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Current Wood Heat Incentive Programs
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Residential Bulk-Fed Pellet Boilers Rebate Program: New Hampshire click here
Dollar and Energy Saving Loans Nebraska click here
Vermont Outdoor Wood Boiler Change-out Program Vermont 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:
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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
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Office Equipment Needed
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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 deduction. Contact:
[email protected]
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Join Our Mailing List
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And stay up to date with all things wood heat. To sign up,
click here
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| Introducing... | Our newest advisory board member, Sat Jiwan Ikle-Khalsa.
 Sat has been an advocate and activist for the environment since 2000, working and volunteering for non-profit environmental groups and energy efficiency companies. He is a green building and environmental consultant and works with a team of green architects, designers, builders and energy experts (Helicon Works) to build and remodel very green homes. Sat Jiwan is also current president of the Save Our Sky Home Heating Co-operative (a.k.a. the "Corn Co-op") |
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Dear Friends,
Biomass heat is the only residential renewable at scale in America today. As I argue in this month's Biomass Power and Thermal, wood stoves are a powerhouse at reducing residential fossil fuels, but remain an emissions challenge. In upcoming issues of this newsletter, we'll be grappling with next-generation wood heat issues. In America you would think biofuels had a public relations monopoly on the term "next generation." We believe that wood heat needs next generation visionaries and the technology to go along with it. Europe is already moving in one promising direction, and American may still find its own path.
With best regards,
The Team at Green Heat
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Alliance for Green Heat Projects & Activities Hearing on Maryland Wood Heat Legislation  | HB 829 supporters gather in Annapolis
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The Economic Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates heard testimony on HB 829, the Renewable Energy Act for All, on March 16. HB 829 has the support of the Maryland Energy Administration, who would implement it, and scores of organizations and businesses. HB 829 has secured broad support because it combines and balances a number of important goals in Maryland, including promoting renewable energy, helping low and middle-income residents to affordably heat their homes, changing-out older wood stoves, etc. For more
Summary of AGH Incentive Workshop The Alliance for Green Heat held a workshop on incentive programs at the 2011 HPBA Expo in Salt Lake for appliance manufacturers, retailers, fuel producers and suppliers to EPA officials and non-profits. The Alliance presented on the different types of incentive programs, the rationale and goals behind many incentive programs and an example of the legislative process in Maryland. The discussion provided excellent feedback for AGH's incentive project and helped focus some of the key issues that need to be investigated. For more
Call for Participants for Incentive Toolkit Project
The Alliance is gathering a group of stakeholders to give input on the Toolkit for Incentivizing Residential Wood Heat. Email Tatiana if you like to be part of this group. This is a chance to give comments on the pros and cons of the different incentive types and change out programs and how they might benefit or harm your company, appliance class, customer base, neighborhood, airshed, etc.
Wood Stoves: A renewable Energy Powerhouse
Alliance for Green Heat President John Ackerly contributed to this month's Biomass Thermal and Power Magazine where he analyzed the underpinnings of wood heat's ability to dramatically reduce fossil fuel use. For more |
Washington Watch
EPA Rolls Out Proposals for Wood Heating Units
The EPA has begun to release what will likely be their new proposed emission standards for wood and pellet stoves, boilers and other appliances. EPA is proposing to match the Washington State standards that they adopted in 1995 of 4.5 grams an hour for wood and pellet stoves and 2.5 grams and hour for catalytic stoves.
