NDL Hearth Blog

Every year at the holidays Northeast Distribution LTD collects generous donations from their retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for Toys for Tots or different charities they have chosen for that year. Northeast Distribution LTD then matches the amount collected. This year the total amount of donations amounted to $3000.

In 2009 NDL bought $1,700 worth of toys for toys-for-tots, and in 2010 donated 220 hams and 800lbs of potatoes for the food pantry – all with the help of our generous retailers throughout the Northeast.

Last weekend, the Northeast Distribution crew took a morning ride to Walmart in New Hampshire and purchased $3000 worth of toys: bikes, Nerf guns, dolls, Legos and much more. The Marines were waiting for us – they were having their annual STUFF THE BUS TOY DRIVE. We arrived with blazing horn and a truck load of toys to a pile of smiles. WHEB & WERZ were broadcasting live and we were excited to have some fun with them and talk about the generosity of the Stove and Hearth retailers in the Northeast. ”They always answer the call for help and this year was no different. $3000 dollars worth of Toys is huge!” Dale said.

Happy Holidays from Northeast Distribution LTD. See more pictures on our Facebook page, like us while you are there.

(click images to enlarge)

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It is football season, and regardless of being a Patriots, Giants, Bills, Jets or Steelers fan, football season means tailgating, and tailgating means good food and great grills.

If you want to be “all the rage” at the next tailgating event, you need a Green Mountain Pellet Grill.

There really is nothing better than grilling on wood, and with a Pellet Grill you are grilling on real wood.

The reason that pellet grills win far more grilling competitions than any other kind of grill is because the grilled food tastes better when cooked over real wood. Grilling with pellets tastes so much better than either charcoal or gas. Pellets are made from clean, kiln-dried sawdust, with the flavor molecules totally intact! And what could be easier than pushing a button to start the grill up, set it and forget it! Now you can “turn pro” in your own back yard.

Perhaps one of the best features of the Green Mountain Pellet Grills is its “Turbo Boost” feature. The grill takes the ambient temperature of the outside air, and if it’s cold, the grill kicks into turbo mode and heats up faster. This pellet grill is perfect for grilling all winter long.

Green Mountain Pellet Grills is now the top-of-line…the best-of-the-best, but not the highest in price! Contact Northeast Distribution for more information.

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Fall is a great time to get your seasonal, before winter, light-the-fire fireplace maintenance done. It's a good idea to have chimneys cleaned and inspected annually - even for homeowners who have switched over to burning natural gas.

"People who heat with wood stoves need to clean their chimneys once a year," says Edwards, who has run his chimney sweeping business for almost 30 years.

Even if you don't heat with wood it is a good idea to have the chimney checked because there is a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning if it is plugged and not venting properly.

Preventive chimney maintenance includes applying a sealer on the brick to minimize moisture saturation. While the chimney cleaning company is there, have them inspect the chimney and advise you if the mortar between the bricks needs to be repaired or replaced.

Northeast Distribution LTD distributes stove and chimney pipe as well as chimney caps for pellet, wood and gas fueled fires. If you are in need of chimney maintenance, contact us so we can connect you to a retailer in your area.

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Have you seen the new pellet stoves from Piazzetta? Forget what you thought you knew about pellet stoves, these are beautiful, with a stylish finish, in beautiful, dynamic colors and a gorgeous flame. Made in Italy, the Piazzetta Pellet Stove is strikingly beautiful. Beauty meets function here.

Piazzetta’s history is based on research, innovation, expertise, knowledge and selection of the best materials, and cutting-edge technology all combined with a craftsman’s skill. Piazzetta has been studying advanced solutions since 1960 for heating and comfort, and has a history abounding in care and respect for both customers and the surrounding environment.

The styling of every Piazzetta pellet stove is particularly refined and original. It has been studied to make the most of the materials as well as to offer the maximum possible functionality thus satisfying all tastes and styles. The majolica, the visible flame and the interior of the firebox all enhance the atmosphere created by the fire as well as the performance of each Piazzetta pellet stove.

Piazzetta pellet stoves offer an excellent heat output, low consumption and long burn time. And on top of all that, they also have a reduced rate of emissions into the atmosphere, in line with the most stringent standards. The glass door lets you enjoy the cozy sight of the fire. You can always be sure of having the right atmosphere with Piazzetta products. Whatever the surroundings, the fire becomes pure emotion.

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As we attempt to reduce our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, Biomass is one of our renewable energy options. People usually think of wood first, even though wood is a small part of biomass fuel potential.
 
Different biomass fuels burn differently, but generally each biomass in a compressed form, such as pellets, has a similar heat value, meaning they generate the same heat. The variation comes from the various biomass burners, such as pellet stove, fireplaces and inserts which have variables that affect the way bio fuels burn, such as changes in ash content, air intake, and corrosive effects.
 
Anything that can burn and decompose can be used as a biofuel. Biofuel is not new, but we have started thinking more about it as we watch our energy bills rise and hear more about carbon footprints.
 
So how can we use biomass? Burning wood logs saves in energy costs and is a form of renewable energy. Another answer, which many believe is the best answer, is a compressed form of wood; wood pellets. In a compressed form bio fuel, burns much more efficiently, are much more practical to transport, and dispensing or feeding the fuel into the pellet stove is easy and efficient.  With a compressed and uniform fuel source, such as pellets, the fuel makes pellet stoves efficient, economical and renewable.

