September 2014
Green Heat News AGH logo
Issue No. 61

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Price of Oil

August 25, 2014: $95.39

August 25, 2013: $106.48


 

Source:www.ycharts.com  

In Case You Missed it

Top stories in past issues:  

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

 

AGH - A paper that undermines the industry study on testing variability was released by Woodstock Soapstone in August. This paper has the attention of state air agencies and the EPA and will change the debate over how accurately stoves can be tested.    

 
The EPA announced that wood and pellet boilers can be part of the voluntary white tag program by testing to a New York State and ASTM test method. This indicates that the EPA will likely approve these boiler test methods in the NSPS.  
 
At an important wood smoke conference at the University of Montana, the EPA provided a very brief, five point summary of stakeholder comments to the proposed NSPS. If you want to read EPA tea leaves about where they are headed, this is a start.

AGH - Lengthy delays and lack of resources have left many questioning whether the EPA can effectively administer - and enforce - the upcoming NSPS.

Senator Crapo (R-ID) visited Kuma stoves factory in Idaho to highlight his opposition to the strict proposals in the NSPS. Mark Freeman, the owner of Kuma Stoves said "just because you can make a stove that clean, should you?" John Crouch of HPBA who was at Kuma for the visit suggested that the 5 year phase in was not long enough for companies as small as Kuma.

  

Key NSPS Links: 

Wood Stove Design Challenge  

   

AGH - In an effort to bring more automation to the wood stove, NYSERDA gave a $49,000 grant to the Alliance for Green Heat to test and assess the effectiveness of various automation strategies in November. The event will also provide data to Renewable Heat New York.
 
Stoves at the Stove Design Workshop will be coming from the US, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and China. Each stove approaches automation differently, at a range of price points. Among the 40 participants are experts from Blaze King, Hearthstone, HHT, SBI, Woodstock Soapstone and four universities.
 
Taylor Myers was named a 2014 Innovator of the Year for bringing new design concepts to the wood stove. He invented a ground-breaking prototype that competed in the 2013 Wood Stove Decathlon and is also competing in the 2014 Stove Design Workshop.

   

ClearStak, a Connecticut environmental services company, received patent number 8,812,162 for Intelligently-Controlled Catalytic Converter for Biofuel-Fired Boilers. The patent is for technology that pre-heats a catalyst to reduce emissions for starting and reloading fuel in both batch and continuous-fed appliances.

Alliance for Green Heat Activities 

   

In New York and Massachusetts, residential wood heating incentives are on a roll, and the industry is beginning to see important trends, according to John Ackerly, president of the Alliance for Green Heat.
This photo essay of firewood collection from around the globe tells stories about abundance, depletion, climate change, public health - and of survival itself. From Eastern Europe to Africa, to North America to the Andes, firewood is in greater demand and getting higher prices. What is a climate change solution in one country is a contributor in another, depending on how and how much is combusted. The first in a series of photo essays on wood heat. 

The Alliance for Green Heat and BPI, the Building Performance Institute are pushing for greater recognition of wood and pellet stoves in energy audits and new home energy assessments at the 014 ACI New England Regional Home Performance Conference in Springfield, Massachusetts on October 15-16.

We have been doing some spring cleaning by updating our website. We have updated the content and the feel of our pages on the EPA, the DOE, the USDA, the US Census, Congress, the Chronology of Wood Heat and many more
 

Washington Watch  

  

EIA to Undertake Survey of Pellet Production

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) hosted a working meeting to get input on how a national wood pellet heat survey should be crafted. Participants included  PFI, BTEC and Alliance for Green Heat, the U.S. Forest Service and many others. The survey will be mandatory and ongoing. 
 
PFI announced that they are ending their longstanding relationship with HPBA and will now operate independently. The two organizations will continue to collaborate closely, the statement said.

Focus on Incentive Programs   

   

What superstorms can teach about resiliency 

People too often only think about alternative electricity sources in resiliency plans for superstorms. But wood stoves are also a key piece of the resiliency puzzle. New  Jersey is first state to set up a Energy Resilience Bank to help the state prepare for more superstorms. A change out program can ensure stoves are EPA certified, safely installed and ready for the next storm.   

