Firewood bank leaders hold first national meeting

More than 30 leaders of firewood banks receiving Forest Service funding via the Alliance for Green met
online to discuss the challenges their banks face and how Forest Service funding can help them better serve low-income households in their communities. 

This was the first time that many of the funded firewood banks met the heads of other banks and realized that they were part of a much larger national network.

 

The meeting was convened by the Alliance for Green Heat and featured a short talk by Brian Brashaw, Assistant Director for Wood Innovations at the US Forest Service, who are providing the funding for this program.

 

The purpose of the meeting was to explore how firewood banks can support one another and share information that would help other banks.  

 

During the meeting, bank leaders described a wide variety of organizations and activities, not all of which were even called “firewood banks.”  The underlying commonality is that they all provided free firewood to needy households.  Beyond that, the differences may be greater than the similarities.  Several tribes ran operations that resembled a small firewood utility, an entity responsible for delivering heating fuel throughout the winter.  Other banks only provided firewood on an emergency basis, when a household ran out of all other fuel.  Another bank served families who had gone through a rigorous eligibility screening process run by a state-supported agency and who could also receive LIHEAP benefits.

 

The way in which each firewood bank procures wood is as diverse as their geographic locations. From simple plans like receiving donations from downed trees on town streets to working with loggers thinning forests at risk of wildfire.  One bank serving tribal homes had equipment and staffing to process 7 cords an hour.  At the other end of the spectrum were small banks who were able to stop splitting wood by hand and use hydraulic splitters with this year’s funding. Obtaining wood becomes its own case study as the public-private-community lines intersect.  

 

As firewood bank leaders shared their stories, we were reminded of how critical wood heating and access to firewood is for some households. Robin, with the Oglala Lakota Cultural and Economic Revitalization Initiative (OLCERI), shared with us that on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota where OLCERI operates, housing is “woefully inadequate for the cold,” and that “people literally die in their homes every year, they’re freezing to death.” Providing wood for their community is a lifesaving action. For as many “thank yous” that we received from the firewood banks during the meeting, a thousand “thank yous” are owed back to them for doing their incredible work.

 

One conclusion based on this year's funding is that there may be far more wood banks than anyone realized and there is no easy way to reach them.  Wood banks emerge from churches, tribes, non-profits, town and county offices because it is the cheapest way to provide heating fuel to homes, and households heating with wood are not well-served by federal and state low-income heating programs. For some firewood banks, providing wood for heating is a service they have offered in the last decade while others, like the Nez Perce tribe, have long relied on and supplied wood to their community. Howard Teasley Jr., Director of the Forestry and Fire Management Division of the Nez Perce Tribe, shared that they have “dealt with fuel wood since life immemorial,” serving around 350-400 homes per year. 

 

Map showing the location of firewood banks funded in this cycle. 
Yellow represents faith-based banks, purple represents tribal banks, 
and green represents non-profit banks.

While all these firewood banks provide free firewood, like food banks, each one is distinctive.  One bank provides firewood to people with terminal illnesses who have run out of money.  Some provide multiple deliveries to each house through the winter, while others just provide a single delivery. Some firewood banks take steps to verify heating needs before delivering wood while others approach distribution with a no-questions policy. If someone says they need it, they give it.     

Other stakeholders working with firewood banks attended the meeting including Larry Brockman of the EPA's Burnwise program, Clarisse Hart of the Harvard Forest, Jessica Leahy of the University of Maine, Sean Mahoney from the State of Massachussetts and others.

 

The $590,000 for first year grants is going to 47 banks and applications for this year are now closed.  Congress provided funding for a 5-year period and the Alliance for Green Heat expects to announce updated criteria for the second-year funding cycle in the spring.

 

To stay up-to-date on when the next funding becomes available, sign up for updates at the bottom of this page.

