Coronavirus & the wood heating community: agencies, industry and consumers brace for impacts

The coronavirus tidal wave has begun to break, and consumers, industry and agencies will all be impacted. An economic shock in March/April --- one of the least active seasons for stove and fuel sales and installs --- would be the best possible timing for the wood stove industry most years. But this year, the pandemic hit virtually during the same week that oil prices fell off a cliff and the EPA made a final ruling that industry had not made a sufficient case for a sell-through for Step 1 heaters. 

 

In eight states, wood heating soared by more than 100%
as a result of a recession --- and a spike in oil prices.

The recession of 2008/09 provides some valuable lessons. Like that recession, the one hitting now will make consumers drastically cut back on spending. We don’t yet know how much this will impact the fall sales season but we can expect stove sales will be reduced.  In the 2008/09 recession, wood heating increased by up to 50% in many states – and so did wood smoke problems – but that was when oil prices were at an all-time high.

While wood heating increased drastically back then, wood stove sales stayed flat or declined. Tens of thousands of homes that had relied on other heating fuels now relied on their stoves far more. As the buying power of consumers dwindles, people hang on to their old stoves or even dust-off ones that had not been used much. AGH tracked this trend in a 2013 blog:

 “The surge in wood heating between 2000 and 2010 was partly due to reduced buying power and job loss. New studies show that lower income families have locked in that reduced buying power since the end of the recession … and is also likely contributing to the growth in the sales of less expensive wood stoves such as those sold at big box stores, compared to higher priced specialty hearth stoves.”

The health crisis may be under control by the fall, but the economic fall-out will likely be with us still. Last week, a record 3.2 million Americans filed for unemployment.  Thousands of those worked in the home energy sector.  Savings and retirement accounts ravaged by the stock market’s implosion will lead consumers to put off larger purchases, like stoves.  

 

As wood heating soared after 2008, sales of new stoves
drastically declined, with pellet stoves and boilers
more susceptible in changes to oil prices.

Pellet stoves sales will likely be hit even harder, as economic recessions favor wood stoves, where fuel is cheaper or free. Some families that have relied on pellet heat may turn back to cordwood if their budgets can’t sustain pellet fuel purchases. Factories making spare parts for pellet stoves, some of which are in Wuhan Province where the Coronavirus originated, are resuming operations after a 2-month shut down.

Most manufacturers and retailers are diversified. Gas stoves have taken over market share from wood stoves, and pellet grills have taken over market share from pellet stoves.  

Covid-19 poses a massive threat to the wood heating industry because it coincided with a historic free fall in the price of oil, not seen since 1991. With little prospect for oil prices to rise in the near future, the renewable heat sector faces the prospect of going through the winter of 2020/21 at a huge disadvantage. 

Coronavirus and the EPA Final Rule

The timing of the coronavirus outbreak also coincided with the EPA’s final announcement  that it was would not extend compliance deadlines. The EPA found that industry did not present any data to show "manufacturers could not develop Step 2 models in time" and "provided insufficient data showing a percentage decrease in sales approaching 2020." 

Inside EPA, an insider, subcription only publication noted this in its analysis: “The Trump administration is taking the rare step of rejecting an industry call to ease EPA emissions standards … [which is ] … notable for appearing to be at odds with the administration’s overall deregulatory agenda that has included softening many other agency air, water and other rules.” 

 

Gas appliances increasingly dominate the market for both
manufacturers and retails but they too will be hit by the
Covid-19 fallout. Source: Hearth & Home, April 2017.

Time had been working against industry, as manufacturers kept proving the Step 2 emission limits were reasonable by certifying stoves under 2 – 2.5 grams and boilers under 10 – 15 lb/mmBtu.  The same cannot be said of warm air furnaces, as only two models have been certified in the last 4 years. But no one could have foreseen the perfect storm that would unleash a pandemic virtually the same week that EPA issued its ruling. 

The EPA’s ruling and the intervening years of certifications to Step 2 standards has also likely dealt a major blow to the industry’s lawsuit, which is still pending. The coronavirus storm comes after manufacturers made most of their investments to retest their stoves, but before they could recoup those costs. Now, test labs may have to close, throwing yet another wrench into the timeline to get remaining stoves certified before May 15, 2020.

(May 5, 2020 update: The EPA reversed course, due to the Coronavirus pandemic and is trying to arrange for a sell-through period, but how and when it will occur is still up in the air.)

