MA Statewide Wood Energy Team, 249 Lakeside Avenue, Marlborough, MA (2026)

The Massachusetts Statewide Wood Energy Team is a collaborative effort coordinated by the Massachusetts Forest Alliance. We are funded through a USDA Forest Service initiative. We promote residential, municipal, and commercial wood heating.

01/09/2024

How Do Modern Wood Heat Systems Reduce Carbon Emissions?

Do you want to switch from fossil fuel heat but the cost of installing and running heat pumps causing major sticker shock?

If so, you might want to investigate installing a modern wood heat system in your home or business.

Modern wood heat systems are automated heating systems that burn wood pellets or dried wood chips to supply whole building heat in place of gas or oil systems. Modern wood heat systems include fuel storage bins, boilers or furnaces and the hardware that automatically feeds the wood fuel to the system as the thermostat calls for heat.
Such systems generally cost less to install than heat pump installations which can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000, and because they utilize wood materials that are very abundant, they also reduce fuel costs compared to fossil fuel systems or electric heat pumps.

Federal and state credits are available for such systems also, reducing their installation costs.

While it may be obvious that a new modern wood heat system may be less costly to install than many heat pump systems, and save on operating costs, the carbon benefit for those systems is often overlooked.

Research has shown that replacing a fossil fuel system with a modern wood heat installation results in an immediate 60 percent or more cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Studies have shown that these systems may actually reduce emissions more than heat pumps during the heating season because most heat pump systems depend upon electricity made by burning natural gas.

If you are interested in understanding the carbon math, an upcoming webinar will explain how those carbon savings are calculated.

The Northern Forest Center and the Alliance for Green Heat will hold a The Carbon Accounting of Modern Wood Heat webinar on January17th from Noon to 1:30 pm EST.

This webinar will discuss how to calculate carbon emissions for modern wood heat systems. The webinar will include researchers studying this question and will dive into what several life cycle assessments tell us about the climate impacts of modern wood heat, from the forest to the flame.

To take part in the carbon accounting webinar, register at

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zf7WiK-HRrafIUvLF-zxnA #/registration

10/13/2022

Got Wood? Fossil Fuel Prices are Heating Up the Market for Wood Heat

Homeowners and businesses looking for more affordable alternatives to high fossil fuel and electricity prices are turning to types of wood heat.

The Northern Forest Center will hold a Heating Up: The Outlook for Wood Heat webinar on October 19th from Noon to 1 pm EDT.

This webinar will feature a 90-minute discussion on the current state of the wood heat sector in northern New England and New York. It will discuss how markets, policy, and public perception are changing as high fossil fuel heating prices drive strong interest in wood heat.

The panel will feature three industry professionals, each focused on a different facet of the industry. From domestic wood heat policy and technology to pellet mill production and commercial/institutional wood heat systems, we’ll also discuss residential consumer behavior and upcoming trends.

The panelists include:

John Ackerly, Founder and President, Alliance for Green Heat

Mark Froling, President, Froling Energy

Hannah Campbell, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist, Maine Energy Systems

Kelli Ramsey, Marketing Director, Curran Renewable Energy

The webinar will be facilitated Joe Short, the Center's Vice President, who leads the Forest Center's wood heat programming including our Feel Good Heat campaign to grow adoption of modern wood heat.

To participate in the webinar, register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q8khLkUkQvOsISN1t8zsEQ

12/13/2021

Save Money with Modern Wood Heat this Winter!

While homeowners and businesses with fossil fuel heat face heating costs 30 to 50 percent higher this winter, those with modern wood heat systems will have generally level costs.

The upsurge in the economy has pushed fossil fuel prices sharply higher. Wholesale natural gas costs are up 100 percent, although consumers will only see a 30 to 40 percent increase. Heating oil prices are up 45 to 50 percent, or more than $1 per gallon more. Propane prices now average $3.71 per gallon, up from $2.97 at the same time last year, according to prices on the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources website (Massachusetts Home Heating Fuels Prices | Mass.gov)

By comparison, the cost for bulk pellets delivered averages $290/ton, up just $7 or 2.5 percent compared with 2020, probably reflecting the higher cost of delivery. Bagged pellets have dropped in price, according to the DOER website, from $325/ton to $316, a 2.8 percent decrease.

Partially dry wood chips cost $130/ton delivered, compared with $123/ton in the spring, a 5.7 percent increase. Dry cordwood prices average $293/cord, 10 percent higher than this spring (which may have been for green cordwood).

Save money by converting to heat pumps? Well, Massachusetts already exorbitant electric rates (highest in the lower 48 states and double the national aveeage) will rise 25 to 30 percent higher this winter after Eversource and National Grid were granted increases reflecting the higher cost of natural gas.

Clearly Wood Wise consumers who filled their wood sheds this fall will save considerably this winter.

Address

249 Lakeside Avenue
Marlborough, MA
01752

Telephone

+16174559918

Website

http://www.massforestalliance.net/modern-wood-heat/

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