National Wood Stove Changeout Provision Included in Climate Change Measure
Wood Stove Changeout Programs Shown to Effectively Clean the Air
Contact: Seth Voyles (703)522-0086 (ET)
June 1, 2009 (Arlington, VA) After a massive four-day markup, the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment that would authorize $20 million over five years for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set up and operate a federal wood stove changeout program.
The amendment was offered to H.R. 2545, “The American Clean Energy and Security Act,” by U.S. Representatives Welch (D-VT), Inslee (D-WA) and Harman (D-CA), all members of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The committee approved the amendment by a 33-25 vote.
“For consumers across the country, this bill would mean that cleaner burning stoves could help warm their homes, help reduce spending and clean the air in their neighborhoods,” announced the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue (HPBA) President Jack Goldman. “We are very grateful to U.S. Representatives Welch, Inslee and Harman for helping to highlight the value of changeouts as a means to remove old, inefficient and polluting heating units and replace them with new cleaner-burning technology.”
Wood stove changeouts have been regional programs to replace older, inefficient wood stoves with cleaner-burning EPA-certified models. A pilot-program in Libby, Montana, which replaced or repaired 1,130 old stoves, showed that the changeout reduced pollution by 70 percent per stove, on average.
Data shows that Libby residents are now breathing significantly cleaner air both outdoors and inside their homes with the average wintertime fine particulate levels in the outdoor air decreased by 40 percent in 2008. The results are even more dramatic for indoor air quality with initial research by the University of Montana finding the air 72 percent cleaner inside homes with new, EPA-certified stoves. (Details can be found at www.woodstovechangeout.org.)
The success of the Libby pilot program and its remarkable air quality improvements earned the attention of congressional leaders who are now working to put significant funding behind a nationwide wood stove changeout program.
“I’m proud to sponsor the national wood stove changeout program,” said U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA). “My constituents from the 1st District of Washington came to me with this idea, and I worked to make sure this great program was included in the bill. This program will give people the opportunity to change out old, inefficient wood stoves for newer, cleaner models – improving public health and the environment at the same time. It’s a win-win.”
And, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), added, “I am pleased we were able to further strengthen the American Clean Energy and Security Act by including the wood stove changeout program. This amendment will create jobs, reduce carbon pollution and help those who heat their homes with wood save money.”
The bill will now be considered by other committees of jurisdiction before moving to the floor of the House of Representatives for final consideration.
The US Department of Energy has announced this years Earth Day theme.
“New Energy for America” to be held on April 22, 2009. The focus is on renewable energy to stimulate our economy, protect the environment, and increase energy independence. Visit the Federal Energy Management Program for more information. Here is a checklist in which we can all use to make improvements in our homes and offices. Energy Star has provided guidelines for our efforts in purchasing energy saving products. This is a really neat website to explore. They even have some games to help teach children how to be energy conscience.
OCTOBER 1, 2008: 7 Completely No-Brainer Ways To Go Green And Save Money
Going green doesn’t have to mean losing green. There are so many ways to be eco-friendly without getting rid of the paper in your bank account. Sometimes, being green is not only pricey, but also complicated, and inconvenient for the average person. Composting, making your own bio-fuel, buying only organic– all are great for the environment, but unrealistic for the newly green. Follow these steps to make your life greener, with less money spent.
1. Dry Clothes the Natural Way
Return to the virtuous days of old, when laundry was hung outside to dry. Let your clothes air-dry instead of wasting massive amounts of energy in the dryer. Not only will your wallet thank you, but your clothes will benefit from the open-air freshness.
2. Use Body Heat This Winter
Find someone to cuddle with by Winter. This is free and fun, and it actually works. Your body is a toasty 98.6 degrees, so hugging someone else is the best form of insulation. It’s cheaper than raising the thermostat, and it doesn’t put a strain on the earth.
3. Say “No” to Vampire Power
Appliances like printers, blenders, and blow-dryers that remain plugged in while not in use drain your energy slowly. It’s a process called vampire power. You may think that because these items are not in use, you’re not using electricity, but the truth is that these appliances are always in stand-by mode, and require small amounts of electricity constantly. The more appliances you have plugged in, the more energy you consume. And it can really add up. A simple remedy is to go around the house and unplug unnecessary things, like that old VCR that you never use, or the TV in the guest room. At night, when you shut off your computer, switch off the power strip as well. Unplug fully charged cell phones from the adapter, and unplug the adapter from the wall, too!
