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 Green Heat News
November 2009
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Dear colleagues, friends and supporters,
The Alliance for Green Heat is making headway in getting other environmental and climate change organizations and policy-leaders to rethink wood heat. Low and middle-income rural Americans are the real leaders of the renewable energy movement by creating and using far more renewable energy than anyone else. The companies making wind turbines and solar panels may dominate the visual imagery of our renewable energy future, but its still the invisible low and middle-income communities who heat their homes with wood and pellets who are the mainstay of using residential renewable energy.
The Alliance is urging all organizations promoting renewable energy to acknowledge the contribution of those rural, mainly poor Americans who never fully switched to fossil fuel heating, and advocate on their behalf.
America's future depends on carefully balancing the support for each renewable energy. To spur innovation, whichever technology can reduce carbon the most cheaply should be rewarded. Otherwise, we run the risk of over-incentivizing something, as we did with ethanol, and as we could do again with co-firing coal plants with wood.
Thanks for your support!
The Alliance for Green Heat Team
John Ackerly, Bhavna Sakhrani, Claire Hillan and Amanda Johnson |
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EPA to Overhaul Wood Burning Policies in the U.S
The
long awaited formal recommendation from the EPA that they will revisit
a wide range of rules and regulations around wood burning in America is
now public. On November 3, Gil Wood, one of the EPA's top wood stove
experts, emailed a nine page memo discussing potential policy changes
to industry and non-profit stakeholders around the country. Mr. Wood
concludes "a variety of revisions to the NSPS appear to be both
appropriate and necessary." The memo hinted at some major changes,
such as the possibility that new fireplaces in the US could be subject
to emission limits.
Notably
absent from the memo however, were any specific recommendations as to
what emission limits the EPA m ay seek for various wood burning
appliances. However, it was noted that "on a sales-weighted basis,
over 90% of EPA-certified model lines are reported to meet the
Washington State wood stove emission limits" which are maximum of 4.5
grams per hour, compared to the current EPA max of 7.5. The Alliance
for Green Heat believes that if 90% of stoves already meet the stricter
Washington State standard, the new EPA limits should be even stricter
since it is likely that this standard will last for at least 10 years.
The EPA last set policies and emission limits more than 20 years ago,
in 1988. Since then, EPA emission limits have become outdated and lax,
and more and more loopholes have been exploited to sell polluting wood
appliances.
Gil Wood (EPA)
The
EPA has set this multi-year process in motion and will be tackling
scores of technical and contested areas. However, there is little
doubt that the following will happen:
1. Emission standards for wood stoves will be tightened
2. More
classes of wood appliances will be covered by mandatory emission
standards which could include pellet and corn stoves, outdoor wood
boilers, fireplaces, coal stoves and exempt high air-to-fuel woodstoves.
For
those closely following this process, there were probably few surprises
in the document. While many of the policy options would appear arcane
and technical to the general public, the take-away for laypeople is
that wood stoves are about to become cleaner burning and the fireplace
is firmly in the sights of the EPA. |
Did You Know...?
Think
heating your home with wood is just for northerners? Think again.
Among the top 10 states in America where households use wood on a per
capita basis as their primary heat source, are Arkansas and New
Mexico. According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 2% of
Americans use wood as their primary heating source. Vermont tops the list at nearly 10% but arid New Mexico on our southern border is over 5%. 
1. Vermont - 9.4%
2. Idaho - 7.7%
3. Montana - 7.5%
4. Oregon - 7.1%
5. Maine - 6.4%
6. West Virginia - 5.9%
7. New Mexico - 5.1%
8. Arkansas - 4.7%
9. Washington - 4.7%
10. New Hampshire - 4.3%
Source: US Census Bureau
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Alliance for Green Heat Co-Sponsors Congressional Briefing
The Biomass Thermal Energy Council, the Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI), and the Alliance for Green Heat briefed congressional staffers about the benefits and viability of biomass thermal energy on November 6. 
The briefing attracted sizable audience of individuals interested in biomass energy, including representatives from 16 congressional offices, two Senate committees, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many non-profit and industry groups.
The speakers emphasized the environmental, climate change and affordability benefits and potential of thermal biomass, compared to not only biomass for electricity and biofuels, but also compared to other renewable energy sources. "The goal of the briefing was to help policymakers understand biomass heating as a cost-effective way to meet our goals of energy independence and address climate change," said Jon Strimling, president WoodPellets.com and BTEC Government Affairs Chairman.
