Firewood banks

USDA Forest Service partners with Alliance for Green Heat to expand firewood banks nationwide

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service awarded more than $712,000 from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Alliance for Green Heat to expand firewood banks in 2022 and to add more banks in 2023 to serve more people. Firewood banks, like food banks, provide a local, renewable and cost-effective heating source for people in need.

AGH launches funding for firewood bank website

Our new website-in-progress, dedicated to funding firewood banks, is now live!  The online funding application form will be ready on October 17.

AGH is hiring a Grants Manager

The Alliance for Green Heat is looking for someone to manage applications for firewood bank grants. The position is remote and part time, starting in late October. The Grants Manager will work with volunteer groups to access funding for about 60 grants, averaging $10,000 each. The Grants Manager will also help the firewood banks to improve their safety practices, season their wood and to help homeowners burn more cleanly.

5th Wood Heater Design Challenge

Nine teams compete in Slam for top 3 spots

On September 29, nine stove teams pitched innovative stove concepts to a panel of expert judges, vying for one of the three top spots that will receive $120,000 in funding and move on to test their prototypes at Brookhaven National Lab. The three winners will be announced the week of Oct. 10 and AGH is producing a 10 minute video of highlights of the Slam. Meet the teams here and meet the ten judges here. We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to the teams - and the judges.

Inflation Reduction Act 

IRA: Pros, cons, tax credits vs. instant rebates. 

Under the Inflation Reduction Act in 2023 most households in the US will be eligible for $7,000 - $14,000 in point of purchase rebates, NOT tax credits. The largest one is for heat pumps, at $4,000 - $8,000, which may reduce demand for the $2,000 tax credit for wood and pellet heaters. Wood and pellet heaters are not included in the rebate program but are appliances in demand by lower income households. appear to be excluded from the point-of-sale rebate program. See more in our 2-page overview.

Wood burning stoves in Norway explained

"In Norway, short winter days mean that solar panels will be at their minimum levels of production during the mid-winter consumption peaks. By reducing the strain on the grid on the days where electricity consumption is at its highest, wood burning stoves help make the energy system as a whole more robust."

ENplus revises certification scheme after consultation

After several years of extensive consultations, the European Pellet Council concluded the revision of the ENplus certification scheme and published the new documentation. The new requirements for certified and applying companies come into force on Jan. 1, 2023.

A heat-pump water heater plugs into a standard outlet

How a public-private collaboration brought a key climate-change-fighting tool to market: an efficient 120-volt water heater that can be easily installed in homes.

Wood heaters vie for space in DOE’s work standards

AGH, CSIA, NFI and other partners submitted comments to the DOE’s NREL urging them to add an entirely new subsection to their Standard Work Specifications. The omission of one of America’s most popular and common renewable heating technology is a barrier built into standards that should be designed to more evenly distribute clean energy technology benefits to all Americans. The omission led to a notable lack of consistency and detail in state level work specifications.

Funding for wood heat tours from Maryland to NH & VT

The Alliance for Green Heat and the Maryland Clean Energy Center received a $25,000 grant to organize and host educational tours bringing Maryland stakeholders to visit wood heating projects in NH and VT. Institutions in rural Maryland can save money and decarbonize their heating with biomass, but the technology is still new to many Marylanders.

Aprovecho Wood Heat Employment Opportunity

Aprovecho Research Center is seeking a self-motivated, intellectually curious, committed humanitarian and engineer to help expand our work into cordwood heating stoves on a grant funded by the US Department of Energy.

State News

Maryland funds wood energy fuel supply analysis

Maryland: The study will examine the total annual availability and species of fuel-grade wood across the state and in surrounding counties, and identify which forests are in the most need of sustainable management.

Wood pellets in demand this winter  

New Hampshire: People aren looking for alternatives,” said Kyle McGarr, at the Stove Barn. “Last year, a lot of gas fireplaces were being sold; this year its moved to wood and pellet stoves.” The 26% federal tax credit for sufficiently good wood or pellet heating systems is also an incentive."

International

New requirements for indoor wood burning  

Canada: Metro Vancouver residents must register wood heaters by Sept. 15, and the use of unregistered wood-burning appliances will be prohibited in urban areas in 2025.

European Parliament to continue to recognise woody biomass as a renewable energy source

European Union: In a much anticipated vote, the European Parliament, made few changes. Anti-biomass advocates failed to make the headway they sought, in part, because they have consistently failed to differentiate biomass for district, institutional and residential heating from what they seem most concerned with - biomass to electricity. Legislators are right to be cautious.

What are the rules for using wood stoves in Italy?

Italy: Italians are crazy about pellet stoves. They consistently buy more each year than Americans and Canadians combined with 1/6 the population. They also take regulations seriously: five Italian regions – Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany – currently have laws banning residents from using low-efficiency wood stoves, and the rules are being enforced.

Pellet demand in France cause prices to soar

France: Between 2020 and 2021, pellet stove sales in France increased by 41% and pellet boiler sales by 120%, with 180,000 and 32,000 units respectively - far higher than in the US which has 5 times the population. And pellet prices rising much slower that fossil fuel prices.

Rising firewood costs put poorest at Risk

Albania: “Energy poverty is a major danger this year, and people are going to die. Governments and the EU must above all protect them,” said a Greenpeace climate campaigner. Firewood prices are already hitting Eastern European countries where a higher share of low-income households rely on firewood.

Greece wants to cap firewood and pellet prices

Romania to provide more firewood to households

Positive outlook for UK’s premium pellet market

UK: "Premium pellets" is short hand for residential heating pellets, and its a good to see the UK double down on incentives for pellet heating, not just for electricity.

Best of Facebook

New European gravity fed pellet stove.