In an effort to make more low and middle-income families eligible for its clean burning wood stove rebate program, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is waiving the professional installation requirement under certain circumstances. The MEA is also allowing families who heat with wood or pellets to use the rebate to buy a new, replacement stove. Previously, the MEA only wanted to serve homes that did not have an existing wood or pellet stove. As of November 28, the MEA has received around 40 applications for the rebate and has funding for 100. MEA says that it hopes to extend the program next year.
Here are changes, as described by MEA:
MEA is now accepting qualified self-installed wood burning stoves with documentation of inspection. To accommodate those who are qualified to install stoves at their own home, MEA is now accepting self-installations. The agency wants to ensure that the stoves are safely installed and running efficiently, therefore they are requiring that those self-installed stoves are accompanied by documentation that the stove has been inspected post-install by either a county inspector or an insurance adjuster. In the case of an insurance adjuster’s inspection, a typed letter on the company’s letterhead stating that the installation has been inspected and meets all codes/safety requirements of that jurisdiction will suffice as documentation. In the case of a county building inspector, a “passed” photo or copy of the inspection sticker will suffice.
MEA is now awarding grants for the upgrade of older/less efficient woodstoves. With technology upgrades, MEA now offers the same incentives to households with less efficient stoves, as newer stoves are more efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly. All other requirements still apply to applications.
On September 7, 2012, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) launched a pilot rebate program for some of the cleanest wood and pellet stoves available, marking the first time that a state has integrated wood and pellet stoves into a renewable energy rebate program.
The pilot program offers a $400 rebate for wood stoves and $600 for pellet stoves. Wood stoves must emit less than half the particulates that are allowed by the EPA to be eligible.
"We are thrilled that Governor O'Malley and Malcolm Wolff, the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, extended the renewable energy grant program to appliances that low and middle-income families can afford," said John Ackerly, the President of the Alliance for Green Heat.
The Maryland program is designed help families who do not have access to relatively cheap natural gas. The rebates are only offered to homes that heat with the most expensive fuels - oil, propane or electricity and who are typically in less affluent, rural areas.
Delegate Heather Mizeur, who first introduced a bill in the Maryland House of Delegates to establish such a program last year, said "modern wood and pellet stoves offer rural families a way to participate in our clean energy future. For most Marylanders, especially those already coping with high heating and electricity costs, purchasing solar panels is out of the question."
Full details of the program and the application can be found here: http://energy.maryland.gov/Residential/woodstoves/index.html. Wood stoves that are EPA certified and emit no more than 3 grams of particulates an hour and pellet stoves that emit no more than 2 grams an hour are eligible to receive a grant. Program funds are limited to $50,000 and available on a first come, first serve basis.
The original bill was introduced in the Maryland legislature in 2011, and drafted with assistance of the Alliance for Green Heat. The legislature did not approve the bill because of the cost involved but it had broad support and the only voices against it came from the oil and propane dealer associations. Despite the legislature's inaction, the MEA working together with Delegate Heather Mizeur and other legislators, decided to implement it with their existing budget.
As discussed in the October issue of Consumer Reports, there is no federal tax credit for wood or pellet stoves as there is for solar, geothermal and wind. And, the DOE and EPA have not developed a Energy Star program for wood and pellet stoves to help consumers identify the cleanest and most efficient units. "Wood and pellet stoves are the people's renewable energy device, and rural families have always been leaders of the renewable energy movement," explained Ackerly. "But little has been done to invest in cleaner stove R&D or to incentivize the cleanest and most efficient stoves. This rebate program is a step towards smartly deploying the cleanest stoves and makes Maryland a national leader in helping ordinary families affordably heat their homes."
The Alliance created a Q & A about the program that addresses some questions consumers may have.
The Maryland Energy
Administration (MEA) is starting a $50,000 pilot program that will provide
rebates for partial payment of qualifying wood and pellet stoves. The
pilot program will start later this year and operate on a first come, first
serve basis.
“This program will extend our
renewable energy incentives both to a different technology and to a potentially
a diverse group of participants including those in rural parts of Maryland,”
said Frederick Hoover, Director of Clean Energy at MEA in a letter to Delegate
Heather Mizeur. The Maryland delegate was the lead sponsor of the bill HB
996, the Renewable Energy for All Act, which laid the groundwork for this pilot
program.
“We are thrilled that the
cleanest wood and pellet stoves will finally be part of Maryland’s renewable
energy rebate program,” said John Ackerly, President of the Maryland based
non-profit, the Alliance for Green Heat. “Throughout the US, rural low
and middle-income families struggle to pay their heating bills while generous
rebates and tax-incentives flowed to some of our wealthiest citizens to install
solar panels. A $3,000 pellet stove can displace as much fossil fuel as a
$30,000 array of solar panels,” Ackerly explained.
