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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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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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AGH Projects & Activities
More stove manufacturers are posting third party verified efficiency numbers on the EPA's list of stoves. There are now nearly 100 stoves from 27 companies.
An Italian pellet stove company is entering the market with the highest efficiencies of all - 82, 85 and 87% efficiency. And an Enviro pellet stove only gets 58% efficiency. Check this list before you buy a stove, especially a pellet stove.
The DOE is taking a major step forward in integrating wood and pellet stoves into its programs with energy audits and weatherization. AGH is submitting comments on the DOE language, working with CSIA and Building Performance Institute (BPI). Larry Brockman from the EPA had met with the DOE program managers last year and AGH led an initiative with BPI to create stove inspection standards. Comments are due Wednesday, Aug. 31. Contact [email protected] for more.
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Focus on NSPS
Breaking: HPBA and EPA may meet in court
According to early reports, HPBA efforts to settle their lawsuit over the EPA's Step 2 emission standards never gained traction and the case may be heading to court. However, with so many stoves already meeting the 2020 standards, some HPBA members have lost their appetite for expensive, uncertain litigation. Stay tuned for more updates soon.
Consumers can now recognize stoves that meet the 2020 emission standards and have verified efficiencies with the EPA's new Burn Wise hangtag. Four companies carry the hangtag but the EPA is only listing Lopi on its site so far as their website includes their full test lab report for their qualifying stoves.
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Focus on Innovation
Hooking your wood stove to a sophisticated hot water tank, you can burn the stove hot and clean, store the energy as hot water, and then use it when you need it - for space heating or domestic hot water.
An experimental wood stove designed and built by Hughes Design Ltd in the UK may work, but there is a long way to go before it could be commercialized. The company claims 97% efficient (LHV) compared to 35% for a power plant, 70% for an ordinary wood stove and 27% for a car.
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Public Opinion
A few years back it was a standard argument that wood, being renewable, was a greener source of energy than fossil fuels. But that was before we began to realize what a big problem particulate pollution really is.
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International
Italy: The USDA reports that the Italian wood pellet market consumed 3.1 million metric tons of pellets last year, almost all for small scale residential and commercial heat.
Sweden: Once a storage area for oil delivered by sea, this massive "cave" now houses forestry waste products like wood chips, bark, branches and twigs. From here, a conveyor belt delivers it to a boiler where it is converted into heat and electricity.
States
AK: Environmental groups are threatening to sue the EPA again over the wintertime smoke plaguing portions of Fairbanks and North Pole.
AZ: The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has approved a pilot program that will reward some Phoenix-area homes with free retrofits for wood-burning fireplaces or chimneys.
CA: On Aug. 1, the town of Truckee started offering rebates for the removal of non-compliant woodstoves and inserts. CA: Bay Area homeowners can apply to receive $750 to $12,000 in rebates to replace wood-burning fireplaces or stoves with cleaner gas or electric heating devices. The program has $3 million for an estimated 1,500 homes.
CO: Colorado State University will pay you up to $1,275 to inhale smoke. It's part of a groundbreaking research project to determine the safety of wood-burning stoves that's never been done before.
ID: A new program from one of Idaho's environmental agencies can help you ditch your old wood-stove and get you a new one.
MA: State energy officials are drafting controversial regulations that could designate fuel derived from felling trees and clearing brush in forests as a form of renewable energy, allowing it to qualify for the same type of subsidies as solar and wind power.
MA: When putting a home on the market, sellers would be required to have an energy audit and provide the results to potential buyers. State officials, in turn, would be tasked with establishing an energy efficiency rating system for homes to estimate energy costs.
NH: Concord Steam, which struggled with financial and equipment issues for years, recently agreed to be bought for $1.9 million. If regulators approve, the plant could shut as early as May, forcing roughly 180 Concord buildings to find alternative heat sources.
NH: Even as we use biomass to produce energy, research shows the amount of carbon stored above-ground in trees has increased in New Hampshire by over 4 percent between 2006 and 2012.
VT: The proposed Kingdom Pellets wood pellet plant in northern Vermont is moving forward on track to produce pellets late next year as it continues to secure financing.
WI: Harley-Davidson sold devices that violated federal Clean Air Act emission standards, and now the company must pay $12 million, including toward a wood stove change out program.
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Misleading Advertisement of the Month
The US Stove Company found a way to get around EPA stove emissions rules by changing the name to a "camp stove." Stoves designed for "portable and temporary use only" such as in tents, do not have to get certified. A 172 pound stove that heats 1,600 square feet and is advertised for garages and shops clearly doesn't meet this definition. The owners manual shows installation directions through a regular roof, not a tent or temporary structure.
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Upcoming Conferences
International Training Seminar Biomass Heating
Linz, Austria, September 12-15, 2016
The seminar offers interactive learning in an international group, educational site-visits and presentations by experts in biomass technologies, market development and environment.
Fairbanks, AK, September 26-28, 2016
A forum to discuss PM2.5 pollution challenges & problem solving related to health impacts, social challenges & regulatory monitoring.
Missoula, MT, September 27-29, 2016
The Forum provides two and a half days of presentations, discussion and networking opportunities devoted to forest biomass energy in Western States.
Escanaba, MI, October 11-13, 2016
Program, registration and sponsorship/vendor details forthcoming.
Various locations, October 19, 2016
Participating organizations will open their doors to their communities to demonstrate the benefits bioenergy provides on a local level.
Springfield, MA, October 29-30, 2016
Discover the latest in smart home technology, building science and technical updates, industry trends and more.
Baltimore, MD, November 10-12, 2016
The Tree Care Industry Expo is the world's largest largest tree care show and conference. A firewood wood bank forum is included.Long Beach, CA, November 14-17, 2016Registration is now open for both the In-Person and Virtual Conference.Las Vegas, NV, January 30-Feburary 1, 2017A unique forum designed expressly for the HVACR community.
Wels, Austria, March 1-2, 2017
This is the largest annual pellet heating event in the world.
Atlanta, GA, March 1-4, 2017 HPBExpo attracts thousands of distributors and retailers that live and breathe the indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
Louisville, KY, March 15-18, 2017
The NCSG National Convention features the nation's largest trade show focused on the chimney and hearth industry.
Burlington, VT, April 25 - 27, 2017
Speakers, panel discussion, tours, the expo and more make this the premier thermal biomass event for industry, government, researchers and non-profit stakeholders.
Minneapolis, MN, April 10-12, 2017 This dynamic event unites industry professionals from all sectors of the world's interconnected biomass utilization industries.
Denver, CO, October 5-15, 2017
Fourteen college teams will compete in the DOE competition.
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