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January 2010
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Dear Friends,
 
2010 is here and we are excited make headway this year. The Alliance for Green Heat is off to a great start, and we want to thank all of you who donated and supported us last year. 
 
This will be a vitally important year in the drive to make the stock of American stoves cleaner and more efficient. The wood heat renewable energy sector has an immense potential to grow.
 
This year the EPA reviews of wood stove emission standards will get underway, and more states will adopt property assessed renewable energy loan programs and are likely to crack down on outdoor wood boilers, the most polluting wood burning appliance. The Alliance is ready to provide expertise and support on these issues and many more.
 
We rely on our ever-increasing network of friends and supporters. Please forward this monthly e-newsletter and ask your colleagues to sign up for it.

If you haven't donated already, please consider doing so.
 
Wood heat in America is making a significant contribution to slowing climate change but we need to be ready to work much harder to achieve our potential.
 
Thank you,

The Alliance for Green Heat team
John Ackerly, Nilanjana Saha, Bhavna Sakhrani and Louis Spitzer

OWBs face challenges in PA, IN, CT and RI

Four states-Pennsylvania, Indiana, Connecticut and Rhode Island- have been working on proposals to regulate Outdoor Wood Boilers (OWBs). Even though unregulated OWBs are arguably the most polluting wood stove burning devices, no mandatory federal standards exist for them. However, state legislatures around the country are making progress in curbing pollution from OWBs.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) recently proposed new regulatory rules for all OWBs sold and used in the state. If passed, the new regulations will only allow the sale of Phase II units (an OWB that has been qualified by the EPA as meeting a particulate matter emission limit of 0.32 pounds per million), and require new OWBs to be installed at least 150 feet from the nearest property line. The proposal will further mandate both new and old OWBs to contain a permanent stack at least 10-feet tall and two feet above the highest residence, and prohibit the burning of garbage, tires, hazardous waste etc.

As public hearings wrap up around the state, the proposal is scheduled for review by the state legislature.

As a national organization dedicated to promoting wood heat in America, the Alliance for Green Heat supports strict regulations for outdoor boilers. We believe that wood heat should be a key source of renewable energy in America, and that renewable energy incentives should be provided to biomass, along with solar, wind and geothermal. However, we also believe that the EPA has let some of our emission standards stagnate and has allowed too many exempt appliances, such as unregulated outdoor boilers, to remain on the market for too long.

Read the article here.
Wood Heating and Energy Literacy

By John Gulland
      

If you pay attention to discussions of energy issues, you could hardly avoid the conclusion that there are no forms of energy that are any good. This is despite the fact that Canadian and US citizens still have a big appetite for energy of all types. The same people who, by any reasonable measure are excessive consumers of energy, fight strenuously to stop energy developments where they live. Apparently the only acceptable forms of energy are ones produced out of sight and out of mind.

Read the article here.

Visit woodheat.org for more information.

Featured Product

This month we feature a masonry stove because want to recognize this important class of products. They are typically among the most expensive wood heating options, but as many states are setting up property-assessed clean energy (PACE) loans, masonry stoves could see a real uptick in sales. PACE loans get attached to the property tax and a $20,000 installation can cost whoever owns the house less than $100 a month. Featured here is the LLU1150 heat-retaining bakeoven and stove, which is one of the 16 dual fireplace/oven products created by Tulikivi-a Finnish masonry stove company.  Although masonry stoves are exempt from certification, according to the Tulikivi sales staff, the bakeovens meet the 75 percent efficiency rate for EPA-certified tax credits and meet federal, Colorado and Washington state emission standards. These soapstone ovens can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000. Tulikivi employs one of two fireplace solutions in their bakeovens-the flat grate and the whirl chamber. The flat grate maintains high combustion efficiency with low emissions, while the whirl chamber lengthens the time that combustion gases remain in the fire chamber, making it a high-efficiency product, according to Bachmanfireplaces. Com. For decorative purposes, the bakeovens can serve as room dividers, as the fireplace can open into the living room, while the bakeoven opens up into the kitchen.

Photos courtesy of tulikivi.com & newadventure.ca
The not-so-miraculous Amish fireplace

Advertisements for the "Heat Surge miracle heater" have been popping up everywhere-between your favorite TV-shows, on the Web or cleverly disguised as news articles in locals papers. While the Alliance for Green Heat isn't directly concerned with electric heaters, after numerous inquiries, we decided to include a short piece about these supposed miracles.
Advertisements for these fireplaces (electric heaters, encased in Amish-made oak mantelpieces) claim that they use 9 cents of electricity per hour, give the impression of a real fire and that they are free. But, as David Wood of Consumer Affairs points out in his article "How miraculous is the Amish fireplace?" the ads are misleading on most accounts.


Read the article here.
Did You Know...?