The role of the federal government

The federal government is rolling out a series of stimulus packages with provisions that may blunt some of the blow for manufacturers, retailers and employees. Again, industry will have to see if it has the connections and goodwill to convince Congress to provide specific relief for wood heating.  Democrats are floating various provisions to help renewable energy sectors, in part to balance the stimulus aid that fossil fuel companies are likely to get. One group urged a $2 trillion “green” stimulus plan that includes everything from $1 billion cash for trading in old energy-wasteful household appliances to an extension of renewable energy and electric-vehicle tax credits.  This could extend or even raise the $300 tax credit for wood and pellet heaters, a small but important incentive for the wood heater community.

The wood and pellet heating industry helps roughly 10 million households reduce fossil heating fuel and plays a vital role in the residential renewable energy fabric of America. With the new emission standards that took effect in 2015 and those scheduled for May 2020, the stock of stoves and boilers in America is slowly becoming cleaner and more modern. The growing pellet heat industry in America is especially vulnerable to low oil prices and needs support.

HBPA sent a letter to congressional leadership on March 20 urging Congress to extend the deadline for selling Step 1 stoves to Dec. 31, 2020.  This would help those retailers who just lost their window to sell-off their stranded inventory. The HPBA letter included testimonies from scores of retailers, relating how sales have dried up, foot traffic in their stores halted and employee layoffs begun. A December deadline would “give retailers time to sell these soon-to-be stranded products. Without this relief, and in combination with impacts all small businesses are facing at this time, numerous stores will close permanently.” (As of March 26, it appears that the proposed language from HPBA did not make it into the stimulus package passed on March 25.  However, talks are already starting for energy and energy efficiency relief in a fourth stimulus bill.)

The 2009 Economic Stimulus legislation signed by President Obama included a 30% tax credit (up to $1,500) for the purchase of a 75%-efficient biomass-burning stove. That tactic could work again and give retailers of wood and pellet stoves and boilers a much needed boost in the summer and fall of 2020 and through 2021. This policy response, being pushed by BTEC, is at the core of the residential parts of the BTU Act that came close to passing in 2019.

An even longer term, badly needed program is a federally-funded change out program which also has some traction in Congress. Subsidizing the swap out of an old stove for a new one targets people who need or want to heat with a renewable energy source. It sustains and creates jobs, helps family affordably heat their homes, and reduces air pollution. This policy mechanism, proposed by Senators Murkowski and Carper, would mainly benefit areas experiencing high wood smoke pollution out West, but would not equally benefit most states and retailers like the BTU Act. 

Additional funding will also be needed for LIHEAP, the federal low-income energy assistance program.  An additional $900 million is reportedly in the latest stimulus package.

Powerful lobbyist groups from big industries like airlines, cruise ships and fossil fuel companies are already lining up at the federal trough, ready to absorb anything and everything they can get. AGH calls on Congress to support small businesses, employees and consumers in the renewable heat sector. 

Implications for state and local agencies

This shows a spike in wood smoke following the 2008
recession in one county due in part to a renewed
 reliance on older stoves.

If this economic downturn lasts through the winter of 2020/21, heating with wood may soar, like it did in 2009, however low oil and gas prices may ameliorate this. When wood heating soars, so does wood smoke. This will put additional strains on air agencies, particularly in Western states that experience far worse weather inversions than Great Lakes and eastern states. Burn bans will be even tougher on families who cannot afford propane and electric heating.  

Bad recessions lead to major rises in the use of coal in much of eastern Europe and Turkey.  In Greece, the economic crisis in 2013 was so bad that people were cutting trees in public parks, burning furniture and fouling cities with wood smoke on an unprecedented scale. All of this taxed various government agencies as they struggled to help households secure affordable heat and combat air pollution.

AGH urges states to maintain funding for programs that replace old stoves with cleaner, renewable heating options and for incentive programs that help households purchase cleaner and more efficient renewable heating technologies, such as advanced wood and pellet heaters. 

The coronavirus has helped bring much cleaner air to countries around the world as industrial activity slows or stops, airlines cancel flights and commuters work from home. One study, featured in a headline said: “Coronavirus Lockdown Likely Saved 77,000 Lives In China Just By Reducing Pollution.”  

What consumers can do

It is still too early to tell if there could be disruptions in the domestic firewood and heating pellet markets. Nonetheless, those who heat with pellets ought to think about buying early and stocking up this spring and summer.