Further Information:

• USDA Funding Flows to Firewood Banks (January 4th, 2023)
• Firewood Bank Resources (2022)

 

 

 

Press release: Alliance for Green Heat and NYSERDA Announce Seven Finalists in International Pellet Stove Competition

Two New York teams are among the finalists Alliance for Green Heat and the New York State Energy Research and  Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced that seven pellet  stoves have been chosen as finalists in the Pellet Stove Design  Challenge.  This international competition, administered by the Alliance for Green  Heat, identifies innovative low emissions and high efficiency pellet  stoves for the residential home heating market. The competition supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's Renewable Heat NY initiative, which is building a sustainable, high-efficiency, low-emissions wood heating sector in New York. The Pellet Stove Design Challenge supports the commitment of  New York State, the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National  Lab, the U.S. Forest Service and a number of other states, agencies and institutions to understand and improve the technology, engineering and smart deployment of pellet stoves to reduce reliance on fossil heating fuels. The stoves will be judged for particulate matter emissions, efficiency, safety, innovation and market potential.  The winner of the competition will be the team that best blends these qualities.  The stoves present a wide range of design approaches, including gravity feed, downdraft burners, a combination  cordwood/pellet stove, a $300 stove and more traditional designs. In April 2016, the teams will showcase their stoves at Brookhaven  National Lab during the workshop and conference that are open  to the public. The event includes several days of panel discussions and informal roundtables on pellet stove technology, public health, deployment, policy and innovation in pellet and cord wood stoves. The technology competition will be followed by a multi-year  initiative to exhibit the winning stoves and educate consumers and  agencies that deal with wood smoke issues and the deployment of  residential renewable energy systems. NYSERDA is providing  support for this competition with additional support being provided   by the Osprey Foundation and U.S. Forest Service. NYSERDA President and CEO John B. Rhodes said, "The Pellet  Stove Design Challenge is an innovative way to advance new  technologies that can potentially provide consumers with higher  efficiency pellet stoves.  This competition aligns with Governor  Cuomo's Renewable Heat NY initiative, which is building a  sustainable, high-efficiency, low-emissions wood heating sector  in New York." Three stoves will be extensively tested and compete for a grand  prize and four demonstration stoves will provide comparative,  baseline data. The three competition stoves are: 1. A prototype that will burn cord wood or pellets and is controlled  by sensor technology made by DBFZ, a German company,  that markets in the U.S. through Wittus Fire by Design of Pound Ridge, New York. 2.  A new stove coming to the commercial market later this year,  made by Seraph Industries, a small Illinois company, known  for robust heat exchangers and a track record of  transparency and high efficiency multi-fuel stoves. 3.The Torrefire pellet stove, made by Seattle inventor  Geoffrey Johnson, which is a prototype that employs radically  different combustion and heat transfer strategies. The four demonstration stoves are: 1. The Vibrastove, made by Noble Metals Recovery, a small  Virginia company that is a downdraft, gravity feed stove,  inspired by rocket stoves. 2. A modified Quadra-Fire pellet stove made by a student  team from the State University of New York at Buffalo. 3. One of the cleanest commercial pellet stoves on the market  today that is certified at less than .3 grams per hour. 4. Another very clean commercially available pellet stove,  certified at less than .6 grams per hour. The event is also bringing attention to the need for cleaner  cord wood stoves. A student team from the State University  of New York at Stony Brook and MF Fire, a company that  grew from at University of Maryland team, will be showcasing  automated, sensor controlled wood stoves. The 2016 Pellet Stove Design Challenge is the third stove  challenge that the Alliance for Green Heat will host.  The first  was a cord wood stove competition held on the  National Mall  in Washington DC in 2013 and the second was held at Brookhaven  National Lab in 2014.  The Alliance for Green Heat, a non-profit  education and advocacy organization manages the Challenge,  which was inspired by the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. "We strive to foster a community that shares ideas and data to push  this technology forward and get pellet stoves the recognition they  deserve as a mainstream renewable energy technology," said John  Ackerly, President of the Alliance for Green Heat. "Like solar and  wind, pellet stoves have huge potential in the United States to  drastically reduce household use of fossil fuels if the technology can raise efficiency and reduce emission levels," Ackerly added. According to the Alliance for Green Heat, the average pellet stove in  the U.S. is believed to be around 70 percent efficient but many of  the most popular models are in the low 60s and the best ones are around 80 percent efficient.  About one million homes are heated with pellet stoves in the United States, with sales averaging about 75,000 per year.  An efficient pellet stove can pay itself back in three-to-five years, depending on the heat source being replaced. Currently, the federal government offers a $300 tax credit for new pellet stoves.  Eight states including Idaho, Maryland, Maine, Montana, Oregon and New York,  offer incentives of up to several  thousand dollars for pellet stoves. The  Advisory Committee that oversees the Challenge includes  representatives from NYSERDA, Brookhaven National Lab, the   USDA Forest Service, the Washington State Department of Ecology,  the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Clarkson  University and others. About Reforming the Energy Vision  Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) is New York Governor Andrew  M. Cuomo's strategy to build a clean, resilient and affordable energy  system for all New Yorkers. REV is transforming New York's energy  policy with new state-wide initiatives and regulatory reforms. REV will  grow the state's clean energy economy, support innovation, ensure  grid resilience, mobilize private capital, create new jobs, and increase choice and affordability for energy consumers. REV places clean, locally produced power at the very core of New York's energy system. This  protects the environment and supports the State's goal to reduce  greenhouse gas emissions by 40% while generating 50% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. Successful initiatives already launched as part of REV include NY-Sun, NY Green Bank, NY Prize, K-Solar, and a commitment to improve energy affordability for low-income communities. To learn more about REV, visit www.ny.gov/REV4NY and follow us @REV4NY. About NYSERDA NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and support to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect the environment and create clean energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York State since 1975. To learn more about NYSERDA's programs, visit nyserda.ny.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. About the Alliance for Green Heat 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 Maryland in 2009, the Alliance is an  independent non-profit organization and is tax-exempt under section  501c3 of the tax code.

