January 2015
Green Heat News
Issue No. 65

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Price of Oil

December 22, 2014: $55.26

December 22, 2013: $99.11

  

Source:www.ycharts.com  

In Case You Missed it

Top stories in past issues:  

AGH People
Dave Atkins joins AGH Board

Dave Atkins, who just retired as the Biomass Coordinator at the USDA Forest Service, joined our Board. He has been very involved in the Seeley Lake, Montana change out program and brings a wealth of experience to AGH. Here is a blog he just wrote about building with wood: "The future is here and its made of wood."

Norbert Senf joins AGH Board

Norbert Senf had become a very active member of the Board of Advisors to AGH and the board invited him to join as a full Board member in December. Norbert has been a key figure in helping to prepare for and manage the Wood Stove Decathlon and the Stove Design Workshop.

Other news

Board member Lily Donge just accepted a job with the Rocky Mountain Institute. Ben Larson became the Chair of the AGH Board, taking over from Lily Donge. Ben runs a biomass program at the National Wildlife Institute. 

 

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 

Wood Stove Design Challenge   

 

Old-timey stoves need to get new-timey if we really want to make use of them 

Nashua Telegraph - We use green wood or wet wood, and we fiddle with the damper in the wrong way, causing partial combustion and thus more pollution. The Stove Design Workshop, like the national Stove Design Challenge in 2013, wants to find technology that can better cope with our stupidity. 

   

AGH Projects and Activities       

   

Best practices in wood and pellet stove incentive programs report      

AGH - As more states are beginning to provide incentives for modern wood and pellet stove installations, an array of criteria are being used to guide which stoves should be eligible and what requirements should be included. This report suggests ways to maximize program impact.    

 

BPI's home energy auditing standard adopted by ANSI

The Building Performance Institute (BPI) announce that its Home Energy Auditing Standard has been published as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard. For the first time, it includes a requirement to inspect wood stoves, a result of AGH advocacy.  

 

Washington Watch  

  

Wood and pellet stove tax credit extended through December 31, 2014 

AGH - A short term extension of the $300 federal tax credit for stoves claimed to 75% efficient by their manufacturers was signed into law by President Obama on December 19, 2014.    
 

AGH - To claim the tax credit, taxpayers need to use IRS Form 5695 and make sure they don't exceed the $500 lifetime limit.  Of the 39 EPA qualified outdoor boilers, only 13 appear to qualify for the $300 tax credit.   

 

Happy Holidays: The Lighter Side of Wood Heat         

   

Yankee humor: How we heat 

Six hilarious portraits of Yankee heating styles. Here is one: This wood-burning connoisseur delights in regaling you with an exhaustive description of his stove's twin-engine, four-on-the-floor, ultrasonic secondary-burn technology, which results in fewer emissions than the average baked-bean dinner and heats his house all winter with three sticks of wood. His small carbon footprint (size 6) tends to make him smug, if not downright self-righteous.  

 

Photo essay: 20 stunning & quirky wood fired hot tubs from around the world 

Wood fired baths are an ancient tradition, dating back at least to Roman times when baths called hypocausts were built by running hot flue gases under a stone tub. Those Roman tubs were also off the grid, as these are. Some are quirky, some romantic and some just downright hedonistic.  

 

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From the Newsroom     
 

International  

 
Canada: Neighbours of a Port Coquitlam man won a "cease and desist" order after a judge heard how the neighbour's fireplace produced a thick, noxious smoke that prevented them from enjoying life in their own homes and backyards.
 
France: A proposed ban on open fires at homes in Paris suburbs has been described as "ridiculous" by France's own environment minister. 
 

States 

 
Fairfanks residents testify in favor of air regulations
AK: The vast majority of testimony was in full support of the Borough Assembly taking pollution regulations into its own hands. 
 
AK: The state is launching a new program asking wood cutters to document the moisture content of firewood sold in neighborhoods afflicted with smoke pollution. 
 
AK: HUD funds helped to a bulk order of 65 discounted stoves in Tyonek. Local residents will be trained to help with installations. 
 
ID: Many claim the warmth of a woodstove can't be beat on a cold winter day. But others say the maintenance and expense is not worth the bother.  

MA: Having a pellet stove is a labor of love, much like parenting. And the effort is oh-so worth it.

MA: A new law that goes into effect in January will make it cheaper to use renewable energy to heat a home - and could provide a boost to the wood industry in rural parts of Western Massachusetts. 

MI: Most of us who burns wood have already dug into the winter supply. The snows have fallen and the season has already seen extended sub-freezing periods.  

MI: The Alcona Conservation District is attempting to begin an ash firewood network to help local residents find firewood or have their ash trees cut down.

MO: New rules for wood-burning stoves, boilers spark reactions from local lawmakers in Missouri.  

NH: The number of homes using wood for heat has nearly doubled in New Hampshire over the last decade.  

NY: Paul Smith's College is installing a sustainable, state-of-the-art wood-pellet boilers, which will heat its three academic buildings.
 
OR: The Oregon Senate Committee on the Environment recently introduced draft legislation for conducting a study and developing recommendations for legislation that would encourage homeowners to replace old wood stoves with cleaner burning ones.  

PA: Installation foresters and leadership are proud to announce a new firewood and wood chip sale program offering an opportunity for the general public to purchase firewood and wood chips for an economical price from the installation.

PA: A recently launched website displays live video and high-resolution pictures of the atmosphere from vantage points across Pittsburgh.

 

Health board hears public input on proposed wood-burning ban

UT: A proposed regulation would outlaw fireplace or wood-stove burning during bad air quality days and would also prohibit open burning.  

 

VT: With cold weather having established a firm foothold in the region, thoughts turn to heating homes and the attendant price of oil, propane, and firewood.   

 

Upcoming Conferences and Webinars
  
Jan 8, 2015, 3:00-4:00pm EST
This webinar will focus on financing programs that enable customers to make energy improvements through their utility bills. 

Jan 20, 2015, 1:30-2:30pm EST
This webinar presented by NYSERDA will examine low-income customer decision making in the context of current regulatory practices. 

Kirkland, WA, Jan 23-24, 2015 
The premier annual North American conference on cookstoves and heat stoves in the developing world. 

Seattle, WA, February 2-3, 2015 
ACI is excited to return to Seattle, WA for the 2015 Northwest Regional Home Performance Conference!

Washington, DC, Feb 3-6, 2015 
NASEO is the only national non-profit association for the governor-designated energy officials from each of the 56 states and territories.

Lancaster, PA, February 18-21, 2015 
The National Chimney Sweep Guild is now accepting speaker proposals for presentations at the NCSG 2015 National Convention. 

February 23-May 1, 2015  
This online course teaches advanced techniques and strategies for designing and installing biomass heating systems.

World Sustainable Energy Days 
Wels, Austria, February 25-27, 2015 
The World Sustainable Energy Days are one of the largest annual conferences in this field in Europe, offering a unique combination of events on sustainable energy.

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!

Nashville, TN, March 5-7, 2015
The annual trade show for North American stove, barbecue and patio manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

Portland, ME, April 16-18, 2015
The event unites a diverse audience from the biomass sectors to break barriers and ground for biomass thermal and CHP systems.

 
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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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