Comment on Massachusetts's H.3183 / S.2115, "An Act relative to the electrification of new and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated building,"

 AGH recently submitted another comment on proposed legislation in Massachusetts. "An Act relative to the electrification of new and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated building," (H.3183 / S. 2115) aims to establish a law requiring that "all newly constructed commercial buildings and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated commercial buildings and newly constructed buildings and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated buildings containing a residential dwelling unit shall use electricity instead of fossil fuels for space heating and cooling; cooking; and clothes drying; and, in the case of hot water, including for pools and spas, shall use electricity or thermal solar."

AGH is part of a coalition on non-profits, businesses and forest owners led by Chris Egan at the Massachusetts Forest Alliance who support modern wood heating systems.

Read below for the full comment: 

"Chairs Barrett and Roy:

The Alliance for Green Heat supports H.3183 / S.2115, "An Act relative to the electrification of new and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated building," provided that modern wood heating will not be excluded as a viable low carbon, renewable heating option in newly constructed or substantially remodeled residential dwelling units. Modern wood stoves play a highly beneficial role in the rural electrification movement because they are a preferred back-up heat for many people, giving households the confidence to install electric technologies like heat pumps.

Massachusetts is no stranger to electrical power outages. Earlier this year, the state experienced a brutal polar vortex. In the midst of dangerous, record cold, temperatures, a peak number of 60,000 households experienced power outages (Mass Live 2023).

Due to our changing climate, extreme winter events are set to increase (Union of Concerned Scientists 2023). In the inevitable moment when a household's heat pump could not run, wood stoves could provide essential heating for the hours or days that an electrical outage would drag on. This is particularly important for lower-income rural households. While the smoke from wood stoves can be problematic, pellet stoves offer a far cleaner and more efficient option, and they can easily run on a back-up battery. For homes that want to be as close to off-grid as possible, pellet stoves also draw very little energy compared to heat pumps.

We would like to commend the work that Massachusetts is attempting to carry out in order to promote the energy transition through H.3183 / S. 2115. But we urge the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy to take into account that modern wood heating as a technology has the potential to quell concerns over electrical outages for Massachusettsans as the state moves toward a more sustainable and cleaner residential energy profile. We hope you support H.3183 / S.2115 and urge that you consider language that would not inadvertently eliminate modern wood heating usage in the state."

Sincerely

John Ackerly, President

Darian Dyer, Policy Analyst