February 2014
Green Heat News AGH logo
Issue No. 54

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Price of Oil

January 15, 2013: $91.45

January 15, 2012: $93.60

 

Source:www.ycharts.com  

Meet New Alliance Staff

 

Research intern, Cait Madera is currently in her third year as an undergraduate at The University of Maryland, College Park where she is expected to graduate May 2015 with a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy with minors in Sustainability and Environmental Economics. A native to Maryland, her interest in the environment and renewable energies stem from long-time exposure to the Chesapeake Bay watershed and close by Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.

 

 

In Case You Missed it

Top stories in past issues:  


Wood Stoves Compete on National Mall

 

Quote of the Month

 

"The difference between doing bioenergy well or badly is the enactment of policy-some speed limits and stop signs, if you will-that insist that bioenergy be done well, including the protection of biodiversity."

 
Ben Larson, National Wildlife Foundation & Board member of Alliance for Green Heat  

 

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: info@forgreenheat.org 

EPA Proposed New Heater Regulations

 

90 Day Comment Period Runs Through May 5

The NSPS was posted in the Federal Register, starting 90 days of intense legal scrutiny. The Alliance is working with its pro bono legal team - and states, industry, test labs and other non-profits to develop its positions.  Please contact us if you have points to contribute or want to coordinate (contact@forgreenheat.org).

 

Will the new rules actually make Vermont's air significantly cleaner? Two local woodstove manufacturers - Vermont Castings and Hearthstone Stoves - say not. They say the real threats to Vermont's air aren't new woodstoves and pellet stoves but the older models that would not be affected by the new guidelines. 

The EPA's Myopia on Wood Heat 

Alliance for Green Heat - In the recently proposed U.S. EPA regulations for residential wood heaters, one word is noticeably absent: "renewable." Nowhere in this 364-page document is there any hint that this form of energy has potential for displacing fossil fuels. 

 

4 Myths About the EPA's Proposed Stove Regulations 

Alliance for Green Heat - In the weeks since the EPA unveiled their new regulations on residential wood heaters, many myths are starting to circulate in the right-wing media about what they mean.  


 

EPA Summary of NSPS: 

Alliance for Green Heat Activities 

  

Experts Gather in Seattle to Design Cleaner Stoves  

AGH - In January I attended an amazing conference where about 60 people came together to share ideas on building cleaner, more efficient stoves. The conference was about stove design, how to incentivize them, how to monitor their use, and how to deploy the clean ones more widely. 
 

More Manufacturer's Posting Verified Efficiencies  

AGH - More stove manufacturers are posting third party verified efficiency numbers on the EPA's list of certified wood and pellet stoves, giving those consumers who really care about verified efficiency numbers more options. 

 

More States Start Innovative Stove Incentive Programs 

AGH - More states are starting or changing their stove incentive programs to tighten eligibility, require professional installation, and often, to install an outside air supply. EPA and HPBA hange-out programs allowed virtually any new wood or pellet stove to be installed. The new trend led by states is changing all that.

 

Most Liked Stories on Facebook

 

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"Like" the Alliance for Green Heat page on Facebook to get breaking news  and analysis from a consumer perspective. Most liked posts in December: 

 

Washington Watch  


The new Farm Bill while not especially consumer focused, mandates $881 million in funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, which provide significant support to manufacturers of biomass fuel and equipment, aiding in the growth of the biomass thermal energy industry.

Pellet News         

Without electricity, pellet stoves won't run; propane will, though. A design flaw that keeps pellet stoves from being a good secondary source of heat if the power goes out is that they run of electricity.  

 

From the Newsroom  
 

States 

 

Oxford Elementary School Makes the Switch 

ME: Energy savings project brings in a wood pellet boiler to Oxford Elementary with plans for another for Rowe Elementary School. Siemens., who was hired to install lighting and other energy-saving devices, guarantees savings for the school district each year with the boiler as the primary heating source for the school.
  
UT: GOP Gov. Gary Herbert has asked Republican legislative leaders to prohibit wood burning in home stoves and fireplaces from early December to March in counties that are often clogged with bad air in Utah inversions.
 

Goddard College On Track To Biomass Heating Plant  

VT: The Vermont Environmental Court recently ruled in favor of a plan by Goddard College in Plainfield to build a new heating plant that will be fueled by biomass.
  
VT: Bennington College has embraced the challenge to provide 85% of the campus heat from sustainably harvested waste wood. The overall expense to heat the campus with biomass is roughly one-quarter of what it was with oil; the college expects the plant to pay for itself within 10 years.

 

Propane Prices Lead to More Reliance on Pellet Heat

WI: Pellet stoves and wood burning stoves can vary widely in efficiency and operating costs. Outdoor wood "boilers" are inefficient and produce a lot of air pollution, said Mark Knaebe, of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. "It's almost worse than a campfire," he said.

Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
 

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.

 

EPA Public Hearing on Proposed NSPS 

Boston, MA, February 26, 2014

EPA will hold a public hearing on the proposed 

NSPS. The hearing will be in the EPA Regional Office 

in Boston.  

 

Mid-Atlantic Biomass Heat & Power Conference

Gettysburg, PA, April 23-24, 2014  

An opportunity to network with colleagues, attend field trips, review successful Pennsylvania Biomass projects, and hear panel discussions.

 

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, non-profit and government sectors to break barriers for biomass thermal and CHP.     

 

Urban Wood Utilization Webcast

April 15, 2014  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern

Join us to learn about urban wood utilization activities, including urban timber measurement protocols. For the audio portion, call toll-free at (888) 844-9904 and use participant passcode 7578516.

 

Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop

Princeton, WV, April 17, 2014

This educational and networking event will provide the firewood processing industry with the latest knowledge on processing, kiln drying, and marketing firewood. For additional information, contact Harry Watt from North Carolina State University at 704-880-5034.

Cody, Wyoming, June 1-4, 2014 

The schedule includes a visit to the Buffalo Bill museum and a stove auction. 

 

Photo of the Month
 
Perfect for countries like Holland with a network of canals that rarely freeze anymore. The Dutch HotTug
  

 
Please Support Our Work


Thanks
to ...
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:

 

www.forgreenheat.org/support/donate

A special thanks to those who have contributed $2,000 or more since Jan. 1, 2013

-- Dr. William & Frances Ackerly
-- Arbolito Foundation 
-- Chimney Safety Institute of America 
-- England Stove Works
-- Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
-- New York State Energy & Research Development Authority
-- Osprey Foundation
-- Jim & Patty Rouse Foundation 
-- Schott-Robax
-- University of Maryland Extension Service  
-- DC Dept. of Transportation, Urban Forestry Administration
-- U.S. Forest Service
-- West Penn Power Energy & Sustainability Fund

Become a Green Heat Supporter: Make your donation here  

 

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