Transcript
4/4/2017
Increasing Adoption of Residential Wood Energy: Past, Present, & Future 2017 Extension Energy Summit Knoxville, TN Jonathan Kays Extension Forester University of Maryland
[email protected] www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Maryland Wood Energy Coalition Organized April 2010 Objectives: • Committed to increasing the adoption of high efficiency, low emission wood energy technologies that meets Maryland air quality standards. • Best achieved through: • small to medium‐sized commercial and institutional applications for government, schools, and businesses • residential thermal applications.
Thanks to John Ackerly, The Alliance for Green Heat, for use of some slides www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Why the MD Wood Energy Coalition? • Recognition of need to encourage wood energy in state policy but no one organization had capacity • Started in April 2010 by University of MD Extension and DNR Forest Service. • Representatives of MDE, MEA, DNR, DBED, UME, non‐profits (Alliance for Green Heat, Pinchot Institute, MD Forests Assoc., SAF) and wood‐based industry started meeting every month.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Coalition’s Four Priorities Addressed May 2014 DONE! 1) Update MDE air emission regulations 2) Establish thermal energy credits as an incentive NOPE! • Legislation failed in 2014 but will be back next
3) Provide sustained support for the Maryland Wood Grant DONE! Program • $50K pilot program by MEA extended indefinately
4) Public agencies & facilities to lead the way IN PROGRESS! • Dept Gov Service promoting biomass as a fuel • Commercial wood boiler grants from MEA
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Sources of Renewable Energy? • Solar • Wind • Hydro • Geothermal • Woody biomass
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What is Woody Biomass? • Native forests • Short rotation woody crops (SRWC) • Sawmill residue • Urban wood waste – tree removals
Electricity Thermal Thermal
• Perception of wood as a dirty fuel by policymakers, citizens, and others. • Biomass barely mentioned in some states under renewables
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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Homes Heated Primarily by Wood and Pellets
Highest per capita primary wood heat households per state • Gillam county, OR • Pendleton, WV • Lincoln county, MT • Lewis county, NY • Grafton county, NH • Piscataquis, ME • Garrett county, MD • Kemper County, MS
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40% 39% 39% 26% 17% 16% 12% 10%
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Why The Increasing Interest in Wood? • Enjoy the ambience & heat, part of culture • Save money on heating – 60% of people who heat with wood cut their own. • Have access to free wood • Heat security – less so for pellet heat • Augment a heat pump, replace propane, oil • Use a renewable resource to heat their home
2.1% of families use wood or pellets as primary heat; about 10% use it as secondary heat
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Fossil Fuel Reduction of a $2,000 Wood/Pellet Stove = Fossil Fuel Reduction of a $20,000 Solar PV
• Both systems can displace equal amounts of carbon from fossil fuel: 3 tons. • 1 kw system, 1 cord of wood or 1 ton of pellets all displace about 1 ton of carbon from fossil fuels. www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
A Barrier ‐ Wood Smoke How to Solve the Problem? • Major problem is mountain/valley areas • Many areas outlawing wood stoves • Trying to transition users to pellet stoves? • Will wood users transition to pellets? • Incentives? Do they work?
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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Effect of Wood Stove Efficiency on Fuel Cost
Enter the EPA in 1988 • Pre‐1988 – no EPA certification • After 1988 ‐ emissions less than 7.5 grams/hr. • Many companies ceased business • Washington State requires stoves to be under 4.5 grams/hr • Lower emissions = higher efficiency = savings for consumer • Smoke is basically unburned fuel and increases emissions.
Fireplace 10% efficient $59 per million Btu’s
EPA Wood Stove – 7.5 g/hr 70% efficient $8.5 per million Btu’s
Non EPA Woodstove 40% efficient $14.7 per million Btu’s
• Cost per million Btu’s for a cord of oak purchased for $150 • Whether you buy wood or cut it yourself, there are large efficiency savings and health savings from reduced smoke. www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
How will technology change to meet 2020 emission standards?