Rookie Wood Stove Makers Get Highest Score in Design Workshop

Taylor Myers and Ryan
Fisher with the Mulciber,
the highest ranking stove.

A stove designed and built by graduate engineering students received the 

highest score in an international Stove Design Workshop focused on automated wood stove technology.  The goal of the event was to assess innovative technologies that can help stoves reduce real-world emissions that result from poor operation by the consumer and use of unseasoned wood, both of which are widespread problems. 

Ten judges scored the stoves based on emissions, efficiency, innovation, market appeal and safety.  The highest scoring stove, the Mulciber, adapted emission control techniques that are in automobiles, such as an oxygen sensor that controls the fuel-to-air ratio, a continuously engaged catalyst and an exhaust gas fan.  The Mulciber was also tested with unseasoned, 50% moisture content wood and performed quite well.   The team, who had never built a stove before the 2013 Wood Stove Decathlon, overhauled their first prototype and have now formed the company MF Fire to bring the stove to market.  

The Workshop was held at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and brought together a diverse range of stakeholders - students, professors, industry, regulators, air quality experts - who spent a week together analyzing the problems and solutions to residential cord wood emissions.

Five stoves competed in the event, which is part of the ongoing Wood Stove Design Challenge run by the non-profit group, Alliance for Green Heat. In 2013, the Design Challenge hosted the Wood Stove Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington DC, a high profile event modeled after the Solar Decathlon.  This year, the event was at a lab so that stoves could be tested more rigorously and test data could be shared with the participants.

The core problem is that most consumers do not operate wood stoves well and many use unseasoned wood.  In addition, EPA certification testing for wood stoves do not simulate how wood is burned in people’s homes.  For decades, manufacturers have been building stoves to pass that test, but not necessarily to burn cleanly in homes.  This workshop addressed that by testing with cordwood that was not fully seasoned, capturing some start-up emissions in the test and assessing how automation can reduce operator error.  At Brookhaven, stoves were tested at four parts of their burn cycle: warm start, steady state 1, hot reload and steady state 2. The current EPA stove certification test uses seasoned 2x4s and 4x4s and only tests for emissions after the start-up period, once the stove is hot.