"Cellulosic ethanol and biomass used for electricity generation receive the lion's share of government assistance even though biomass thermal is more efficient than either of the two." said Bruce Lisle, President, Biofuel Technologies and PFI Government Affairs Committee chairman.
The final speaker, John Ackerly of Alliance for Green Heat, argued that the "federal tax credit structure for residential renewable energy is backwards. It heavily subsidizes solar, wind and geothermal which wealthy families can afford, but barely subsidizes biomass stoves which low and middle income families can afford. Tax credits for solar systems, for example, cost the taxpayer about $3,000 per ton of offset carbon, but only $350 per ton for biomass," Ackerly said.
Presentations from the briefing can be viewed here.
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Featured Product
The Froling pellet boiler is a modern high-technology appliance that features a bulk delivery system with a built-in automatic feed device to deliver pellets. Built by one of Austria's top furnace manufacturers, it delivers efficiency in excess of 90% and ensures optimal fuel to air ratios and the highest operating safety. The boiler has an integrated silencer for quiet operation and can automatically remove ash using a heat exchange cleaning system - keeping combustion clean and emissions low. Pellets need to be refilled approximately twice a week. Prices start at $14,500.
View Past Featured Products on our Website!
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Breaking News
Vermont Willow Harvest Promises Cheap Biomass Fuel-
Dave Gram
Middlebury College used to heat its buildings with oil, then switched to wood chips. Now it has planted a sustainable and relatively cheap fuel source - willow shrubs - that could help cut demand on the state's forests. Link to Full ArticleClimate Bill Writers Must Think Small-
David SleeperIn New Hampshire, our renewable energy future can be seen rolling across the hills to the horizon. Our forests are the equivalent of wind farms in Texas or solar panels in California. The use of wood in New Hampshire to replace fossil fuels for heating homes and businesses represents a potential four-fold benefit: climate-change mitigation, reduced dependence on foreign oil, improved forest management and economic growth for struggling rural areas. Link to Full Article Sweden Consumes More Than 20 Percent of the World's Wood Pelelts and Demand is Growing-
Wood Resources International
The decision by the EU to use a minimum of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020 has driven a rapid increase in wood pellet production in Europe. Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the U.K. are expected to have the fastest growth in consumption in tthe coming 10 years. Link to Full Article
Home Green Home: Burning Wisely-
Tom Zeller Jr.The environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 29 million wood-burning fireplaces in American households, and for the most part, they are about as useful as playing a video game on your television. Indeed, beyond their iconic ambiance, traditional masonry fireplaces reach efficiency levels of only 20 to 30 percent when fully ablaze. That means 70 to 80 percent of the heat generated by the fire is being lost up the chimney.
Link to Full Article |
Additions to Our Advisory Board
Gary Dodge
Gary Dodge is the Director of Science and Certification at the Forest Sustainability Council (FSC). He is responsible for programs designed to ensure FSC system integrity and increase uptake of FSC certification by forest managers in the US and Canada.
Lily Donge
Lily Donge is Manager of Environment and Climate Change, at the Calvert Investments. As part of the research team, she has managed research processes for the Calvert Social Index� and the Calvert Global Alternative Energy Fund.
Eric Kessler
Eric Kessler is the founder and principal of Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors. Eric currently serves as the Disaster Response Resource Lead for the Council on Foundations and is a member of its 2008 Philanthropy Summit Program Committee.
Steve Nadel
Steve Nadel is the Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a non-profit research organization that works on programs and policies to advance energy-efficient technologies and services.
View Full Biographies Here
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Please Support Our Work!
Thanks To...
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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. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
You can make a secure donation online through PayPal by clicking the button below
We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to all of our supporters! Your donations help us advocate for policies to help everyday Americans heat their homes sustainably and affordably.
Special thanks go out to our Founding Members: Woodpellets.com, Arbolito Foundation, Dr. William & Frances Ackerly, Steven R. Kaufman & JD Doliner, Tad Welch & Ali Schultheis, Nina Smith and Anonymous.
We would also like to thank Algienne Amrita, Julie Berriault, Nima Binara, Nancy Black, Susan Colfer, Stephen Fotis & Jill Riley, Robert Freling, Michael Green, Charles Gregg, James Hopkins, Denis Kelemen, Michael & Rachel Lostumbo, Sara Meling, Thomas McCoy, Bruce Rich, Margaret Richenburg, Katherine Skinner, Bill & Cathy Smock, Louis Spitzer, Andrea Strimling & Tsering Ngodup, Karen-Sue Taussig & Johnathan Kahn, and Tad Wysor for their support.
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