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 Green Heat News
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
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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.
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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,
C olorado 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
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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.
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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).
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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 increase by 50 percent this year.
The conference explores 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.
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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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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.
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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