Automated stoves, where computers, not consumers, adjust the air-to-fuel ratio, cannot be tested by EPA test methods so they are not able to enter the US marketplace.   A major goal of the Workshop was to start designing an alternative test method to the EPA’s method, so that automated stoves can be tested and become certified in the US, as they already are in Europe. Tom Butcher, a senior scientist at Brookhaven Lab, hosted one of the public webinars during the week on that topic.

Rankings: The judges gave double weight to emissions and efficiency, as they did in the 2013 Wood Stove Decathlon, because of the importance of those values.  This year, the judges decided not to judge affordability since most of the stoves were prototypes or technologies designed to be integrated into other stoves and ultimate costs and pricing was too speculative. Each of the 10 judges scored each stove on innovation and market appeal.  The other three criteria were based on lab tests.

“We want to congratulate the MF Fire team - and all the teams - for participating in a process of sharing innovation, ideas and test results,” said John Ackerly, coordinator of the event and President of the Alliance for Green Heat.  “These stoves have many of the solutions to excessive smoke from modern-day wood stoves and are challenging the EPA and the stove industry, to catch up with new technologies and new opportunities,” Ackerly said.

The Wittus team with the Twinfire.

While MF Fire stove, the Mulciber, had the highest combined score, several of the other stoves stood out in key areas.  The German Twinfire, designed by the Wittus team, had the second highest overall efficiency, at 74%, and one of the lowest emission rates on a test run.  Its automated air regulation enabled the stove to perform consistently well at different part of the burn cycle and it received the highest score for consumer appeal, for its downdraft flame into a lower chamber.  

The VcV, wired to monitor
temperature in key spots

The VcV, a New Zealand mechanical device that operates without any electricity, achieved the highest average efficiency, at 82% based in part on the lowest average stack temperature at 167 degrees (F), and the lowest emission rate on one of its tests.  It also received the second highest marks for innovation.  This was the only stove that did not require electricity and will be very affordable. Three out of four tests were very, very good, but on one the hot reloads, something happened and that reduced its overall numbers, and took it out of contention for first or second place.  This device has undergone extensive R&D and is one of the entries that is closest to being ready for the market.

The Catalus Ventus by ClearStak, received the highest score of all for CO reduction, and the second

The ClearStak team with the
Catalus Ventus

highest for emissions.   It was a highly innovative entry, employing dual cyclones, a pre-heated, continuously engaged catalyst and a fabric filter.  Its sensors and controller kept the oxygen rates incredibly steady, within half a percentage point. The technology could be integrated into a new stove, or added on to an existing stove. The designers did not try to optimize efficiency, which impacted their overall score.   

The Kleiss, ready for testing.

The Kleiss arrived at the competition with the hallmarks of an innovative, automated stove that could handle wet wood and nearly eliminate operator error.  The stoves sensors and algorithms were designed to maintain very hot combustion temperatures and to allow the operator to call for more of less heat, while prioritizing cleanliness.  However, the stove did not perform as expected, with secondary air contributing to primary burning with a large fuel load.   

Test results for all the stoves are available here.  (References to grams per hour are not comparable to EPA gram per hour tests since the Workshop used tougher test protocols.) A series of presentations by the stove designers about their stoves and other stove and combustion experts are also available.

The Wood Stove Design Challenge is a technology competition that also strives to bring key stakeholders together to assess and learn about new stove technology.  Primary funding came from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Osprey Foundation and the US Forest Service.  Testing support was provided by Myren Labs, Masonry Heaters Association and Testo and Wohler, two German companies who are pushing the envelope of accurate real time lab and field testing of particulate matter.  The Chimney Safety Institute of America and Olympia Chimney donated the chimney installations, and Blaze King and Woodstock Soapstone also provided support.

The 12 member Organizing Committee oversaw developing protocols, testing and scoring and included representatives from Alliance for Green Heat, Aprovecho Research Lab, Brookhaven National Lab, Clarkson University, Hearth.com, Masonry Heater Association, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Myren Labs, NYSERDA, US Forest Service and Washington Department of Ecology. The Committee is now considering options for a 2015 Stove Design Challenge.