Enter the EPA Again 2015 NPSP (nonpoint source poll stds) • Stoves have to hit 2 or 2.5 grams an hour by 2020. Currently at 4.5 g/hr starting in 2015. • Test protocols changing from crib wood to cord wood. • Industry trade group suing the EPA to prevent 2020 standards from taking effect.
• BUT .... • Warm winters and cheap oil & gas are bigger threats to industry. • Automation and cheap oil & gas helping keep stove production costs down. • Recession of 2008‐09 saw shift in consumer trends to buying higher percentage of stoves from big box retailers at very affordable prices. Up to half of wood and pellet stoves in US cost $1,500 or less. www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Most Wood Heating Equipment is Outdated and Too Polluting 60% 50% 40%
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70 % in Use
60
Emissions Average (grams per hour)
50 40
30% 30 20%
20
10%
10
0%
• Many manufacturers going back to catalytic stoves. Hitting 2 grams an hour is not difficult with a catalyst • Hybrid stoves may become more popular because even if cat fails or not engaged, secondary air tubes keep emissions down. • Manufacturers starting to make more single burn rate stoves, using bi‐metalic coils. • Automated stoves using sensors can be tested as “single burn rate” stoves www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Change Out Programs • In 2016, there were 35 stove change‐out programs. • The average incentive was about $900 to replace an old wood stove with a new one, $1,300 for a pellet stove Maryland Wood Grant Program • 2,845 stoves since 2012 – 85% pellet stoves • $700 for pellet ‐ $500 for wood • $1.88 million total – average $664 per home
0 Pellet Boiler w/Storage
Masonry Heater
EPA Wood Boiler
Traditional Boiler
Pellet Stove
EPA Certified Wood Stove
Old Wood Stove
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www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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Pellet stoves
How Pellet Stove Work
• Come a long way • EPA testing not required but emission typically under 2.5 grams per hour. • Unlike firewood stoves, only require a small vent pipe, like a dryer • May require repair. Requires electricity. • Uses 40 lb bag of pellets
• An augur meters pellets to the burn area • Augur designs vary and some more reliable than others. • Common problem is clogging of grate to ash pan • Most hold at least 40 lbs of pellets. • Ash content of pellets affects operation
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Pellet Stoves & Furnaces
Wood Pellets • Difference in quality – standardization by industry • 40 lb bags and pallets not acceptable to many people. • Bulk delivery available in some NE states – need large enough market.
• Home pellet systems are available with various hopper storage systems. • Order pellets early to get best prices.
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What about Wood Boiler?
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Wood Boilers – Outdoor Hydronic Heaters
Slides from John
• New EPA Regulation ‐ must be EPA Step 1 qualified (formerly Phase 2) • In 2020, Step 2. Will be hard to meet. • Setback requirements from property lines & other structures. Highly variable. • Problems: Old wood boilers still allowed but all stoves must burn clean fuels only.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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Changing the Image of the Outdoor Wood Boiler
Efficiency & Performance of Outdoor Wood Boilers • Efficiency • Btu output • Wood moisture • Air temperature • Best practices
Older boiler
EPA Step 1 (Phase II) www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Outdoor Wood Boilers Best Practices • Size for less than maximum heat need – don’t oversize • Minimize distance from stove to home • Bury and insulate water transfer line • Use only clean and dry (20% moisture) fuelwood • Manage wood moisture
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Dangers of new EPA rules • If stove prices rise, more people will rely on old, uncertified ones, and not upgrade to new, cleaner ones. • New loopholes will emerge, and industry will side‐step rules. • Stoves may become smaller and more finicky, leading to dissatisfied consumers. • New rules lead to more cat stoves, not good. • New rules leads to consolidation of industry, restricting consumer choice and less competition. • Higher testing and certification costs reduces innovation. • Can implement, enforce or interpret rules it creates.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
New EPA regulations bringing many positive changes • Disclosure of efficiencies will result in higher efficiencies, helping consumers save more $, especially with pellet stoves. • Disclosure of real BTU output, putting end to decades of misleading/false advertising • Requiring all stoves to be certified • Ending sales of worst outdoor boilers • Spurring innovation that can help strengthen industry and protect it from the anti‐wood burning movement
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Cheap vs. Expensive Stoves • Little correlation between grams per hour, efficiency and price of a stove. Englander 30‐NC cost $1,200 and is 1.4 grams an hour, and possibly most popular stove in the US. • Up to half of stove in the US are bought at big box stores for around $1,500. • Some are among cleanest and most efficient available. All meet the 2020 EPA emission standards.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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Public opinion and anti‐wood burning regulations
Options to reduce wood smoke • Reduce number of wood stoves • Reduce number of uncertified wood stoves • Move from wood to pellet stoves • Ensure that fuel is seasoned – or us compressed bricks
• Public opinion in much of the country not leaning toward wood burning. No trend to include cordwood in renewable energy incentive programs, except with change outs of old stoves. • Wood pellet movement is helping public opinion. • Anti‐wood burning groups growing and making headway in populated areas. • Outdoor wood boilers galvanized anti‐smoke activists, giving all wood burning a harder time. www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Firewood Seasoning – 6 – 9 Months Target 20%
Role of Firewood ...
