Alliance for Green Heat Projects & Activities           

Next Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge

The Next Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge will be launched later this month and run through the fall of 2013. We have been building an impressive list of partners to support it, lawyers to make sure we have dotted our "i"s and crossed our "t"s, and, maybe most importantly, reaching out to dozens of university engineering departments and stove manufactures.  

Why Wood Stove Change-Out Programs Underperform 

Change-out programs are now commonplace in the wood stove community, but often provide fewer benefits than expected and are very expensive. In assessing the effectiveness of change-out programs, the Alliance for Green Heat found a lack of rigorous analysis or debate about how to best achieve air quality improvements. In response, we offer four strategies that might improve change-out programs.      

A Plan to Advance Thermal Biomass in Maryland

The Maryland Wood Energy Coalition, whose members include the Alliance for Green Heat, recently released a 20-page wood heat prospectus. The report provides provides research-based information and policy recommendations to increase the adoption of advanced wood energy technology in Maryland.  

Team Biomass Plunges into Icy Potomac River (VIDEO) 

Supporters of wood, pellet and corn heating plunged into the freezing Potomac River on Jan 14th to raise money for a group that fights global warming. Pictured (right to left): Sat Jiwan Ilke-Khalsa, head of the Takoma Park Corn Heating Co-op, Delegate Heater Mizeur, who introduced a bill in Maryland to incentivize residential biomass heat, Jeremy Crandall and Moira Moynihan, two of Heather's loyal staff, and John Ackerly, head of the Alliance for Green Heat. Click here for more. 

Washington Watch        

Wood Pellet Pricing Now Part of Energy Report 

New Hampshire and Maine now include wood pellet pricing into their state fuel reports.  Meanwhile, the Energy Information Agency in Washington met with a coalition of biomass groups to consider how they can start similar initiatives. In addition to pellet prices, who will be the first to include the price of a cord of wood? States and the Federal government have long spent considerable sums tracking the price of fossil fuels. It's time to do the same for renewables. 

Canada 

Legislators in Senneville, Quebec are proposing a new bylaw that would require any existing heating system using biomass as the main heat source to be replaced within five years. 

National 

No-Burn-Day Violations Skyrocket

CA: Residents of Central Valley in California continue to use their fireplaces despite issues for No-Burn-Days. Severe air pollution has led to the rise of No-Burn-Days and violations have been skyrocketing. High cost of utilities and a weak economy may be possible reasons why some people are choosing to ignore the rules.  

State Lottery for Wood from Public Lands

CT: Connecticut residents had until February 1 

to enter a lottery that permits winners to harvest inexpensive wood in state forests. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will allow the 150 or so winners statewide to receive permits to cut two cords of state-owned wood. 

As Price of Oil Soars, Users Shiver 

MA: While electricity and gas costs are expected to drop this season, prices of oil are expected to reach record levels this winter. Those who still rely on oil are suffering. Many want to make the switch to natural gas, but are too far from a pipeline or cannot afford the conversion. 

Don't Knock Wood as Energy Source

MD: Derrick Bender from the University of Maryland Extension is conducting a case study that will provide a dollar-to-dollar comparison of the expense of using wood, wind, and sun as alternate energy sources. Already partially through his case study, he says that a wood stove is the best investment of the three alternate energy sources.  

Wood Heat Heats Up as Homeowners Give Boot to Oil  

ME: More and more people in Maine and other states across the United States are switching to wood from oil to heat their homes as oil prices continue to rise. Wood is the fastest-growing alternative to fuel and often saves homeowners 50 percent. 

    

Where There's No smoke, There's Fire: Time to Turn Your Woodburning Upside Down? 

MN: Have most of us been building our fires upside down? A relatively new approach to fire burning, the "top-down-fire" minimizes smoke pollution and maximizes fuel efficiency. 

Is Burning Wood for Energy Really a Good Idea? 

NH: Burning wood for energy may seem like an outdated 19th century practice, but today the modern wood stove utilizes standardized fuel with predictable shapes and sizes, allowing fuel to be fed automatically from storage areas. Energy efficiency and soot are concerns with wood energy.

Poor Air Quality May Affect Growth

NH: When it comes to air quality in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire, there's room for improvement. Poor air quality has been linked to particulate matter emitted from wood stoves, but state senators believe improvements can be made by changing wood burning practices.

NY: Electric space heaters will save you very little money when it comes to home heating. Try a wood or pellet stove instead - it will save you a lot of money and shrink your carbon footprint.

Residential Coal Heating Surging     

PA: While coal has none of the environmental and carbon benefits of heating that heating with wood does, it is equally attractive from a cost perspective for families who heat with oil. And, if you live in Pennsylvania, it's also a way to keep your heating dollars local.

Vermont Contributes $6.1 Million to LIHEAP 

VT: Legislative leaders announced that the state would add $6.1 million to the state's LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) to help ensure all Vermonters can afford to heat their homes and stay warm this winter. 

Wood Stove Fee Supports Work, Avoids General Funds

WA: In Washington, an additional $15 fee on the sale of each wood-burning appliance is being proposed to cover the cost of a wood stove education and compliance program. This additional fee would bring the total fee from $30 to $45.