Its appears that single burn rate stoves will continue as a class of appliances but EPA is proposing a 3.0 g/hr limit for them. Indoor and outdoor boilers would be held to 0.32 lb / mmBTU heat output by 2014 and 0.15 lb / mmBTU heat output for 2016. For more |
Featured Product
Travis Industries: Lopi-Cape Cod Wood Stove
A Travis wood stove, the Lopi Cape Cod, swept three awards at the 2011 Vesta Award Ceremony - for Best-in-Show, Wood Products and The Green Award. Vesta provides few details on the innovations of the products that win, but it appears that the Cape Cod was tested at .47 grams an hour, has a large firebox, uses a combination of cat and no-cat technologies and has a electronic ignition (that can be controlled from a cell phone) that may significantly reduce particulates in the initial start-up. It will be on the market later this year. For more
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From the Newsroom
International Renewable Heat Initiative Aims to Revolutionize UK Heat Generation The British Government has announced the Renewable Heat Initiative which aims to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels in the UK heating sector. Solid biomass fuel sources qualify as a renewable and a clean energy source under the plan. Divided into two phases, the first will tackle the industrial and business sectors, the second will focus on the domestic front. For more
Exports of Wood Pellets Double in North America The amount of wood pellets being exported from North American to Europe has doubled due to increased demand as EU member countries approach a 2020 deadline to derive 20% of their energy generation from renewable sources. For more
UK Defines Fuel Poverty Having recently launched the Renewable Heat Initiative, a program designed to encourage the installation of biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar panels in the UK, the government is also launching a study aimed to define what fuel poverty is. For more National EPA: Don't Let Woodstove Tax Credits go up in Smoke
Alison Davis of the EPA's Office of Air Quality and Standards has offered advice on how to get the most bang for your buck heating a home with a wood burning appliance. Dry seasoned wood and a well maintained stove are key to the most efficient fire possible. For more Heating Oil Falling out of Favor Across Country Since 2004 sales of heating oil have declined by 26% nationally, and by more than a third in Maine, the nation's most heating oil dependent state.This decline signals a shift from heating oil to cleaner, cheaper alternatives like wood pellets and natural gas. For more State Indiana Bans Use of Outdoor Wood Boilers Between May and September IN: Outdoor wood boiler regulations have been adopted in Indiana banning the use of hydronic wood boilers between May 1st and September 30th. Environmentalists argued that the emissions from the stoves were producing illegal levels of airborne particulate matter which can cause a variety of health issues. Over 8,000 residents of Indiana use OWBs to heat their homes. For more Maine Company Envisions a Wood Pellet Future ME: Maine Energy Systems, organized by Les Otten in 2007, is supporting a transition from heating oil to wood pellets as the primary heating energy source in Maine. As witnessed in Northern Europe, this shift would support the local forestry economy while improving environmental quality. For more Maine Urged to Support Wood Pellet Heating ME: Job creation and a cleaner environment are two of many benefits the state of Maine could experience if a serious attempt is made to shift residents from heating oil to wood pellets. For more Wild Center Wood Gasification Boiler Wins Renewable Energy Award NY: The Tupper Lake New York Natural History Museum has won Renewable Energy World's Excellence in Renewable Energy Award in the category of biomass. The prize went to the first North American combination wood gasification boiler and solar thermal collection storage system. The combination provides improved efficiency and allows the boiler to heat the museum with locally sources FCS certified wood pellets. For more Vermont to Build CHP Plant VT: Montpelier is constructing a combined heat and power (CHP) district heating system that will heat up to 175 buildings in the downtown area while producing electricity. The fuel will be locally sourced wood chips and, depending on the final size of the system, it will use 10 to 15 thousand green tons a year. The Biomass Energy Research Center is providing technical assistance to the city. For more |
Upcoming Conferences
Biomass Boot Camp: Richard Handley Associates Loretto, PA. March 29th 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 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. For more Tools For Developing Community Scale Woody Biomass Energy Projects Galax, VA. April 19th-20th The New River Highlands RC&D Council is hosting a workshop developing biomass energy projects for municipal, commercial and industrial facilities. 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 Small-scale Energy from Forest Biomass Smelterville, Idaho. April 29th Co-sponsored by University of Idaho, this event will introduce individuals to the various applications of biomass at the individual, community and and business level. For more Wood Biomass Energy Research Symposium for the Northern Forest University of Vermont, Vermont. April 29th-30th This symposium will bring together researchers, advocates, policy makers and industry specialists to explore the benefits a biomass energy economy would have on northern forest regions. For more |
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