Consumers who heat with cordwood can prepare by making sure they have plenty of firewood split, covered and ready for next winter – which starts in 7-8 months. As unemployment soars this spring, many people should have more time on their hands. And if you purchase your firewood, you can help by supporting the firewood industry during the warm months, before wood is in short supply this coming winter.

Getting your chimney swept by a professional is vital before the next heating season, especially if you plan to use your stove more, and you used at least one cord last year. It’s also a great way to support your local chimney sweep or stove retailer during this downturn.  

For households who use stoves for most of their home heating, it’s important to upgrade to an EPA certified model if they don’t have one already. And this spring is a time when your local retailer may be offering rock bottom prices. It’s even more important for households with old stoves to get a professional chimney sweep as they can tell you how safe your install is and keep you as safe as possible for another winter. If you do need to upgrade but can’t afford a new stove, there are now many decent certified stoves on the second-hand market. There are also some decent brands at big box stores, and your local chimney sweep can likely install those for you to ensure its safe enough for you, your family and your insurance company.   

Implications for the wood heater industry

Like many industries, the economic impact of Covid-19 could be very serious for the wood heater supply chain. Retailers with underlying health conditions are also among the most vulnerable. A slowdown in new construction will mostly likely impact the gas stove and fireplace market and pellet stoves are more vulnerable to cheap oil and gas than wood stoves.

The wood and pellet stove industry has moved past much of the impacts of the new EPA regulations, but this economic downturn could cause a prolonged problems on many fronts. Warm winters, low gas and oil prices, high unemployment and a host of other factors all also point to an extremely tough year or even two.  

The immediate impacts are being felt by stove retailers, many of whom are required to shutter their shops. HPBA laid out the impacts to this sector extensively in their letter to Congressional leadership. Chimney sweeps are more likely to be considered essential and may weather this storm better than the equipment sales and installation side.  

European stove production lines are already shut down and many, if not most, US stove factories will likely be shut down soon.  

Today is Tuesday, March 24. This post will quickly become out of date as things are moving fast. Stay tuned. 

Massachusetts renews innovative stove change-out program

Changing face of wood stoves in America includes a comeback of catalytic stoves 

Massachusetts announced an 8th round of annual funding for its innovative wood stove change out program. The program was the first in the country to develop a change out program that gave higher incentives to fully automated stoves and stoves that provide a verified efficiency on the list of EPA certified stoves.  The program has since been discontinued but may come back again.

The program, updated in April 2019, changes some of the rebate levels and provides consistently higher levels of rebates than most change out programs. It now offers Massachusetts residents between $500 and $3,250 for upgrades, depending on the stove and income level of the family.  To be eligible, households must have an operating, uncertified wood stove to trade in for a new wood or pellet stove.  Rebates can cover 30 - 80% of costs of the new stove and installation.

Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement the change-out program "improves air quality across the commonwealth and helps residents save money by adopting more efficient, cost cutting heating technologies."

The program favors appliances that burn more cleanly in the hands of consumers by offering the highest rebates ($1,750) to pellet and fully automated stoves that have listed efficiencies over 65%. The highest wood stove rebates ($1,250) can be claimed for catalytic (or hybrid) or non-catalytic stoves that emit 2 grams an hour or less and have a listed efficiency of 65% or more on the EPA list. The lowest rebate of $500 covers non-cat stoves that emit between 2 and 3 grams and do not have a listed efficiency. Income-based rebates for low income residents range from $2,000 to $2,750, plus the efficiency adder if the stove has a listed efficiency.

This table is reproduced from the Change-out Program Manual (pdf).

Massachusetts provides a helpful list of rebate amounts for all stoves that emit under 3 grams an hour. There are 596 stoves on the list. As a sign of the changing face of wood stoves in America, 216 or 36% of these stoves have verified efficiencies on the EPA list. Just two years ago, in the spring of 2017, only 87 stoves had listed efficiencies of 65% or higher. 

This shows that in a short span of time, consumers have far more access to efficiency data than in the past. Change out programs like this one help drive consumers to purchase higher efficiency stoves. According to people familiar with the Massachusetts program, most consumers buy stoves with listed efficiencies rather than forgo the $500 - $750 efficiency adder.  New York and Maryland also now include efficiency criteria in statewide stove incentive programs.