The Alliance for Green Heat led
a coalition of Maryland organizations, businesses and consumers during the
two-year push to establish this program. The program was supported by the
Maryland Clean Energy Center, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Mid Atlantic Hearth Patio
& Barbecue Association and many other groups. Hearth retailers in the
state, led by Richard Thomas of Courtland Hardware and Suzanne Turner of
Survival Products also campaigned for the program. The coalition was especially
trying to help rural Maryland residents who do not have access to natural gas
and heat with the most expensive fossil fuels: oil, propane and electricity.
“At a time when millions of
Americans are out of work and struggling to pay bills, this is a way to help
families affordably heat their homes and
switch to a renewable, local energy source,” Ackerly said.
Delegate Heather Mizeur, who
represents Maryland District 20 that shares a border with Washington, DC,
included this message to her constituents:
“While grant programs help
Marylanders purchase solar, wind, and geothermal energy systems, the cost of
these systems is out of reach for most families. The Renewable Energy for All
Act would incentivize the purchase of biomass systems that generate heat energy
via wood and corn pellet products, helping families switch to a less expensive
heat source and participate in our clean energy future. … Homeowners with less
efficient stoves could also receive a $200 change-out grant to replace their
old stove with a more efficient, cleaner burning unit.”
During negotiations with the
Maryland Energy Administration HB 996 was amended to focus on a pilot program
with MEA funding. The House committee of jurisdiction voted against the
amended bill, but MEA has reaffirmed their commitment to undertake the program.
Contact:
John Ackerly
Melissa Bollman
301-841-7755
cell
202-365-4765
Technology Competition Seeks Cleaner Wood Stove
Innovation may help
re-invent the classic wood stove
Today the Alliance for Green Heat announced the public launch of a Next Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge that seeks to promote innovation in wood stoves.
The Challenge will culminate in a Wood Stove Decathlon, modeled after the Solar Decathlon, which will take place on the National Mall in Washington DC in November 2013. Eminent stove, technology, air quality and combustion experts will judge this public exhibition of next generation wood stove designs. Stoves will be judged on emissions, efficiency, affordability, innovation and ease of use.
The Design Challenge grew from discussions between the Alliance for Green Heat and editors at Popular Mechanics magazine who believe innovation can overcome some of the problems inherent in the wood stove and that a “smart” wood stove may be on the horizon.
Modern wood stoves can burn relatively cleanly, but they can be smoky and inefficient when not used properly. “Wood stoves are a lifeline for millions of mostly rural low and middle-income families, but they are too easy to misuse by operators,” said John Ackerly, President of the Alliance for Green Heat, the independent non-profit organization sponsoring the Design Challenge.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wood stoves produce 80% of residential renewable energy in America, while solar and geothermal combined produce 20%. The U.S. government funnels hundreds of millions of dollars into R&D and incentives for solar, biofuels and other technologies, yet the renewable energy device used by most Americans has been neglected.
“The wood stove is a vital part of our nation’s technological legacy, and we think it can be a vital part of our future,” said James Meigs, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Mechanics magazine. “We are excited to see what sort of innovation engineers, inventors and university teams can bring to the table to make the wood stove cleaner, and possibly re-invent its consumer image,” he continued.
Federal standards for wood stove emissions will be somewhat stricter by 2014, but will do little to impact how consumers use and misuse stoves. The two biggest problems with wood stoves happen when operators use unseasoned wood or do not give the stoves enough air, which leads to incomplete combustion. “We expect the Design Challenge to produce stoves that integrate electronics that are ubiquitous in today’s appliances and can include novel features that consumers want,” Ackerly said. “A smart wood stove may motivate people to trade in their older polluting stove and replace it with an higher efficiency, higher tech model,” Ackerly said.
A powerful and growing array of partner organizations that are helping with the Challenge include Popular Mechanics, the State of Washington Department of Ecology, the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. The Design Challenge will also bring together engineers working on developing clean cookstoves in the developing world with those working on heat stoves in the developed world on the common goal of increasing efficiency and reducing emissions.
The deadline for initial applications is December 20 and the finalists will bring their stoves to Washington for the Decathlon in November 2013. The winning design will receive $25,000 and coverage in Popular Mechanics magazine. Second prizes will share a $10,000 award. For rules and more information about the Wood Stove Design Challenge, go to www.forgreenheat.org/stovedesign.
# # #
The Alliance for Green
Heat promotes wood and pellet heat as a low-carbon, sustainable and affordable
energy solution. The Alliance works to advance cleaner and more efficient wood
heating appliances, particularly for low and middle-income families. The Alliance is a 510c3 non-profit
organization based in Maryland.
