the warmth of wood.” Among other options, downed urban trees are great sources of wood for firewood banks who often rely on donations of wood.

AGH webinar: Common Problems – and Solutions – for Self-Installed Wood Stoves

Dangerous stove installations are common in America and are usually the result of homeowners doing their own installation. Join the Alliance for Green Heat and a panel of experts to explore this problem and look at practices on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Canada. Speakers include John Gulland, Hamm Brewer, Byron Schramm and Yvette Aube. Register here. October 17th, 1:00-2:30 PM (ET).

Agencies

DOE BETO: Wood Heater Innovation Collaboration

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), funded by the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office, announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Call to accelerate wood heater innovation and develop the next generation of efficient and clean wood heaters. Concept papers are due by Sept. 13.

DOE releases Request for Information to achieve more efficient and cleaner residential wood heaters

The Residential Wood Heater In-Situ Testing RFI seeks feedback from industry, academia, research labs, government agencies, and other stakeholders ahead of a project to collect wood heater performance data in the field. Comments are due no later than 5 PM (ET) on September 6, 2024.

Administration announces nearly $85 million to accelerate domestic heat pump manufacturing

"The selected projects are the second round of awards from DOE’s authorization, invoked by President Biden using emergency authority on the basis of climate change, to utilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase domestic production of five key clean energy technologies..."

Wood stove innovation: a blaze of progress

A commentator provides a slightly rosy picture of stove innovation resulting from DOE BETO grants. "These advancements promise a brighter future for wood stoves, ensuring they remain a viable and environmentally responsible heating option."

IDC data for test method development now available

The EPA subcontracted with PFS-TECO, a stove test lab in Clackamas Oregon, to conduct multiple tests on 6 stoves – 2 non-cat, 2 cat and 2 hybrid. Each stove was tested with both Doug Fir and Maple. This is a critical phase of data collection to inform the next set of wood heater regulations. The data is now open to be analyzed by stakeholders.

Funding for firewood Banks

Grant applications open for renewal, start-up and new firewood banks!

Renewal grants up to $10,000 are now available for firewood banks that previously received AGH funding. The New Applicant Grant Form and the Start-up Grant Form will remain open. Beginning October 1, 2024, items of up to $10,000 can be purchased with grant funds! We are now about half-way into a 5 year program funded by the USDA Forest Service.

Pellets

Wood pellets in the holy city

In Italy most new sales are replacing old pellet systems. France has been a dynamic market in recent years with more than 200,000 stove sales in 2022—new installations—but dropped to 70,000 units during the past heating season. Austria and Poland have seen nice recoveries, and other countries are still stabilizing.

Industry

Stove Builder International boosts efficiency

We usually avoid infomercials from companies in this newsletter, but this is a particularly good one about how the building of steel stoves is increasingly mechanized, reducing the need for laborers who are in short supply.

Jøtul Group - Interim financial report

In in the first half of 2024, the Group’s revenue reduced by 41.6% compared to the same period of last year. The downturn is mainly due to lower demand, which is driven by lower cost of energy (both electricity and natural gas), higher interest rates, lower home improvement spending. The Group’s main brands are Jøtul, Scan and Ravelli. Manufacturing takes place through own production in Norway, Poland, France, and the USA.

Best of Facebook

"Nice idea, but did anyone ever do this, other than the Romans?"

CSIA 2024 Training Days: Boston, Philly, Portland OR, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America has a full schedule of trainings around the country next year.

ACEEE: Workshop on Centering Energy Affordability in Low-Income Home Electrification Programs

Online, September 10, 2024, 1-4 PM (ET)

This workshop will discuss the unintended consequences of electrification for energy-burdened households, and best practices for ensuring post-electrification bill affordability.

Wood Pellet Association of Canada Conference

Victoria, British Columbia, September 17-18, 2024

Canada’s largest gathering of the Canadian wood pellet industry.

International Training Seminar: Sustainable Bioenergy Heating

Linz, Austria, September 23 - 26, 2024

The Seminar focuses on small- to mid-scale projects fueled by wood pellets and wood chips for homes, smaller commercial/public buildings and district heating grids.

Renewable Thermal Collaborative Summit 2024

Washington, D.C., September 30-October 1, 2024

The Summit is the only place where large industrial, institutional, and commercial energy users like Procter & Gamble, Mars, and Colgate Palmolive come together.

ETHOS 25th Anniversary

The annual gathering of innovators in the cook stove community.

Kirkland, Washington, January 24-26, 2025

HPBExpo 2025

New Orleans, Louisiana, March 26-29, 2025

The annual hearth convention to help retailers, buyers, manufacturers, and suppliers connect and build stronger businesses in a changing market.

PFI 2025 Annual Conference

The annual gathering of the Pellet Fuel Institute, representing manufacturers of heating pellets.

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, June 17-19, 2025

Alliance for Green Heat | (202) 365-4765 | contact@forgreenheat.org | | www.forgreenheat.org