Alliance for Green Heat Projects & Activities           

Judges Announced for Wood Stove Design Challenge

Some of the nation's top stove, combustion and technology experts make up the judging panel for the Next Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge. Click here to view the profiles of the first seven Judges. Know someone who would make a great addition to our panel? Please send nominations to [email protected].       

Misleading Advertising in the Stove Industry

Ads for "EPA exempt" stoves often use language that may be confusing for most consumers. The Alliance for Green Heat believes that in the upcoming NSPS, the EPA should consider adjusting the way it allows companies to advertise their exempt status.   

Unsafe Stoves Routinely Overlooked During Energy Audits

Energy audits have two primary goals:  

1. Identify how a family can conserve energy and save money and 2. Identify important health and safety issues in the home. Often, the wood stove is overlooked in audits, even though it may be the primary heating appliance in the house and can be a major source of carbon monoxide and a leading cause of house fires. 

Feedback Requested for Wood Stove Energy Audit Checklist 

The Alliance is working on a Wood Stove Energy Audit Checklist to assist residential auditors in providing recommendations to home owners about their wood stoves. Please help us improve it by downloading the draft here and sending any comments or additions to [email protected].      

Featured Report          

Keeping It in the Community: Sustainable Funding for Local Energy Efficiency Initiatives 

Focus on Firewood         

Firewood Auctions in Australia 

The fundraising wood auction is an annual event for many towns throughout Australia during their fall season. Firewood auctions help raise money for schools and help consumers save some money and people might buy it for older people living alone and deliver it to their homes. The wood is cut, split and carted by volunteers. 

Sustainable Woodlot Management for Home Heating

John Gulland recommends managing your woodlot sustainably to maximize your long-term firewood harvest. This means selectively harvesting trees to maintain soil quality and a diversity of seed trees and leaving some dead trees for wildlife. You can find the full article in the June/July issue of Mother Earth News.   

Focus on Pellets           

Forest Certification: Opportunity for the Pellet Industry 

Forest certification standards are increasingly important in the pellet industry, but can be confusing to producers and customers alike. Customers are demanding assurances that the wood products they buy are from legal and sustainable sources, but forest certification is an alphabet soup of standards, claims and labels.  

Integrating Wood Heat and the Smart Grid 

(It May Happen Sooner Than You Think) 

At first glance, wood heating has little to do with the smart grid. But check out this video, and its easy to imagine how a mini-CHP residential system run by wood pellets becomes an integral part of the smart grid. This comes from one of our favorite e-newsletters, HeatingHelp.com.    

Larger System Spotlight            

Boston to Host First US Net Zero Transit Center 

Boston, Massachusetts is on the path to having the nation's first net zero transit center, using a combination of solar, geothermal and biomass energy. The facility will be equipped with a 750,000 Btu wood pellet boiler, a solar wall that preheats fresh air and a second-stage ground source heat pump.

International 

Family Calls for Carbon Monoxide Alarms After Tragedy

A man in the UK was poisoned by fatal carbon monoxide fumes from the stove that heated his narrowboat, an inquest heard. The family of the victim said his death should lead to the compulsory fitting of carbon monoxide detection alarms to all boats.  

Efficiency Rebates Available for Wood Pellet Boilers 

VT: Residents and business owners in Vermont can receive rebates of $1,000 per system (< 300 MBh) or up to $5,000 for larger systems (300 - 500 MBh) if they switch to central wood pellet boiler/furnace. For the rebate form, click here.

Cash Incentives Available for Wood Stove Tradeouts   

WA: Residents in the Columbia Valley can receive $1000 incentives and utility rebates for trading out old wood stoves. The rebates are limited to homes who use wood as a primary heating source.  

Photo of the Month             

"Beauty is central to human existence and the enjoyment of beauty is the essence of the good life" says this Danish blog. Here we found a collection of gorgeous pictures of wood heaters, including many beautiful antique cast iron stoves and masonry heaters from Europe. If you click on any of the stove images on this page, you will be taken to a slideshow that has over 200 spectacular 200 of stoves and heaters.