Wood Stove Decathlon Set for Nov. 15th – 19th on National Mall

The Wood Stove Decathlon will be held on the National Mall in Washington D.C .from Friday November 15th to Tuesday the 19th. Modeled after the DOE’s Solar Decathlon, the Wood Stove Decathlon is an international competition to design and build the most innovative and affordable next generation wood stove. The Decathlon will be open to the public.

The Wood Stove Decathlon will be in a large tent on the National Mall in front of the Whitten USDA building, near the Smithsonian metro station. Fourteen teams have been selected by the judges to compete for a grand prize of $25,000 and for several other prizes. There is also an audience award and you can cast your vote now for what you think is the most innovative stove.

This will be the first high profile technology competition for wood stoves since Ben Franklin’s time, when deforestation compelled a drive for more efficient stoves. Today, the main driver is particulates and the need to reduce levels of smoke. The biggest breakthrough in modern times was the pellet stove, which was invented in Washington State in the 1980s and has become far more popular in Europe than in the U.S. For wood stoves, there could be major breakthroughs with automation – microprocessors and low-cost sensors that will maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.

The primary sponsors so far include NYSERDA, the US Forest Service and Schott Robax glass. Partners include Popular Mechanics magazine, DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory and the states of Washington and Oregon.

The sponsors and partners seek to identify and popularize technology trends that can lead to far cleaner and more efficient home heating. An awards ceremony announcing the winners and discussing the technology will be held on Tuesday, November 19th. See the Wood Stove Decathlon web page for any further information.

Free pellet stove repair for low-income families in New England

Scott Williamson, who owns Pelletstoveservice.com is offering to repair pellet stoves of low-income families and individuals this winter free of charge. To be eligible, the person must either be currently approved for state heating assistance or some other low-income program and live within his southern New England service area. The Alliance for Green Heat is urging hearth dealers and pellet dealers to help identify low-income families for this generous offer.


Like many hearth professionals who repair and install wood and pellet stoves, Scott often sees the faces of poverty. He was moved to help low-income families after seeing scores of families last winter that were living on the edge with a stove as their only heat source. Single mothers, the elderly, and unemployed are especially vulnerable in winter and face stark choices between heating and feeding themselves and their kids.
Scott is offering to repair about 3 pellet stoves a week or about 6 hours of labor - free of charge - but needs assistance to identify people who are already enrolled in a recognized low-income program such as Medicare, Medicaid, LIHEAP, food stamps, HUD subsidized housing, etc. Hearth stores and pellet dealers in southern New England can contact Scott directly to refer an eligible low-income family. Hearth dealerships and pellet suppliers can also nominate repair candidates simply by making a judgment call of their own.


This assistance covers labor only and not materials needed for repairs. It does not include installations or annual service cleanings. 
Scott’s service area is a 120 miles radius from Rehoboth, Massachusetts: Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut, eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, southeastern Vermont and the southern tip of Maine. For a more detailed map of the service area, click here http://www.pelletstoveservice.com/Rates_and_Pricing.html

Please feel free to post this notice and distribute it to other hearth stores.

Since 2003 Pellet Stove Service have been dedicated to servicing pellet burning stoves, pellet boilers and pellet furnaces. 

To contact Scott: (508) 507-9201or scott.pelletstoveservice@gmail.com