Policy
Department of Energy
(DOE)
Updated May 2024
The Department of Energy (DOE) manages the United State’s energy policy and funds scientific research in the energy field. When it comes to wood heating– the Alliance has worked tirelessly in partnership with the DOE to advance stove technology and has long advocated for clearer and more standardized regulations of wood heating systems from the department. In 2018, the DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) was a top sponsor of the Wood Stove Design Challenge. They were also the primary sponsor of the Wood Heater Design Challenge from 2021-2023. In 2019, Congress appropriated $5 million for the DOE to offer a funding opportunity for the development of innovative, state-of-the-art technology in residential wood, pellet stove, and central heaters. Congress made this appropriation, and varying levels, in 2020, 2021, 2022, and most recently, in 2023. The DOE also maintains a webpage with educational information about residential wood heating.
The DOE manages 17 National Labs across the country. They have been the leading institutions for scientific innovation for over 70 years. The Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) in Long Island, NY has become one of the premier labs for non-commercial testing and research and development of wood stoves and boilers. They have been a core partner for the Wood Stove Design Challenges, in testing for the Wood Stove Decathlon, and much more.
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California has become engaged in wood stove work through DOE funding and Wood Heater Design Challenges. They also have extensive experience with cook stoves outside the United States.
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The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Colorado has a robust biomass program. While they mostly focus on biofuels, they have done some work with the thermal applications of solid fuels.
The Energy Information Agency (EIA) is an autonomous unit within the DOE that collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information. The Alliance for Green Heat and other groups pressed the EIA to better include wood heat in their reporting. In 2012, the EIA included wood heat in their Winter Fuel Outlook for the first time and in 2014 the EIA began producing reports similar to other renewables. In their Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), they publish “Consumption & Expenditures Tables” on wood use specifically. In April of 2024, the Alliance submitted a comment to the EIA recommending the extension of their “63C Densified Biomass Fuel Report” and advocating for publishing more data on pellet fuels.
Weatherization and Energy Audits
The DOE is also a major player in national policy on weatherization assistance and energy audits, including setting standards that direct how federal funding from the Weatherization Assistance Program can be used by states. Very little had been done to address how wood stoves fit into weatherization and energy audit programs prior to summer 2021, which is when the Alliance started calling on the DOE to recognize the importance of wood heating, particularly in rural areas, and the dangers and missed opportunities of not including wood heating appliances. In October 2021, we re-emphasized the ways in which DOE weatherization guidance for stoves was lacking and provided a visual guide to wood stove inspections for energy auditors. In December 2021, a new Weatherization Program Notice arrived from the Weatherization Assistance Program. This notice reinforced the way in which wood stoves should be treated in an energy audit, with quotes from page 2 and page 4 of the WPN 22-7 Table of Issues below:
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“Treat vented gas- and liquid-fueled space heaters, and wood, coal, or pellet fired furnace and boiler systems the same as other combustion furnaces in terms of safety testing, repair, and replacement.”
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“Visually inspect the entirety of solid fuel-fired appliance installations (e.g., wood stoves, coal stoves, pellet stoves, fireplaces) including the venting system to ensure it adheres to the applicable code or local authority having jurisdiction. Appliances must be inspected pre- and post-weatherization and any safety issues found should be included in the client H&S notification form.”
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“Conduct pre- and post- weatherization worst case CAZ depressurization testing in spaces having a fireplace or woodstove. Since there is no consensus method for verifying safe operation of fireplaces and woodstoves, Grantees can propose testing policies and limits. If the Grantee does not propose a policy and fireplaces or woodstoves are left operational, the vent must meet national or local codes, or the home cannot be weatherized.”
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“Safety inspections related to space heaters, fireplaces, and woodstoves must include, but not be limited to, verification of adequate floor protection, and code-compliant clearances to walls and other combustible materials.”
Residential PACE (R-PACE) allows homeowners to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other improvements on their homes using private sources of capital. The DOE reports that as of 2019, over 200,000 homeowners have made $5 billion in energy efficiency improvements to their homes through R-PACE. This program isn't available everywhere though since the PACE programs are enacted through state legislation. Currently, California has 10 active programs, Florida has 4 active prgrams, and Missouri has 3 active programs.