Modern, high-efficiency wood pellet central heaters are amazing, with efficiency ratings of 85% or higher, hands-free fuel delivery from truck to storage bin to heater, and less than five gallons of wood ash to deal with for a season of heating.
Now they have gotten cheaper too, with added incentives in Vermont. The Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF) added a new $2,000 incentive for qualifying central pellet heating systems installed in a Vermont residence or business to its Small Scale Renewable Energy Incentive Program (SSREIP), effective on October 8, 2014. There is an added $500 incentive for higher efficiency units, and both of these are good on up to two heaters per home or business. There is also a $350 thermal efficiency adder good toward audits or thermal efficiency improvements to the buildings in which the pellet heaters will be installed.
Qualifying pellet heaters can also receive an additional $1,000 incentive from Efficiency Vermont, bringing the total incentive for high efficiency heaters up to $3,500. There is an incentive reservation process that takes place before the installation begins and an incentive-claiming process that happens after the installation. While the incentive program began on October 8, 2014, eligible installations that began after September 8 will be able to apply for an incentive, but an incentive is not guaranteed for these installations. Installations that began prior to September 8th will not be eligible.
Only pellet heating systems with an efficiency rating of 80% or higher and particulate emissions of 0.2 lb/MMBtu or less per hour will be eligible for an incentive. The program has compiled a list of eligible heating systems. Eligible systems must be able to receive pellet via bulk delivery and have automatic conveyance of the pellets to the burn chamber. The pellet storage component of the system must be large enough so that the system can run at full load for no fewer than 14 days without additional pellets. Pellet boilers installed outside will not be eligible. The building in which the system is installed will have to meet a minimum level of thermal efficiency or have an energy audit completed. The pellet systems must not be oversized for the heat load of the building.
For more information on the CEDF or SSREIP, contact Andrew Perchlik at: andrew.perchlk@state.vt.us
New Hampshire Central Pellet Heater Incentives
New Hampshire’s Residential Bulk-Fed Wood-Pellet Central Boilers and Furnace Rebate Program offers rebates of 30% of the system and installation cost, or $6,000, whichever is less, for New Hampshire residents who invest in high-efficiency (80% or greater), bulk-fuel fed, wood-pellet central heating boilers and furnaces that become operational on or after May 1, 2012. For complete program details, please go to http://1.usa.gov/1vjaDyw or contact Barbara.bernstein@puc.nh.gov.
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