 Green Heat News
June 2010
Issue No: 11
|
|
|
|
Senate Adopts Most of House Biomass Provisions in Home Star
 May 27, 2010 - Senator Bingaman introduced Home Star in the Senate on Thursday, May 27, largely adopting the House language on biomass appliances. The bill took the strict emissions standards from the House bill that requires stove to emit no more than 3 grams per hour. For stoves or boilers that can meet 75% of the homes heating needs, the Senate raised the rebate level from $1,000 to $1,500. However, the Senate version doesn't allow "double dipping" with the federal 30% tax credit up to $1,500. For More information, Click here |
Analysis of a Wood Heat Survey
The Alliance for Green Heat and Antioch
University of New England circulated a survey to solicit attitudes about wood
heat. 885 people took the survey from 37 states. While this survey was not
designed to be scientific or produce reliable data about perceptions of
Americans about wood heat, it nevertheless turned up some very interesting
trends and results.
For more info, click here.
|
Europe
still outpacing the US on thermal biomass
Most European countries, including virtually all northern European ones, have strong incentives to expand wood heat usage. The motivation behind such aggressive incentives differs by country. In Austria, the incentives on biomass as a heating fuel were initiated to create jobs in rural areas. In most European countries, however, the incentive programs were started as a means reducing CO2 emissions. For more info, click here.
|
What is "Green Heat"?
Green Heat is banning the use of No. 6 heating oil and phasing out No. 4 heating oil. These residual, low-grade oils are far more polluting than No. 2 heating oil, which is the common heating oil. The Environmental Defense Fund led an innovative, grass-roots campaign in New York city allowing residents to see which buildings used the dirty fuels. Oddly, "the richest parts of Manhattan have the dirtiest buildings" the group concluded.For more information, Click Here |
|
Featured Product: Guntamatic Therm 7 kW
T his pellet boiler by the Austrian manufacturer Guntamatic is one of the few in its category that can be mounted on a wall. Moreover, Guntamatic reports 94% efficiency and less than 10 mg/MJ (0.02326 lbs/ million BTU) emissions, which by American standards qualifies it as "next generation" technology. the The appliance delivers 2-7 kW (between 0.4 and 1.4 million BTU/hr) and is ideal for a small home or apartment.
The Guntamatic recently was awarded a "EnergieGenie2010" award by the Austrian Ministry of Environment and the government of the Austrian province of Upper Austria for its outstanding performance and innovation. |
|
National News
Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said in an interview that low-income families will get a refund for the price put on carbon emissions proposed by the Kerry Lieberman bill. And the winner is...EPA announced the winners of the Burnwise video contest. Check out these entertaining and informative 60-second videos. State NewsUSDA's Forest Service Wood Education and Resource Center is funding feasibility studies for New York businesses, public entities and nonprofits interested in biomass heat.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has started making regulations for hydronic heaters.
Between Thursday, May 13 and Sunday, May 16 the Enterprise Record-newspaper of Chico, CA, published a series of ten balanced and informative articles about the wood heat and wood smoke.
Minnesotans turn to state
assistance to pay heating bills
A record number of low-income Minnesotans
turned to state assistance for help paying their heating bills this past season.
Missouri and
Georgia approve PACE legislation Missouri and Georgia recently joined about 20 other states to help residential and
commercial property owners finance renewable energy
improvements. The Missouri bill appears to
include biomass and the Georgia one leaves eligibility of technology up to
local jurisdiction.
International NewsThe Finnish minister of environment has opened a CHP biomass plant that delivers 385MW of thermal power and 12MW of electricity.
|
|
Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
|
|
Take Action
Vote for the Alliance for Green Heat
HumanityCalls.org, a fundraising tournament website designed to bring together nonprofits, companies, and individuals focused on addressing global causes such as the environment, poverty and human rights. The Alliance for Green Heat is competing in this tournament and needs your vote! website. |
Did you know?
What country bans electric heating? Using electricity as a direct
heating source is among the least inefficient and most polluting
applications of energy for heat. Denmark banned it in new construction in 1988 and Sweden restricts it. These two countries have been working
on eliminating this wasteful use of energy and promoting cleaner heating
systems such as district systems and use of biomass. Click the links for more info on the Danish (pdf) regulations (scroll to section 5.2) and for the Swedish (pdf) regulations. |
What does the Gulf oil spill have to do with wood heat? Lots.
Heating oil accounts for about 4% of the yield of a gallon
of crude oil. One quarter of all US oil and gas production comes from
the
Gulf of Mexico. Thus, our demand for fossil fuel heat is contributing
to
the pressure to drill oil wells in deeper and deeper water. Estimates
range from 21 and 180 million gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf thus
far. If
we had promoted ultra-clean wood heat, as some countries in Europe have,
we
would not need nearly as much heating oil as we do today. With the 4% of
the oil
spilled so far, between 1,000 and 8,000 New England homes could have been heated for
an
entire year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please Support Our Work!
Thanks To...
 |
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, Family Alliance Foundation, the Ramsay Merriam Fund and Woodpellets.com
Founding members--April Bodman, Ann Down, Tina and Dave Egan, Kim Kaston, Steven R. Kaufman & JD Doliner, John Meeker, Nick Salafsky & Julie Segre, Nina Smith & John Ackerly, Tad Welch & Ali Schultheis and Anonymous.
| | Become A Green Heat Founding Member: Make Your Donation Here |
|
|