Which renewable energy technology produces the most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to produce electricity during their lifecycle?

In contrast to fossil fuel technologies, the vast majority of GHG emissions from renewable energy technologies occur upstream of the plant operation - typically for the production and construction of the technology and/or its supporting infrastructure.
 
Most studies show that wind has consistently the lowest GHG life-cycle emissions. Solar and biomass are considerably higher but often close to each other. And hydro often has the greatest range depending on whether large tracts of forestland were submerged or not. Thus, hydro can be either extremely low or relatively high compared to the other renewables. 

Sources:"A guide to life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electric supply technologies," by Daniel Weisser∗PESS / IAEA Wagramer Strasse 5 1400 - Vienna Austria;
Spadaro, J.V., Langlois, L., and Hamilton, B. (2000) "Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Different Electricity Generating Chains", IAEA Bulletin, 42 (2). 

Save the Date:
AGH to co-sponsor annual NE biomass conference

This year's "Heating the Northeast Conference" will be held in Manchester, N.H. on April 27 and 28. The conference provides a venue for discussing biomass heating in various sectors of the community. The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) is the lead organizer of the event, and The Alliance for Green Heat will be co-sponsoring it, along with other organizations.
Last year's inaugural conference and fair in Nashua, N.H. brought together over 400 attendees and 35 vendors from 15 states and five countries. The attendance is expected to increas
e by 50 percent this year.
The conference explor
es potentials for biomass utilization in residential, commercial and indoor heating, combined heat and power (CHP) and district heating, and how this renewable energy source can contribute to energy independence, slow climate change, boost rural economies and create a sustainable future in the northeastern part of the country.

For more information, check out the conference Web siteNE biomass conference .
Breaking News
 
A quest to design the perfect stove

For three billion people around the world, a good stove can save lives. But designing a fuel-efficient, affordable and culturally-sensitive stove is no easy task, as New Yorker Staff Writer Burkhard Bilger reveals in a recent article titled "Annals of Invention: Hearth Surgery." With average cooking fires producing as much emissions as a car, building the right stove may be the most efficient way to combat global warming in the developing world and preventing a handful of life-threatening diseases. Read the article.


New York, Vermont accept applications for firewood collection from state forests

Due to increased demand, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is accepting applications from homeowners to cut firewood from state forests in three counties this winter. Homeowners will receive firewood through a bid auction and lottery. According to a press release by the DEC, the selected trees will be marked by state officials and the felled trees can be transported  no farther than 50 feet from its original location to prevent the spread of invasive species. The program is expected to help improve local forests, and provide a renewable energy alternative to fossil fuels.

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (VTFPR) has also opened up a lottery to distribute firewood from 200 roadside lots. Each lot contains three cords of wood and costs $10 per cord. Each household is allowed only one application, and everyone is required to cut and haul their own wood.

Other states have similar programs. See our Web site for a more complete listing.
 

Firewood collection in New York

Firewood collection in Vermont



New plants to supply larger demand for pellets

The U.S. wood pellet industry has been growing in response to increased European demands for renewable biomass fuel. According to a New York Times article, two pellet processing plants are scheduled to be built in Arkansas. The North American pellet industry has grown six times in the last five years, with production reaching 6.2 million metric tons in 2009. As Europe moves towards using 20 percent renewable energy by 2020, and the United States provides tax incentives to consumers for installation of efficient biomass stoves, the Southern part of the country is expected to become a leader in pellet production and export, the article reports. Read the article.


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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.

Founders--Dr. William & Frances Ackerly, the Arbolito Foundation and woodpellets.com.

Founding members--April Bodman, Ann Down, Steven R. Kaufman & JD Doliner, Nick & Julie Salavsky, John Ackerly & Nina Smith, Tad Welch & Ali Schultheis and Anonymous.


Supporters--Algienne Amrita, Nima Binara, Peter Caldwell, Chaya Chen & Bob Freling, Tina & Dave Egan, Charlie Gregg, Lisa Hardmeyer & Bruce Gray, Blake & Ning Kerr, Margaret Kerr, Sat Jiwan Khalsa, Marni Kravitz & James Hopkins, Tsering Ngodup & Andrea Strimling, Todd & Jenny Owen, Bruce Rich, Kate Skiner, Bill & Kathy Smock, Louis Spitzer & Gillian Caldwell, Karen-Sue Taussig & Johnathan Kahn and Tad & Wanda Wysor.

Friends--Julie Berriault, Nancy Black, Ian & Lisa Buttner, Susan Colfer, Joanne Foulk & Denis Kelemen, Dan Freihofer, Michael & Meloney Green, Michael & Rachel Lostumbo, Thomas McCoy, Sara Meling, Paula Nersesian, Susan Ogg, Jill Riley & Stephen Fotis and Beth & Greg Rappaport.

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