In a further sign of changing times, we are seeing a major resurgence of catalytic stoves. Fifty of the 216 stoves with verified efficiencies are cat stoves, compared to 61 that are non-cat. Many manufacturers are now using the term "hybrid" for stoves that have a catalyst and robust non-cat secondary combustion. Given the spotty reputation of catalytic stoves in the 80s and 90s, some manufacturers appear to be using catalysts to pass the 2020 standards but not advertising that the stove has one. In the Massachusetts change out program, hybrids are treated like catalytic stoves and receive the higher rebate.

Pellet stoves comprise the biggest share of stoves with listed efficiencies with 95 models. This high number of pellet stoves is a reflection of the ease of getting pellet stoves re-certified to the 2020 standards, which require efficiency testing and disclosure.

Steve Pike, CEO of the
Massachusetts Clean Energy
Center announced the program at
the Fire Place in Whately MA.

Possibly the most surprising part of the Massachusetts list is that the  6 stove models under 65% efficiency are all pellet stoves. It is vital for consumers to rely on the efficiency figures on the EPA list because most stove manufacturers continue to provide exaggerated or misleading efficiencies on their websites and promotional materials. For example, the Regency Greenfire GC60 made by Sherwood Industries was tested at 60% efficiency, which had to be disclosed on the EPA list.  But the manufacturer's website says "76.6% optimum efficiency."

Massachusetts' program gives its highest stove rebate of $1,250 to "fully automated woodstoves (FAW)" that consumers can "load and leave." A FAW is defined in the program as a "stove that (a) automatically adjust the stove’s airflow and therefore includes no manual airflow controls and (b) has sensors that provide temperature-control capabilities." There are currently four such stoves on the list. Determining which stoves can be designated as fully automated is tricky. Other states and change out programs are interested in this issue as well.   The development of automated wood stoves could eventually reshape how we think about wood stoves, as they transform an age-old technology into a modern, high-tech appliance.

One important characteristic of wood stoves that does not appear on any list of stoves is whether the stove was designed for, and tested with, cordwood. Change out programs may see value in giving an extra rebate to encourage more consumers to use stoves designed to burn with cordwood instead of crib wood.

The 2019 Commonwealth Woodstove Change-Out Program has a budget of $450,000, which adds to the more than $2 million in funding for change-outs since the program began in 2012. The program has helped more than 2,300 residents swap out their non-EPA certified, inefficient stoves for newer, cleaner models. More than 500 of these rebates went to residents earning less than 80 percent of the state median income.

The program is run the by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) in coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Residents must have the new stove installed by a Participating Stove Professional who ensures that the old, uncertified wood stove is destroyed. There are currently 65 stove professionals participating, double the number from 2 years ago. Installers are encouraged, but not required, to be NFI or CSIA accredited.

The Changing Face of Wood Stove Change-out Programs

Online Resource Center launched to assist program managers & consumers

States and counties are increasingly looking to wood stove change out programs to encourage people to give up old, polluting wood stoves for cleaner alternatives.  In 2016, there were 34 stove change-out programs. The average incentive was about $900 to replace and old wood stove with a new one, $1,300 for a pellet stove, $1,500 for natural gas stove and $1,900 for a heat pump.

Trends in 2016 change-outs include more programs only allowing old wood stoves to be replaced by pellet, gas or electric appliances; more bounty programs that pay for decommissioning both old and newer wood stoves; more programs requiring or considering lower particulate matter standards for eligible stoves; and increased documentation for stove retailers and program managers.

Stove change-out programs are often compared to “cash-for-clunkers,” the $3 billion program in 2009 to get older, more polluting cars off the road.  That program became more controversial as program performance data was evaluated. Stove change-outs are also often criticized for not providing enough benefit per dollar invested.  This Online Stove Change-out Resource Center strives to help maximize benefits for local air quality, participating households and the manufacturers of cleaner, more efficient heating appliances.

This Resource Center was also designed to be a resource for a national change-out fund, like the federal diesel program to replace older diesel engines. Several members of Congress had been working on federal funding for a stove change-out fund and it is now unclear if that goal may be more difficult under a Trump Administration.

“Stove change-out programs are a great tool for communities to reduce excessive wood smoke pollution but many programs underperform,” said John Ackerly, President of the Alliance for Green Heat.  “Best practices developed by innovative change-out managers need to be integrated into more programs,” he added.

