February 2011
Green Heat NewsAGH logo
Issue No. 19
In This Issue
From the Newsroom
Upcoming Conferences

Quick Links

Current Wood Heat Incentive Programs 

Wood Stove Replacement Program:

Pendleton, OR

click here

 

Residential Bulk-Fed Pellet Boilers Rebate Program: 

New Hampshire

click here

Clean Heat Exchange: 

Apache & Navajo County, AZ  

click here

Wood Stove and Insert Replacement Rebate Program: 

Marin County, CA 

click here

 

An Alliance for Green Heat Study of these and other incentive program is funded in part by the

Forest Service's Wood Educations Resource Center:

WERC logo

Quote of the Month 

"Everybody focuses on cars and gas prices, and that's understandable. But our homes and our businesses use 40 percent of the energy."

President Obama,

Feb 2nd, Penn State 

Did You Know?

Maine "exports" about $720,000,000 per year because Maine homes use about 300 million gallons per year of heating oil and 78% of every dollar spent on heating oil leaves the Maine economy.

William Strauss, Ph.D.

Research Fellowship
The Alliance has an opening for a summer Research Fellow. This Fellowship will provide an excellent opportunity to promote renewable energy and delve into policy research.  We are accepting applications on a rolling basis. Come join a small team of advocates who believe in the clean and efficient use of biomass for heating homes and businesses. For more information, click here
Office Equipment Needed

Have a printer, scanner or computer that is still relatively up to date and in good working order that you don't need? Donate it to the Alliance for Green Heat and get a tax credit.Contact:

keith@forgreenheat.org 

Join Our Mailing List

And stay up to date with all thing wood heat. To sign up,

click here 

Dear Friends, 

 

This month we feature the Residential Wood Heat Score Card where we analyze six different criteria to rate each state.  We received some great coverage and a lot of valuable feedback from many of you.  Thank you. We also feature HB 829, a Maryland bill that would establish the most generous state rebate for pellet stoves and in rural areas for wood stoves that are under 3.0 g/hr.  Lastly, if you are in Salt Lake next month for the HPBA Expo, please join us on Friday, March 4 from 3:00 - 4:00 for a workshop on biomass stove incentive programs in room 151DE, Salt Lake Palace Convention Center

With best regards,

The Team at Green Heat


Alliance for Green Heat Projects & Activities

 

State Report Card Scores States on Biomass

A report released today, the "Residential Wood Heat Report Card," by the Alliance for Green Heat, finds that most states do little to promote and manage what is often the second or third most popular heating fuel in hundreds of rural counties around the US.

Report card map

Darker green indicates highest per-capita wood use.
America's oldest heating source - firewood - is experiencing a comeback, with wood heat soaring 50% - 80% in the last decade in some states, but only a handful of states are prepared to leverage American's new found enthusiasm for wood heat.  

Report card map of wood use change

Darkest green indicates largest increase in wood use, white indicates no change, while darkest blue indicates largest decrease in wood use.  

 

Click for the Press Release, full report and related resources

 

Maryland Biomass Heat Bill Advances

House Bill 829, the Renewable Energy for All Act, will provide a rebate for clean wood and pellet stoves and get older, non-certified stoves out of commission.   Unlike other renewable energy grant programs for solar, wind and geothermal, this program is designed mainly for low and middle-income families. The program would establish the strictest emission limits on wood and pellet stoves in the United States.  

For the text of the bill, click here

For a summary of the bill, click here

For wood heat trends in Maryland, click here 

 

  

Maryland Take Action

If you live in Maryland, please urge your delegate to support HB 829, the Renewable Energy Act for All.   

Click here to take action  

and here for a form letter to help you get started  

 

Don't Miss the Wood Heat Incentive Workshop in Salt Lake 

Join the Alliance for Green Heat for a workshop on wood and pellet stove incentive programs and how they can best help the consumer, the industry and our environment. The Workshop is being held at the HPBA Expo in Salt Lake on Friday, March 4 from 3:00 - 4:00 in room 151DE Salt Lake Palace Convention Center. Your RSVP is appreciated, but not required. For more info on the WERC project, click here. To RSVP email Program Manager Tatiana Butler at tatiana@forgreenheat.org.   


Coalition of Unlikely Partners Helps Address Wood Pests from Canada
With firewood recognized as one way that invasive insects travel, the Alliance for Green Heat is teaming up with the coalition that helps to prevent spread of invasives to native tress and plants. A collaboration of diverse interests aimed at addressing the threat of non-native insects and diseases is urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sujbect wood packaging material from Canada to the same requirements other countries must follow for this material before it can enter the country.

Featured Story

Oregon's Heat Smart Program to Require Removal of Uncertified Woodstoves

On February 17, 2011, the Environmental Quality Commission adopted new rules that ban the sale of uncertified stoves, including EPA-exempt stoves and outdoor wood boilers. Pellet stoves, fireplaces and masonry heaters are exempt from these requirements. For more info: click here

 

From the Newsroom

International

 

Nova Scotia Biomass Project Criticized for Poor Planning

The Federal Government of Canada has recently announced a biomass energy strategy for Nova Scotia that has run into numerous complaints. Among the more serious issues are the lack of knowledge on available biomass in the province, no minimum efficiency requirements for biomass related projects and claims that the current strategy will increase the cost of firewood for local residents. For more or here. 


