Maryland to Give Rebates for Wood & Pellet Stoves

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.

Credits offered for switching to cleaner burning appliances

Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has partnered with the American Lung Association and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) to provide up to $5,000 in instant rebates to northern Indiana residents who change out or retrofit their older, high-emissions wood burning boilers, stoves and fireplaces with more efficient appliances. The Northern Indiana Wood Stove Changeout Program was designed to help improve air quality and reduce pollution by encouraging adoption of cleaner-burning appliances.

Residents of Allen, Elkhart, Lake, LaPorte, Porter, Starke and St. Joseph counties are eligible to receive this voucher, and will work with local participating retailers to find and install the best-suited appliance or retrofit for their homes.

“Older, wood-burning appliances release more particulate air emissions and cause more air pollution,” said Kelly Carmichael, director of environmental policy for NIPSCO. “By helping connect residents with more efficient technologies, this program not only helps improve air quality in the home, but it also has a positive effect on neighbors and the larger community.”

Two types of vouchers are available through the program. The General Residential Voucher provides credits of up to $5,000 depending on the type of heating appliance installed and is administered by the American Lung Association. The Income-Qualified Voucher provides credits of up to $4,000 towards a new heating appliance and is administered with the help of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). Eligible households for the Income Qualified Voucher are within 150 percent of the poverty level or currently receive assistance from food stamps, medical assistance, the Women, Infants, and Children’s Program or income-qualified home energy assistance programs.

The American Lung Association has managed similar changeout programs in other areas.

“We recently completed a large project like this one in Western Massachusetts where over 150 families received vouchers for cleaner burning stoves,” said Alison Martin, executive director of the American Lung Association in Indiana. “The community response to that program was overwhelming and we hope to see the same kind of enthusiastic response in these communities.”

More information, including a list of qualifying products and participating retailers, can be found at www.NIPSCO.com/WoodStoveChangeout.

The Northern Indiana Wood Stove Changeout Program is effective through June 30, 2013 or until funds are exhausted.

This program is one of several Environmental Mitigation Projects that are a part of a consent decree between Northern Indiana Public Service Company, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

About the American Lung Association
Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.lung.org.

About the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA)
The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), chaired by Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, creates housing opportunity, generates and preserves assets, and revitalizes neighborhoods by investing financial and technical resources in the development efforts of qualified partners throughout Indiana. IHCDA believes that growing Indiana’s economy starts at home. For more information, go to www.ihcda.in.gov. For updates from Lt. Governor Skillman and the agencies she oversees, please sign up at www.lg.in.gov.

Heating your home with a wood stove this winter? Now is a good time to ensure your wood stove will generate as much heat as possible while protecting your family's health. Wood smoke is a mixture of gases and particles, also called particle pollution, that isn't healthy to breathe indoors or out, especially for children, older adults and people with heart disease, asthma and other lung diseases. Particle pollution can irritate your respiratory system, and is linked to health problems such as bronchitis and asthma attacks. Replacing your wood stove with a model certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can make a big difference. About 75 percent of the 12 million wood stoves used in the U.S. were built before 1990. These stoves put out about 70 percent more wood smoke than the EPA-certified stoves on the market today. These older stoves are also about half as efficient as today's models, meaning you have to burn a lot more wood in your old stove to get the same amount of heat. More

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Seniors over the age of 65 are three times more likely to be injured or lose their life in a home fire than younger people. Home fires are more likely to occur during the winter, when various heating methods are being used. Wood stoves create a pleasant atmosphere , heat the home well, and are commonly seen in senior’s homes, but they can present risks. If you have family, such as elderly parents, who are vulnerable and use a wood stove, there are some precautions you can take to help keep them safe and give yourself some peace of mind.

Regular maintenance and cleaning

Regularly maintaining and cleaning wood stoves can help to keep older relatives safe. Ideally, this should be done by a professional who can also inspect the flue for any problems, and make sure that everything is working as it should. Creosote can build up in the wood stove and chimney, and will need cleaning thoroughly . This should be done at the end of each winter, or whenever your loved ones are done using their wood stove for the year, and at least once during the winter while it’s being regularly used. You may need to arrange regular maintenance for seniors in case they forget or are unaware that it needs doing.

Prioritize safety

Safety should always come before anything else when warming the home. In some circumstances, the risks that a wood stove presents outweigh the benefits, and opting for alternative heating solutions can be a better option. For example, a senior with dementia may leave their wood stove unattended or play with it out of confusion, or they may have a physical illness, like arthritis, that makes it difficult for them to manage a wood stove. If they live with someone else who can take responsibility for the wood stove then it’s not as big of a problem, but for seniors living at home alone it’s important for their loved ones to assess the risks and how safely their wood stove can be used. Assistive technology can give you peace of mind if your loved one lives alone, as they can call for help easily if something goes wrong while they're using the stove.

Precautions family can take to protect seniors

There are plenty of things loved ones can do to reduce the risk of a fire or injuries from a wood stove. Placing it on a fire-resistant base will reduce the chance of hardwood or carpeted floors becoming hot and catching fire. Ensuring any wood used for burning is dry and well-seasoned, which usually takes about two years, helps to minimize the amount of creosote and tar that builds up in the wood stove and chimney, as well as reducing the amount of smoke produced. Logs should be kept away from the wood stove, as stacking them next to it can increase the chance of a fire. Seniors may benefit from having a fireguard in place to reduce the risk of them falling into the fire or the temptation to go near it. This can be particularly helpful if someone else in the home is responsible for the wood stove and there’s no need for seniors to touch it at all.

Seniors can safely use and enjoy their wood stove to warm their homes, but loved ones can take some precautions and follow basic safety tips to reduce any risks and give themselves peace of mind throughout the winter.