Key parts of the Online Resource Center for Wood Stove Change-outs include:

•          An in-depth analysis of all 2016 change-out programs
•      A zip code search feature for consumers to find change-out and incentive programs in their area (coming soon),
•      10 Best Practices for change-out programs,
•       Tips for Homeowners, to navigate the process of buying a wood stove and keep costs down.
•          Recommended educational videos

This Online Resource Center is the most comprehensive summary of change-out programs in the US with details about their budgets, eligibility requirements and innovative features.  It is based on extensive research of each change-out program and interviews with scores of change-out managers, stove retailers and experts. The Resource Center is an ongoing project that welcomes input and corrections from all stakeholders.  Please send comments to info@forgreenheat.org.

This Online Resource Center was supported in part by the Osprey Foundation.  Content for the Resource Center was written by Melissa Bollman and John Ackerly, staff at the Alliance for Green Heat.  The Alliance for Green Heat is an independent, non-profit organization that promotes cleaner and more efficient wood and pellet heating.

Alliance for Green Heat to undertake wood stove change out assessment for West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund

March 22, 2016 - The Alliance for Green Heat received a $15,600 grant from West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) for a wood stove change out assessment.

The grant funds will be used to propose options for programs that remove existing older stoves, and replace them with new, wood burning appliances that meet or exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2020 New Source Performance Standards wood heater regulations.  Such a program must also include a measurement and verification component that ensures existing wood stoves are removed, taken off the market, and disposed of.

In addition, the project will explore the integration of a wood stove change out program into existing financing or incentive programs, as well as a residential energy efficiency program that will significantly reduce wood smoke emissions and address home comfort and air quality safety concerns.

“Woody biomass is an abundant renewable heat feedstock which has been used by generations to provide low-cost heating for homes across Pennsylvania.  WPPSEF seeks to better understand how older wood burning stoves can be replaced by state-of-the art stoves that meet or exceeds EPA’s 2020 New Source Performance Standards while ensuring the old stove is removed from the marketplace.  WPPSEF is striving to develop a cost-effective program that help homeowners replace their old wood stove and while improving local air quality and home comfort” says Joel Morrison, Director of the WPPSEF.

 #  #  #

The Alliance for Green Heat promotes modern wood and pellet heating systems as a low-carbon, sustainable and affordable energy solution. The Alliance works to advance cleaner and more efficient residential heating technology, particularly for low and middle-income families. Founded in 2009, the Alliance is an independent non-profit organization and is tax-exempt under section 501c3 of the tax code.

Learn more at http://www.forgreenheat.org/

The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that invests in the deployment of sustainable energy technologies that benefit West Penn Power ratepayers in Pennsylvania. WPPSEF investments are focused in three broad categories:

ü  Deployment of sustainable and clean energy technologies;

ü  Deployment of energy efficiency and conservation technologies; and

ü  Facilitating economic development, environmental betterment, and public education as they relate to sustainable energy deployment in the WPP service region.

Visit http://www.wppsef.org for further information.

###

Pellet Stoves are hot commodity in Maryland rebate program

Alliance for Green Heat - A Maryland program that provides rebates for select pellet stoves and EPA certified wood stoves has been an overwhelming success for pellet stoves.  Of the 773 rebates given since the program started in September 2012, 646 or 83% of them have been for pellet stoves.

To date, the Maryland program has provided nearly $400,000 in rebate grants for pellet stoves and $67,000 for wood stoves.  The program is only open to families who heat with oil, propane or electricity in order to target those who have highest heating costs and the most carbon intensive fuels.

 The wood and pellet stove grant program is quickly catching up with the Maryland solar and geothermal grant programs, with 28% of all grants going to wood and pellet stoves and nearly 15% of total funding. The rebates range from $500 for wood stoves and solar hot water to $3,000 for geothermal.  All of the programs are designed and managed by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) with input from stakeholders and funded from Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF), part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

“These results show that rebates for pellet stoves can help a state meet residential carbon and electricity reduction goals,” said John Ackerly, the President of the Alliance for Green Heat and one of the advocates for this program.  “Per dollar of state funds invested, this has enabled Maryland to help many more families reduce energy costs and drastically reduce their fossil fuel use,” Ackerly added.

The greater interest in pellet stoves is result of a combination of factors, including people using the rebate to upgrade from an old, uncertified wood stove to a pellet stove, a higher rebate amount for pellet stoves and not as many wood stoves qualifying for the program’s 3-gram per hour emission requirement.  Pellet stoves are held to 2-gram an hour emission limit.

Another factor is that pellet stoves are simply becoming more popular in Maryland as they are nationally. The state has one of the premier pellet stove dealers in the nation and a full 58% of the 79 wood and pellet stove grants listed one month were being handled by that dealer, Courtland Hearth & Hardware, that has 3 stores in northeast Maryland.

