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December 2013
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Green Heat News 
Issue No. 52
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Join Our Mailing List
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Stay up to date with all things wood heat. All the cool kids are doing it! To sign up,
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AGH News
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Board Member Ben Larson quoted in article about biofuels and grasslands.
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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 credit. Contact: [email protected]
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Woodstock Soapstone, Travis and Wittus Win the Wood Stove Decathlon
 Woodstock Soapstone from New Hampshire took home the grand prize of $25,000 at the first ever Wood Stove Decathlon held on the National Mall. The Wittus Twinfire and Travis Cape Cod tied for 2nd place.
Contest Aims for a Cleaner-Burning Wood Stove
 New York Times reporter Matt Wald covered the Wood Stove Decathlon: the competitors are "finding ways to get twice as much heat out of a log of firewood. The effort preserves woodlands, reduces the labor and expense ... and cleans the air."
Brief Analysis of the Top Ranked Stove in the Decathlon
Here we list the top 6 stoves in each scored category and note the trends between stove classes and some of the stand out performances of stoves that did not win prizes.
Video
Winning Wood Stove Designs Announced
A short, comprehensive National Geographic video
of the event and the award ceremony. Interviews with John Ackerly of Alliance for Green Heat, Tom Butcher of Brookhaven National Lab, Tom Morrissey of Woodstock Soapstone and Taylor Myers of the University of Maryland team.
Photos
 Wood Stove Decathlon 2013 in Photos
A great photo essay by Norbert Senf a Decathlon judge and Board member of the Masonry Heater Association of North America. Includes photos of the tent, stoves, judges and panels.
Janet McCabe from EPA Visits Decathlon
 Acting Assistant Administrator of the EPA, Janet McCabe, attended the Wood Stove Decathlon. Here, she is speaking with Stephen Rhodes about his Hwam stove outfitted with an oxygen sensor, onboard computer, fans and a handheld monitor that tells when the optimum time is to load more wood.
Popular Mechanics Stories
 Travis Wins Popular Mechanics People's Choice Award
Travis Industries won the People's Choice Award for its Cape Cod stove, with over 5,000 votes of the 15,000 ballots cast. An established stove manufacturer, Travis took advantage of its large consumer base and online presence. Runners-up were Woodstock Soapstone and Kimberly.
Popular Mechanics portraits of the Finalists:
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Washington Watch
The Alliance for Green Heat is calling on members of Congress who represent districts where wood heat is pervasive to take a leading role in developing strategies for this technology.
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Focus on Europe
In the UK, the woodburning stove is becoming the new badge of middle-class respectability. About 175,000 households are installing a wood stove each year, five times more than in 2007. In 2014, the world's largest solar exhibition Intersolar Europe will extend the field of solar heat generation to include other pellet heating systems, mini combined heat and power plants and heat pumps.
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Weatherization & Outside Air Focus
We brought ducted outdoor combustion air to our wood stove by punching a hole through the back of the unused fireplace.
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International
UK: It has reported record sales figures, up 35 per cent from 2012, as Britons choose to switch to wood burning stoves.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/21/4498378/new-fairbanks-air-quality-regulations.html#storylink=cpy
States
AK: As the price of electricity and home heating fuel continues to rise, some Alaska residents and businesses are making the switch to biomass.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/21/4498378/new-fairbanks-air-quality-regulations.html#storylink=cpy
AK: Here are a number of ways individuals can mitigate against the negative impacts of wood-heating.
AR: Attorney General Dustin McDaniel today issued this consumer alert to provide advice to consumers who use firewood or liquefied petroleum (LP gas) to help heat their homes.
CA: Under the new plan, all wood-burning appliances, except pellet stoves, would fall under the no-burn day program.
MA: Mass. is enticing residents, businesses and agencies to reduce emissions and heating and cooling costs by making $32 million available to seven programs to fund renewable heating projects.
MD: The only university team to compete in the design challenge took first place in the "Particulate Matter Emissions" category.
ME: 1,406 stoves were exchanged during the program, for a reduction in emissions of nearly 44.4 million grams per year.
ME: A good article about the politics of trying to reduce wood smoke at the state level.
NH: New England and New York consume 86 percent of the nation's number two heating oil. Wood is cheaper than oil, and wood-burning technologies have become highly efficient.
NH: For many people, the sight of a chimney billowing smoke from a wood stove conjures images of cozy winter nights by the fire. But for others, it can be a serious health concern.
NJ: The Jersey Grown firewood program addresses environmental, economic and energy concerns facing the state and country.
NV: The program gives rebates between $600 and $1000 to remove pre-1992 wood stoves and replace them with new, cleaner ones.
NY: NY researchers are working on projects to create and test wood pellet burners that run more efficiently and produce less pollution.
NY: In rural areas-where firewood and open space are plentiful, and traditional heating costs are high-boilers are an attractive option, but environmental considerations may soon rattle the market.
OR: Oregon and six other states are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging it has failed to limit pollution from wood stoves, a common heating source in Douglas County.
OR: Some background on why we understand that Oregon has joined with other states in suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not enforcing its own internal rules.
WA: Families across the Yakima Valley are firing up the heat in their homes - but thanks to a state grant, fewer will be relying on inefficient, old wood-burning stoves.
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Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
ETHOS Conference
Kirkland, Washington, January 25-26, 2014
This conference aims to expand its reach to include international stove experts and development specialists in the field of cooking technologies.
Progetto Fuoco
Verona, Italy, February 19-24, 2014
High-tech stoves and fireplaces will be on display at Progetto Fuoco, the leading international biennial exhibition of technology for the use of alternative and renewable energy sources.
World Sustainable Energy Days
Wels, Austria, February 26 - 28, 2014
This attracts thousands of participants from all over the world. Great minds discuss what's next in green energy and efficiency.
HBPA Expo
Salt Lake City, Utah, March 5-8, 2014
The annual Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Expo will be held in Salt Lake City Utah this year.
Northeast Biomass Heating Expo
Portland, Maine, April 9-11, 2014
The Expo unites a diverse audience from fuel, supply chain, developer, manufacturer and government sectors to break barriers for biomass thermal and CHP.
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Please Support Our Work
Thanks
to ...
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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. You can make a secure donation online through PayPal here: -- Dr. William & Frances Ackerly -- American Biomass -- Arbolito Foundation -- Chimney Safety Institute of America -- Constellation Energy -- Family Alliance Foundation -- New York State Energy & Research Development Authority -- Osprey Foundation -- Ramsay Merriam Fund
-- Jim & Patty Rouse Foundation -- Takoma Foundation -- University of Maryland Extension Service -- Wood Education and Resource Center, Northeastern Area State and Private
Forestry, U.S. Forest Service
-- Maryland Energy Administration
-- DC Dept. of Transportation, Urban Forestry Administration
-- U.S. Forest Service
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Wood Stove Decathlon Puts Focus on Policy Toward Wood and Pellet Heating