Support

Heat Your Community

We encourage you to support green heat in your community and your state.  

1. Action of the Month: Click here to see the campaign that the Alliance for Green Heat is focusing on this month.
 
2. Burn Smart: Of course, the first thing you can do as a wood burner is to know how to burn cleanly.  If you have a certified woodstove, it’s just a matter of ensuring that you are burning seasoned, dry wood, giving the stove enough air, and a few other important tips.  If you are using an old, uncertified stove, this is a great year to take advantage of tax credits and get a new one.
 
3. Heat the Town Green: Urge local organizations or city offices to consider a biomass system when replacing their furnace.  This is increasingly viable not only in the heavily forested northeast and northwest, but for lots of places in between. For more info: http://biomasscenter.org/services.
 
4. Start or Join a Co-op: Start a pellet or corn co-op to provide local access to pellets and corn.  Regions without a local source of these fuels can benefit from a co-op, as the fuel is bought in bulk and transported in a single delivery rather than each member driving to retrieve their own. See how this urban corn co-op in Maryland does it: http://saveoursky.com.
 
5. Meet Your Representatives: Engage your local and state representatives, and urge them to provide incentives on par with those for solar and wind.  Many states are in the process of considering bills that give tax credits for purchasing wood or pellet stoves, or even a one-time tax credit for purchasing pellets. 
 
6. Assert Your Rights: Check to see if your county or city offers energy efficiency property tax credits.  Many counties and cities do, but they often do not specifically mention wood or pellet stoves. Nevertheless, high-efficiency stoves are routinely considered energy efficiency equipment because they reduce the amount of fossil fuels you use.  If you apply for a stove credit and get turned down, contact us and we’ll try to help.
 
7. Don’t Move Firewood: Prevent new infestations! Asian longhorn beetles, emerald ash borers, and other tree-killing insects and diseases can be transferred to previously healthy regions on firewood. If you are buying firewood,

* Ask the seller where they got the wood. If it isn't nearby, or if they don't know where the wood is from, you should consider another firewood dealer.

* Find out if your state has a safe firewood certification process. If it does, ask to see the seller's certificate. To see if your state does, check here: http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/protect-trees/state-state- information/index.html 

* For more on the firewood campaign: www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/firewood.html

Thank you! With your help, we can make wood and pellet heating cleaner, more affordable, and accessible for all those who want to use it.