• Homeowners don’t buy early enough • Homeowners don’t run stoves well • Many retailers claim wood is seasoned when its not. No label or certification for seasoned wood
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
European model: deliveries on pallets Volume & moisture content consistent
Firewood Drying Time for Four Tree Species Univ. of MD, Washington County, MD 35.0 33.0 31.0 29.0
% Moisture
• 60% of wood users source cut their own wood • Plays huge role in public perceptions about wood heating • More jurisdictions clamp down on both certified & uncertified stoves, because homeowners use unseasoned wood. • Some change out programs only doing old stove to pellet or gas stove, and are not allowing wood to wood change outs. • Problems:
27.0 25.0 23.0 21.0 19.0 17.0 04/27/16
06/14/16
07/26/16
09/09/16
11/10/16
12/20/16
01/26/17
15.0 02/21/17
Sample Date Black Cherry
Hickory
Black Locust
Hackberry
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A Place for Extension • Effective options require working with other partners • Extension Healthy Homes program – FCS Programs • Created or joining state wood energy group
• Workshops & webinars for residential users and potential users • 5 county/regional workshops since 2011 – 320 participants • 2 webinars – with downlink locations
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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A Place for Extension • Education for firewood industry • National Firewood Workshop – April 2016 – 125 participants
• Education for policymakers • Conferences and wood facility tours
• Incentive and change out programs – Alliance for Green Heat Change Out website • Getting buy in from state energy agency
• Integrate with existing weatherization programs or energy audits
Sponsor National Firewood Workshop • Partnered effort of USFS Wood Resource Education Center • Sawmill & Woodlots Magazine • NC State Extension Service • Extension Service where program held Workshop presentations and audio available at: www.extension.umd.edu/woodland (under workshop resources) After one year, 7,191 views of presentation on YouTube channel
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Potential of Firewood Associations • A national or regional firewood association could establish best practices to improve delivery of full cords of dry wood. • A state could require firewood dealers to document moisture content of firewood on sales receipt. • A Yelp type website that rates firewood dealers and promotes the honest reliable ones. • AFPDA provides this, mostly for packaged firewood www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Improve Existing Technology ✓ Gaskets, glass and firebrick should be inspected and repaired, when necessary. ✓ Retrofit older stove to improve efficiency ✓ Firewood storage inspected and tested for moisture content.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Website www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Conclusions • Need to remove polluting wood stove and replace with newer, cleaner stoves. Encourage buyout or incentive programs. • Pellet stove very clean, efficient, automatic but require backup power. Bulk delivery a key to wider acceptance. • Future of outdoor wood boilers questionable? Can they meet 2020 standards? Problem is grandfathered boilers. • Extension can partner to educate users & industry to make changes. • Professional training for extension professionals and others on wood & pellet stove best practices? Energy auditors? www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
‐ 9 residential wood energy fact sheets with AGH ‐ YouTube videos ‐ Webinars
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Jonathan Kays Extension Forester University of MD Extension (301) 432‐2767 x323 www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
[email protected]
John Ackerly www.forgreenheat.org
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
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