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 Green Heat News
December 2009
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Dear Friends,
Interest
in wood heat is clearly on the rise as the US begins to more seriously tackle
climate change and incentivize renewable energies.
That
momentum is in part the result of the efforts of the approximately 700 people
on this email list, many of whom have been involved in renewable energy for
decades.
The
Alliance for Green Heat is only six months old now, but we are growing and have ambitious
plans for next year. Like all
independent non-profits, we rely on year-end donations so please consider
making a donation. And if you are
aware of any grants or foundations we should look into, please let us know.
Thanks
for all of your support and we hope you have wonderful holidays!
The
Green Heat Team - John Ackerly, Bhavna Sakhrani & Louis Spitzer |
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PACE Program Pioneers Renewable Energy Financing
Berkeley, CA and Boulder, CO may be known in most of America for their ultra-liberal tendencies, but they have pioneered a renewable energy funding mechanism that is on its way to being implemented in Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and many other states. It ties a loan for renewable energy systems to your property tax over a period of 20 - 40 years so whoever owns the property keeps paying down the loan. The Alliance for Green Heat researched how easy it will be for these loans to cover wood and pellet stoves and boilers. Click here to read full article |
Biomass in Copenhagen
Thermal biomass is a small piece of a big puzzle in Copenhagen this week, but one of the hottest topics is forestry - and deforestation - including for energy crops. At the center of this debate is how to incentivize maintaining existing forests and preventing land conversion, a slice of the same issues we grapple with in North America. One intersection of thermal biomass and climate talks in Copenhagen is the growing demand for "renewable" biomass energy crops by the developed world.
Read the rest of this article
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Featured Product
The Morso Squirrel 1410 and 1440 models, can both be outfitted with an 8000BTU backboiler, capable of supplying hot water to radiators and a water system calorifier, a device that heats water for household needs by circulating water around it through heated coils. Despite its diminutive size, the Squirrel easily delivers 8-9 hours of smokeless heat at an outfit of 6Kw and can even be used on boats. The additional air chamber ensures secondary combustion of excess smoke - providing great efficiency, minimal particulate emissions and a beautiful view of the burning flame through the soot-free glass door. One of the earliest stove manufactures in the world; Morso sells the Squirrel at about $1,340 for both the stove and boiler. Emissions are 3.3 grams per hour. View Past Featured Products on our Website!
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Wood Heat Helps Poor Households Feed their Families in Winter
More Americans are struggling with not having enough food to eat this year.
In many parts of the United States, winters force low- income families to choose between heating their homes, feeding themselves and their families. Low income families who get some or all of their wood for free are cushioned from these tough choices and are not as likely to suffer food insecurity during the winter as families that have to pay for fossil fuels - especially expensive ones like oil, electricity and propane.
Read the rest of this article here
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Did You Know...?
Which state has the best incentives for homeowners to switch
from fossil fuel heat to renewable biomass as their primary heat source?
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Pennsylvania
4. Vermont
Unlike incentives for solar panels, which tend to be more predictable,
state incentives for wood heating march to their own tune. New England has yet to find a way forward
to incentivize their own biomass resources for heating. Vermont, #4 above, comes in last
place. Pennsylvania is the only
state in the country that gives a rebate for residential boilers or furnaces,
but not for a wood stove. But it's
only a $250 rebates or $500 if it's extremely efficient. Oregon may be the most progressive state in the
country for wood and pellet stove rebates. But only one state in the nation gives an incentive to
switch from non-renewable heat to renewable heat: Alabama. Section 40-18-15 of
Alabama's tax and revenue code provides a 100% tax deduction for purchase and
installation to convert from gas or electricity to wood when the system is used
as the primary energy source for heating a home.
To check the incentives for your state, click here: http://www.forgreenheat.org/incentives/state.html
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 Chronology of Wood Heat
Beginning 1.4 million years ago to the present, the history of
using wood for heat is rich and textured - and relatively smoky. When Europeans
found seemingly endless forests in North America, the demand of efficiency
eased and the ultra-efficient mainland European masonry stoves never really
caught on in the US. But steel and
cast iron stoves blossomed, with Troy, New York becoming the center of
production.Click here for a more detailed look at the history of wood burning!
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Breaking News
Blumenthal Calls For Ban On Outdoor Wood Furnaces-
Josh Kovner
Where there's smoke, there's fire - and, these days, a growing number of state residents fed up with their neighbors' outdoor, wood-burning furnaces.State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called Wednesday for a statewide ban on the furnaces, saying that too often they spew noxious smoke and are subject to misuse by people who burn materials other than wood.Link to Full ArticleHearing focuses on proposed rules for wood-fired boilers-
Rick WillsWestern Pennsylvania residents faced off over proposed state regulations for outdoor wood-fired boilers during a hearing today in Cranberry. About 70 people attended the public hearing conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection at the Cranberry Municipal Building. DEP is considering regulations that would require higher stacks for the boilers and would prohibit installation of a boiler within 150 feet of the nearest property line. Link to Full Article Vt. 'Wood Warms' helps warm low-income families-
John Curran
A state program that taps one of Vermont's most abundant natural resources to help low-income families will keep the home fires burning for about 500 households this winter, state officials said Tuesday. Link to Full Article |
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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Become A Green Heat Founding Member: Make Your Donation Here
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