 

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From the Newsroom   
 

States 

 

Free wood cutting opportunity to enhance wildlife
AZ: For the first time, the Arizona authorized fuel wood cutting and removal on the Lamar Haines Wildlife Area to decrease the threat of a catastrophic wildfire, protect the area's unique cultural and historical value and improve the area's wildlife habitat.

Tighter restrictions on wood burning in Valley 
CA: With a focus on winter, the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District may tighten wood-burning restrictions and, as I see it, with good reason: The Valley is one of America's dirtiest air basins. 

CT: The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is offering funding for residents who replace old outdoor wood boilers for new cleaner units.
 
EPA Says Idaho must clean up air in Silver Valley
ID: The EPA has given the state of Idaho notice that a corner of the Idaho panhandle isn't meeting stricter new air quality standards. One likely target will be pollution from wood burning.
 
Don't move firewood Maryland summary 
MD: Maryland's Department of Agriculture prohibits the movement of firewood and other potentially infested items out of any emerald ash borer infested county.  

MN:  Some experts say using wood fuel is a great replacement to propane.Propane prices spiked to $6.67 this past winter, forcing many business owners to make budget cuts in other areas. 

NH: The Northern Forest Center helps create economic opportunity and community vitality from healthy working forests.
NY: The Town Planning Board members voted Tuesday to send the much-discussed local law concerning outdoor wood boilers to the town board for review. 

NC: By the end of 2015, a forest the size of Fayetteville will be fed into two huge processing plants to create energy for European industry.   That much everyone agrees on. Whether it's a good thing remains a subject of debate.
 

City of Montpelier finalizes district heating rates  

VT: The city's hot water loop is supplied with thermal energy generated at the State of Vermont's enlarged and upgraded Central Heating Plant. 

Modern Wood Heating - Biomass Energy Resource Center

VT: The video highlights the many benefits of

modern wood heating and encourages further development of the biomass thermal energy sector throughout North America.  

 

WA: The State Department of Ecology office will exchange eligible old wood stoves for $200, which is more than past years.   

 

 

Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
 
Linz, Austria, September 8-11
This focuses on small- and mid-scale projects covering solutions for homes, smaller commercial/public buildings and district heating.

Washington DC, September 22-23
Attending the Summit is the best way to learn about developments and trends related to state RPSs.

Nationwide, September 25
An annual day to promote awareness of the biomass industry. See a recap of last year's events. 

Washington DC, September 23, 2014
The Energy 2030 Summit brings the community together for a discussion on what the federal government can do to help achieve the goal of doubling U.S. energy productivity by 2030.

September 15 - November 21, 2014 

Developed in partnership with BTEC, this 10-week online course in designing and installing heating systems taught by John Siegenthaler is worth 20 AIA credits.

 

Hyattsville, MD, October 14-15, 2014

Jump start the Energy Renaissance, with the dissemination of ideas to transform customers from passive to engaged decision makers and participants in their energy future. 

  

ACI New England Regional Home Performance Conference 

Springfield, MA, October 15-16 

Join us for an excellent educational agenda, outstanding networking opportunities, and an exhibitor trade show with the latest products and services. 

 

Burlington, VT, October 16-17, 2014
This event highlights current energy challenges, Vermont's leadership role in the energy industry, and moving towards an integrated energy infrastructure.
 
Brookhaven Nat'l Lab, Nov. 3 - 7, 2014. 
Building on the Wood Stove Decathlon, this event will focus on automated stoves and bring experts together to study, test and improve automated stove designs.

Washington DC, December 7-10 
BECC is the premier event focused on understanding individual and organizational behavior and decision-making related to energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and sustainability.

Seattle, WA, February 2-3, 2015 
ACI is excited to return to Seattle, WA for the 2015 Northwest Regional Home Performance Conference! 
 
Lancaster, PA, February 18-21, 2015 
The National Chimney Sweep Guild is now accepting speaker proposals for presentations at the NCSG 2015 National Convention in February. 
 
Wels, Austria, February 25-26, 2015
With more than 600 participants every year, the European Pellet Conference is the largest annual pellet event in the world!

 
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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.
 
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www.forgreenheat.org/support/donate

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

-- William 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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