On a per capita basis, the rebate program has been most popular in Harford County and Maryland’s rural eastern shore, a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic that has very little natural gas penetration.  On a numerical basis, the most rebates are in Harford, Anne Arundel and Baltimore County, more heavily populated counties that also have higher median household incomes and can better afford the up front costs of purchasing and installing a stove.  Garrett County, one of Maryland’s counties with the lowest average household income and the highest rate of wood heating, had very few participants in the rebate program and they were only one of two counties that favored wood over pellet stoves.

In Maryland, the western counties and the Eastern shore have the lowest average household incomes and the center, which is part of the Washington, Baltimore,  Philadelphia corridor are the wealthiest, with the exception of inner city Baltimore. This corridor also has very high rates of national gas penetration. 

Unlike many programs in other states and areas, where wood smoke is a worse problem, the Maryland program does not require the homeowner to turn in an old uncertified stove to qualify for a rebate.  Nevertheless, according to several stove retailers, between 50% and 75% of old uncertified stoves are removed and recycled anyway. Recyclers usually pay $25 - $40 for old wood stoves.  This indicates that a rebate program that requires professional installation can be an inexpensive way to remove old wood stoves from the airshed compared to many change out programs, which tend to be more expensive.

The $500 - $700 rebate from the state helps Maryland achieve several objectives.  Other than helping people replace or significantly reduce fossil heating fuel, it also steers people to pellet stoves instead of wood ones and leads consumers to buy a cleaner stove and ensures that it is professionally installed and/or inspected, depending on permit and inspection requirements of the county.  Without the rebate, it is more likely that more consumers may buy off the second hand market, or buy higher emitting wood or pellet stove, or hang on to an older stove for longer.

From a carbon perspective, incenting the purchase of wood and pellet stoves can be a very good investment as a wood or pellet stove is often about 10% of the cost of solar or geothermal and can displace about the same amount of fossil fuel as the typical solar or geothermal installation.  Pellet stovesGenerally, pellet stoves are more likely to be a primary or sole heat source for a home because they can be easily run 24/7.  

From an emissions perspective, pellet stoves are clearly better than wood because the fuel size is small, it has consistent low moisture content and is fed into a more controlled combustion chamber. By limiting the rebate to homes that heat with electricity, oil or propane, the program effectively limits the vast majority of participants to rural areas, where stove emissions are not as problematic. 

Nationally, wood stoves have always outsold pellet stoves, but pellet stoves have twice come close to selling more than wood stoves annually.  Over the five years preceding 2013, manufacturers shipped an average of 90,000 pellet stoves per year versus 137,000 wood stoves, according to data from the industry association, the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA).

Sampling of data from applications:

The MEA provided the Alliance for Green Heat with a sampling of data from 110 applications.  This data helps the MEA and other stakeholders understand which fossil fuels are being offset, what applicants do with old wood stoves and other metrics that can help assess the strengths and weaknesses of the program.  It appears that the fossil fuel most commonly displaced was electricity, which was twice as common as oil and propane.  It is unclear if electric heating means electric resistance heat or a heat pump and that has a large bearing on the amount of electricity reduced.  Many Marylanders have older, inefficient heat pumps that work poorly in very cold temperatures. 

The application does not ask if the person intended the new stove to be a primary or secondary heat source or whether an old wood or pellet stove being replaced was a primary or secondary heat source.  That will be one of the recommendations the Alliance makes to the MEA about future data collection to provide better metrics for the program.

Of the 110 applications, 33 of the households already had an older stove.  What is surprising is that   Pellet stoves have many moving parts and are not as durable as wood stoves and often need to be replaced every 10 – 15 years.  Of the 33 households with existing stoves, nearly 60% had their old one recycled or otherwise disposed of.  Six of them, or 18%, sold them on the second hand market, including a few old pellet stoves.  And 3 people kept their old wood stove installed as an emergency back-up heat for their new pellet stove.  Nearly half of these households already had a pellet stove and wanted to upgrade to a newer pellet stove.

This analysis is based on much more data but continues the trends that were noted in a similar analysis in February of 2013 after the pilot phase of the program.  During the pilot phase, rebates were $400 for wood stoves and $600 for pellet stoves.  

More info:
Maryland wood and pellet stove program details and application
Other Maryland renewable energy programs
Background on how the program began
Common questions and answers about the program