Beware of Ads for 99% Efficient Wood Boilers

Alliance for Green Heat, January 7, 2013 - Each issue of Mother Earth News, a magazine that caters to

the granola, Birkenstock and organic vegetable crowd, also carries many ads from outdoor and indoor biomass boiler companies. Actually, we love the magazine, but it carries some very misleading advertisements about wood boilers and furnaces.

The Alliance for Green Heat has regularly put the spotlight on outlandish claims by various manufacturers. This month we feature Kuuma who is advertising "99.4% comb. efficiency" wood burning furnace.   The December/January issue of the magazine also has an half-page ad from Central Boiler stating that their E-Classic "requires up to 70% less wood than other wood-burning appliances."

Exaggerated efficiency claims have become almost commonplace in the boiler and stove industry, taking advantage of consumers who don't know that there is no commonly accepted way to advertise efficiency any more. One rule of thumb: Beware of any appliance claiming 99% efficiency. Any claim of efficiency in the upper 90s is likely combustion efficiency, not thermal efficiency - the amount of useful heat produced by the unit.  Combustion efficiency has no bearing on the useful heat a unit generates which is why stoves, boilers and furnaces manufacturers typically advertise thermal efficiency.  The most efficient wood stove, using EPA approved efficiency standard is 82%, and the most efficient boilers using that same standard are probably under 90%.

Even though Kuuma has been advertising "99.4% comb. efficiency," they deserve credit for posting their third party lab results on their website, which very few manufacturers do.  For consumers who want to read the fine print, which you should if you are going to buy a furnace, these reports are extremely helpful, if you know how to read them.

We at the Alliance for Green Heat applaud Mother Earth News for consistently good editorial coverage of wood heating, partially thanks to their contributing editor John Gulland, and we understand that they aren't responsible for claims made by advertisers. (We also love granola, organic vegetables, home-baked bread, etc. Birkenstock - not so much.)

Update: See the comments section below for a response from a Kuuma representative.  Kuuma has slightly changed their ad to say "combustion" instead of "comb." which consumers may think means combined efficiency.   We urge Kuuma to advertise their thermal efficiency like other manufacturers.  See here for a boiler company that advertised 97% efficiency at the end of a period when EPA had mistakenly endorsed overly high efficiency numbers for boilers.  They stopped using that ad.

Update: In March, 2014, the EPA updated verified efficiencies for outdoor boilers, and has been requesting boiler manufacturers to desist from using misleading information.  

Misleading Advertising in Wood Stove Industry: Is there a better way to move forward?

 “Meets EPA Requirements” said an advertisement by a retailer of Vogelzang stoves. But what the advertisement really means is that the stoves do not meet EPA emissions standards. They meet requirements to be exempt from emissions standards. Are customers duped into thinking they are buying an EPA certified stove? Of course they are. And the top of the ad reads “Vogelzang .... the name you can trust.”

Companies or retailers who run advertisements like that now could receive a letter or email from the EPA, requesting that they stop using such language. Vogelzang’s website, like the sites of the other companies that make exempt stoves says: “Vogelzang stoves meet EPA requirements for "exempt" wood/coal burning appliances (stoves).” This is still confusing for the consumer but it is technically accurate and apparently acceptable language for the EPA.

US Stove Company’s website simply says “EPA exempt.” Any consumer who did not understand that could research it within minutes. But its unclear how many are confused and how many figure it out.

We believe Drolet may have some of the best advertising of an exempt stove because it says, “It is ideal for hunting camps, cabins, and garages.” They also have a page for Frequently Asked Questions, and one question is about the difference between exempt and certified stoves. It explains the difference, and concludes: “For those users seeking a prolonged combustion time (overnight burn), it is highly recommended to chose a stove tested to EPA or CSAB415.1 standards (i.e. EPA-Certified or CSAB415.1 Certified). Such stoves will normally cost more money, but they represent a wise investment in terms of efficiency and emissions.”

One stove that still features the “Meets EPA Requirements” language as a selling point, but is exempt is the Bixby multi-fuel UBB, otherwise known as the “Ugly Black Box.” (At least they are honest about that.)

Internet outlet, WoodLand Direct, advertises a US Stove Company model this way: “This model is exempt by the EPA for low maintenance wood burning.”

A few stove manufactures, such as Vogelzang, still advertise that their stoves are eligible for a tax credit of up to $300, even though the tax credit expired five months ago, on December 31, 2011.

Hydronic Heater Ads Misleading Consumers

Marketing claims by a number of hydronic heater manufacturers citing efficiencies up to 99% may run afoul of the Phase 2 Partnership Agreement between the EPA and manufacturers of Phase 2 units. The problem stems from manufacturers using the EPA’s name to explicitly or implicitly endorse the extremely high efficiency numbers that had been reported by test labs last year, but have since been called into question.

A recent Wood Master advertisement running in the October/November issue of Mother Earth News states, “EPA DATA PROVES NOBODY IS CLEANER OR MORE EFFICIENT” in addition to claiming that Wood Master tops the list of “heaters rated by the EPA” and that the boiler is “EPA Qualified over 99% efficiency.”

Relevant language in the Phase 2 Partnership agreement includes: "Partner agrees not to construe, claim, or imply that its participation in the EPA Program constitutes federal government approval, acceptance, or endorsement of anything other than Partner's commitment to the Program. ... The Partner agrees to ensure that outreach materials describing this Agreement include statements that EPA does not endorse any particular product, service, or enterprise."

Note: When the Alliance contacted Wood Master, they readily acknowledged that this ad was misleading and should not have been printed and did not use it again.

For the full agreement: http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/pdfs/owhhphase2agreement.pdf

Now that the extremely high efficiency numbers obtained through the EPA Phase II partnership program have been discredited, the Alliance believes it is misleading to consumers for manufacturers to continue using them in advertisements for their products. The EPA should proceed with due haste to disassociate the Phase 2 program from such efficiency numbers.

In 2014, the EPA posted efficiency numbers for qualified outdoor boilers that ranged from 39 to 78%.)