November 2016

Green Heat News
Issue No. 87



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Price of Oil

October 24, 2016: $50.18

October 24, 2015: $43.91

  

Source:www.ycharts.com  

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 

AGH Projects & Activities

 
AGH urges Congress pass the BTU Act and close loopholes for 25C tax credit
The Alliance for Green Heat is urging members of Congress to pass the BTU Act, S. 727, which would give a 30% tax credit to thermal biomass technologies that are 75% HHV and higher. AGH is also urging Congress to close down the industry loophole that enables virtually all stoves to claim they are 75% efficient, misleading tens of thousands of consumers. 
 
There are now 122 stoves, or 25% of all stoves, that have verified, actual efficiency numbers.  The EPA list of stoves is the definitive source for efficiency numbers as most most stove company websites use exaggerated, misleading efficiencies.
 
The Alliance filed a Freedom of Information Act request for pellet stove efficiency data from a couple of companies. The EPA refused to release efficiencies that companies provided as Confidential Business Info but got permission from HHT and Ravelli to release efficiency data for 5 stoves - HHT Accentra 52i insert, Mt Vernon E2, Mt Vernon AE, and Ravelli RV100 and RV80. Efficiencies were 56% to 76%.



Three years ago we wrote 2 pages of Q&A covering many basic questions the public has about wood and pellet heating. Everything we wrote back then still holds true today.  
 
Washington Update



Tree-killing invasive insects and diseases can lurk both inside, and on the surface, of firewood. While these insects and diseases don't travel far on their own, transporting firewood allows them to move hundreds of miles and start infestations in new places.   


Carbon Intensity of Heating Fuels

 

On day one, using wood pellets for heat reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 54% compared to oil and 59% to natural gas. After 50 years, greenhouse gas emissions from pellets drop to 62% less than oil, 67% less than natural gas, and 56% less than propane.

 

Focus on Low-Income & Environmental Justice

 
At the Heating the Midwest conference in October, Prof. Sarah Middlefehldt addressed energy production and environmental injustice. Her case study of community-scale woody biomass initiatives in Vermont examines how biomass technologies have restructured environmental burdens and social benefits. This study reveals the importance of decentralizing energy systems - not only in terms of energy technologies, but also of technological decision-making processes.



If you are low-income and use wood or pellets as your primary heat, you may be eligible to have your wood or pellet stove or boiler and chimney cleaned for free. In NY, you must apply by November 4th. In other states, check with your local heating assistance program office. 
The Public Debate - Are Campfires Worth the Smoke?

 
"To me, having a fire has always been a fundamental component of enjoying a night outdoors. The legality and ethics of fire making were never something I considered at all until I moved to California five years ago." 
Recall Alert

 
This recall involves Quadra Fire wood burning stoves, model Explorer III, with serial number range 00706300001-00706300941. The firm has received five reports of incidents, including two reports involving minor injuries when fingers got caught in the lid. 

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International



Canada: Air quality sensors can help us all appreciate the impact that smoky wood stoves can have in a neighborhood. We will be seeing more and more sensors deployed as they become cheaper and better.
 
Chile: This article is a year old, but the City of Santiago, Chile just formally passed a bill banning the use of wood stoves within the city limits of the capital of this mountainous South American nation.



Denmark: The plant's 500 MW biomass-fed boiler will provide district heat capacity of 415 megajoules per second and 150 MW of electricity - making the plant the tenth largest in the world. Replacing an existing 600-MW coal-fired plant, the new plant fits neatly within the climate plans of the Danish capital.



Europe: In Europe, 74% of the biomass consumed for energy purposes is used to produce heat, followed by about 13% for electricity and 13% for biofuels for transportation. Heat accounts for half of the EU's energy consumption, and this dependency currently costs 1 billion per day in fossil fuel imports to Europe.  
 
States



GA: A mobile home fire in Georgia started by an improperly installed wood stove killed six people, including four children, authorities said Monday.  
 
ME: The Wood Stove Changeout Program of the Northeast now includes the towns of Farmington and Wilton. The program provides for a voucher valued at $1,000 to replace their non-EPA certified woodstove with a new EPA certified wood, pellet or gas stove. 
 
MT: The University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences is searching for 10 more families to participate in a KidsAIR study.



NH: New Hampshire state officials celebrated National Bioenergy Day by holding an open house to recognize the completion of a new wood biomass boiler that will heat a major state building in Concord.     



ND: The Native Americans fighting building a winter encampment to stop a pipeline receive donations of firewood and wood stoves. 


VA: Over the course of the next two years the Virginia Community Wood Energy program will increase awareness and use of wood fuels for community energy. 


VT: Within ten years Vermont hopes to procure twenty-five percent of its energy from renewables, with forty percent by 2035. A significant component of renewable energy would come from bioenergy.



VT: Burlington Vermont is finally getting a district heating system that will deliver heat to the University of Vermont and a new town center development. The McNeil plant had just been delivering electricity from biomass.
 
Misleading Advertisement of the Month

 
US stove advertises its certified single burn rate 1269E stove with a "built in damper" and the photos clearly show the flue damper in the stove.  Page 1 of the Owners Manual says the stove is "not approved for use with a flue damper." Page 8 says "Insure that the damper provided is installed in the flue collar." The NSPS says clearly that dampers are not allowed on single burn rate stoves.  We will report in our next newsletter what the company says it will do and whether consumers could be entitled to a refund.


Upcoming Conferences
 
University Park, PA, September 12-14, 2016
Hosted by the PA Biomass Energy Association.


Tree Care Industry Expo 
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, 2016

Registration is now open for both the In-Person and Virtual Conference.


Albany, Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2016
A meeting to discuss options to reduce old, high emitting wood stoves.



AK, TBA, 2017

For more information contact Meg Burgett at 907-746-9472, asburgett@alaska.edu or Karen Petersen at 907-821-2681, khpetersen@alaska.edu


Portland, OR, January 23-24, 2017

Join weatherization professionals working in the residential energy efficiency industry for a cutting edge educational experience. 


Las Vegas, NV, January 30-Feburary 1, 2017

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



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