Biomass Use Proposed for Northern British Columbia

British Columbia, currently an exporter of wood pellets, could increase the use of woody biomass for space and water heating by 10% according to the Green Heat Initiative, a coalition of biomass advocacy groups in British Colombia. According to project coordinator David Dubois "We produce all these (wood) pellets and export them to Europe. (But) there are so many places in Northern B.C. that could use bioenergy. When you're using biomass, you're using a local resource." For more 


Germany Leading Producer of Pellets in Europe

In 2010 Germany was the leading producer of wood pellets in Europe. Producing 1.75 million tonnes at 75 different locations across the country.  Over a third of these pellets are exported due to lack of domestic demand. German pellet makers focus on the heating sector as opposed to less efficient electrical generation. For more


National

 

Nation Wakes Up to Fireplace Inefficiencies
Awareness is spreading over the inefficiencies of the traditional fireplace, a characteristic of half of all homes in the United States. Switching to an EPA-certified wood or pellet stove can reduce heat loss and particulate emissions. For more

Installing Proper Filters Can Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease From Wood Smoke

Findings published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine show that installing High Efficiency Particle Air (HEPA) filters on a wood burning device can drastically reduce the amount of particulate matter in the air in areas where wood burning stoves are in use. For more 

 

State

 

Indiana Residents Fight Back Against OWBs 

IN: Residents of Indiana are currently not protected by common sense outdoor wood boiler regulations. The Indiana air pollution control board is reviewing a proposal to set stack height requirements, set back limits and periods when use of OWBs is restricted. For more

 

Wood Heat is Fastest Growing Energy Source in Ohio  

OH: Between 2000 and 2009 the number of Ohioans heating with wood nearly doubled from 47,700 households to as many as 91,400 households.  This mirrors a decline in homes using heating oil and has meant a big boom for wood sellers in the region. For more 

 

UMass Receives Grant to Study Wood Combustion 

MA: A researcher at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has received $80,000 from the National Science Foundation to study pyrolysis, an essential step in developing next generation biomass heat  that converts 100% of carbon into burnable fuel. For more

 

Maine College to Construct Biomass Boilers for Heating Needs

ME: Colby College is constructing two biomass boilers that will replace over 90% of the school's current heating needs.  The boilers, slated to be finished this year, will burn low-grade forest waste to produce steam for heat, hot water, cooking and electricity cogeneration. For more

 

New Report Envisions Maine as the "Saudi Arabia" of Biomass

ME: Maine is uniquely dependent on heating oil, but William Strauss, President of FutureMetrics, is calling for a major shift to biomass, which he proposes would keep $720 million dollars in the state, create 41,000 jobs and revive the state's ailing forestry industry. For more

 

New Hampshire Pellet Heat Incentive Expanded

NH: The Public Utilities Commission of New Hampshire has improved and expanded its biomass boiler rebate program which offers a 30% tax credit or up to $6,000 to households installing high efficiency biomass central heating systems. For more  

 

Myths About NH Wood Heat Potential

NH: New Hampshire has the potential to vastly increase the amount of biomass it sustainably harvests each year. This could both improve local economies while easing a transition away from dirty, non-renewable fossil fuels. For more

 

 

Upcoming Conferences

Biomass Boot Camp: Richard Handley Associates 

Hughesville, PA. Feb 21st  

Join the Richard Handley Associates for a conference on biomass potential in PA, including its implementation at schools, universities, government buildings and hospitals. For more 

 

HPBExpo 2011

Salt Lake City, UT. Mar, 3rd-5th

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo is North America's largest indoor-outdoor living showcase. Every year, more than 350 leading hearth, patio and barbecue manufacturers and suppliers exhibit and demonstrate their latest home heating solutions. For more

 

Virginia Biomass Energy Group 3rd Annual Biomass Conference

Richmond, VA. March 7th 

This conference will look at the challenges and opportunities for large scale bio-energy projects and how they compare to those presented by smaller scale developments. For more 

 

Heating the Northeast With Renewable Biomass Conference   

Manchester, NH. April 14th-15th

This year's conference theme is "Moving Forward, Getting Results." Organized by The Northeast Biomass Thermal Working Group- a coalition of biomass thermal advocates for heating and CHP.  Discount registration now available. For more 

 

2011 Alaska Wood Energy Conference "Making Wood Work - Local Energy Solutions"

Fairbanks, AK. April 25th-27th

Since the 2007 Alaska Wood Energy Conference, many biomass projects have moved forward.  To date, over $16 million has been awarded to 21 biomass design and construction projects. This conference will move the ball forward again. For more

 

 
Please Support Our Work







Thanks Too...
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. The Alliance is a tax exempt 501 (c)(3) organization.

Alliance for Green Heat is funded in part through a grant by the Wood Education and Resource Center, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Service. AGH is an equal opportunity provider.

You can make a secure donation online through paypal by clicking the button below.


www.forgreenheat.org/support/donate


A special thanks to those who have contributed $2,500 or more between June 2009 and February 2011
-- Wood Energy Research Center (USDA)
-- Dr. William & Francis Ackerly
-- American Biomass
-- Arbolito Foundation
-- Family Alliance Foundation
-- Ramsay Merriam Fund

Become a Green Heat Founding Member: Make your donation here