4. Digitize Your Reading
Don’t allow more trees to die! Take your reading into the 21st century by reading online or using a Kindle. Of course you can still check out books from the library (or read them an hour at a time at your local bookstore), but both of those option require you to leave home and burn up some more fossil fuel! And remember that websites like Barnes & Noble allow you to buy used books directly from their site. It’s cheaper than buying new, and you can feel better about your impact on the environment.
5. BYOB: Bring Your Own Bags
Leaving the grocery store with a heap of plastic bags is so not cool anymore that many cities are banning them. Although paper is a smidgen better, using cloth bags is that much closer to perfection. Bags are not really necessary at all if you compartmentalize your trunk with a recyclable box and put your food directly from your cart into your box. When the cashier asks, “paper or plastic,” you can say “neither!” and feel good about reducing the amount of plastic in landfills. It may feel weirdly pedestrian initially, but the awkwardness will wear off!
6. Bye Bye Bottled Water
Recent studies have shown that filtered tap water is just as healthy as expensive bottled water. It’s time to say goodbye to bottled water that pollutes the earth with long-lasting plastics. Invest in a metal bottle and a simple tap water filter. It’ll definitely be cheaper than constantly buying bottled water, and it’s healthier for the earth.
7. Work From Home
Everyone knows that gas prices are going up, but so are all energy prices. Carpooling is so yesterday. If you can convince your boss to let you telecommute a few days a week, you’ll be saving both you and your company money. With freely available remote access technology at your fingertips, you can easily work from home without skipping a beat.
These are just some of the many low-to-no-cost things you can do to make a positive impact in the environment, have a lighter carbon footprint, and make the world a little greener. Don’t just sit there: be the change you wish to see in the world.
JUNE 16, 2008, NEWS RELEASE:
Due to the rising costs of fuel (and other escalating associated expenses like steel) we have just received the following definiete pricing adjustments from the Quadra-Fire coorporate office. Overall, you will notice that a 9% increase on average will go into effect on anything purchased and shipped from the factory on and after August 4, 2008. Please note; What we have in stock right now will NOT be effected by these increases and can be purchased at a considerable savings, give us a call at 1-800-679-0025 and we’ll be happy to let you know what we have left in stock from this winter, and you can save big!
__________________________________________________________________________
Dear Quadra-Fire Dealers:
As communicated to you on June 2nd, the Quadra-Fire brand continues to experience
significant increases in many raw material costs with a direct impact on all our
manufactured products. The most significant increases are in steel and cast iron. Our
commitment to lean manufacturing and rapid continuous improvement helps us offset some of those increases. However, it is impossible to offset all the increases.
Consequently, Quadra-Fire will be implementing a price increase effective on orders shipped August 4, 2008. The overall average increase for the brand equates to
9 percent. Here are the average increases by appliance category:
MSRP
Product Family Percentage Increase
Cast Wood Stoves 10.8%
Steel Wood Stoves 12.2%
Cast Gas Stoves 8.5%
Steel Gas Stoves 8.1%
Cast Pellet Stoves 14.5%
Steel Pellet Stoves 12.8%
Wood Inserts 4.6%
Pellet Inserts 13.2%
Gas Inserts 4.6%
EPA Fireplaces 5.4%
Gas Fireplaces 5.1%
Most accessories and service parts will increase by 5 percent. However, because
venting is primarily steel, these components will increase an average of 11 percent.
A comprehensive SKU list reflecting this price increase will be posted on the dealer
web site on June 16, 2008 and is available for you to download. The updated MSRP price book will be posted to the dealer web site on July 2. In addition, the week of
August 4, 2008, you will receive replacement books for the quantities you ordered
this past March.
Thank you for your continued support of the Quadra-Fire brand. We will continue
to develop and utilize our strong manufacturing expertise to control costs wherever
possible and provide you with competitively priced products.
If you have any questions concerning this price increase, please contact your
Quadra-Fire sales representative.
Regards,
Steve Tate, Alan J. Trusler
Quadra-Fire Brand Manager Senior VP – Sales/Manufacturing Segment
[...] News [...]