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A bond initiative by Gov. Paul LePage, to convert as many state and municipal buildings to pellet boilers would keep much of the tax dollars being used to heat public buildings from leaving the state. Think of all the public buildings that could be burning Maine-made or at least USA-made pellets. Not only does this keep money in the United States, but we become less likely to be held hostage by foreign oil.

Maine should take this opportunity to help itself get off its dependence on heating oil, while creating jobs producing pellets, selling and servicing pellet stoves and boilers and keeping millions of Mainers' heating dollars right here in Maine.

Additionally, by assessing everyone in the state who receives a property tax bill $2 per year for 3,000 tax bills each year per town, there's $6,000 worth of revenue. Towns could use this revenue to fund $3,000 to a recipient of LIHEAP to install a pellet stove and winterization for that family. Some towns could help one family; larger towns could help several families.

Multiply this roughly by 1,800 communities every year for 10 years and you can see how our oil dependency drops.

It will work. During the last 12 months, I've spent approximately $1,200 on pellets, but I've cut my oil consumption by roughly 1,200 gallons. At $3 per gallon, you do the math.

All Mainers will reap the benefits of this initiative if LePage implements it.

Original article by Phillip K. Barter –Kennebec Journal

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Food cooked on a Traeger grill simply tastes better… It is just that simple! If you have already tasted the Traeger difference at a backyard BBQ you know that food cooked on a Traeger pellet grill tastes better. Traeger provides rich flavors and taste to all dishes, turning even inexpensive cuts of meat into special occasions. Traeger grills cook with wood, wood pellets, so they make everything taste better. The pellets come in different flavors, hickory, cherry and mesquite.

No more hovering over the grill, with the Traeger, just turn the grill on, set your temperature and let your Traeger do the work. Walk away, take a nap, or spend quality time with friends and family. No hassles, just great results. You will be amazed at how simple award winning outdoor cooking can be.  Even better, with a Traeger grill, there is no need to worry about ruining the main course due to a flare-up.

This grill is healthier for the family too. It utilizes an indirect cooking system, which reduces fat and reduces the burning or charring of meats which creates carcinogens.  With flavorful wood as a fuel there is no need to worry about gas or the nasty effects of charcoal.

Traeger grills are the ultimate in cooking versatility. Use it as a grill, BBQ, smoker, or a wood-fired convection oven. Steak, brisket, prime rib, hamburgers, pork loin, veggie kabobs, pizza, even cookies and biscuits are so simple! With Traeger, your imagination is your only limitation. A Traeger does it all!

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Surely this winter you have been to a home that has felt cozy, welcoming and warm with a fire burning the fireplace. Fireplaces instill a sense of warmth and security in any room. The firelight sends a sense of calm through the atmosphere. You can have this in your home too, with Vermont Castings Wood Burning Fireplace.

The heat generated by a Vermont Castings wood burning fireplace is just the beginning. The room feels welcome, with a cheerful and relaxing ambience, but also, the Sequoia Wood Burning Fireplace by Vermont Castings can heat up to a 2,500 square foot home as efficiently as a wood stove. Efficiency and beauty are combined in this fireplace design.

And, they are less expensive than you think. But, thanks to newer fireplace technology, the efficiency of a Vermont Castings fireplace drives down your heating costs. Wood is a cost effective, efficient and comforting way to heat your home. Not to mention the traditional look of a wood burning fireplace brings people more comfort, and provides a focal point to your room. You’ll notice the fire becoming the gathering place in the evenings. Contact us at 866-602-7227 for more information on any Vermont Castings Products.

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Bitter cold and repeated heavy snowstorms helped make winter in the Northeastern U.S. particularly brutal this year. Adding to the chills were soaring prices for heating oil that are likely to be the highest on record.

By the time the six-month-long winter heating season is over, the average homeowner in the Northeast will have laid out $2,431 for fuel to fire boilers and furnaces, Reuters reported, citing data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which provides forecasts of energy costs. The amount is about $200 more than the Energy Department predicted in October -- and almost $500 more than the average just a year ago.

Temperatures were indeed colder than average in December and January, but that's not the source of the high price for heating oil. "[R]ising oil prices, not colder weather, have been the primary cause of the increase in forecasts of average winter season heating expenditures for households heating with oil," the EIA said in its statement.

The price of heating oil rose to $90 a barrel this month, up from $78 in October, Reuters noted. That rise pushed the average retail price for residential heating oil to $3.59 a gallon this week, up 73 cents from a year earlier, the EIA said.

Demand Is Down, But Not Prices

The increase in the cost of heating oil as crude prices have steadied or fallen in recent days is a conundrum, says Josh Garrett, managing editor of HeatingOil.com, a Manhattan-based information service for both dealers and consumers.

With healthy supplies of heating oil and rising temperatures in the Northeast, prices have little reason to remain at such high levels, Garrett says. Mild weather in recent days has lowered demand 20% from levels typical for this time of year.

Garrett offers no predictions about where heating oil prices will go as the Northeast heads into the final six weeks of the heating season. "I'm at a loss," he says. Prices should slide lower because supplies remain high. But, he adds, that's been true the entire season, and plentiful stores of heating oil haven't had much effect on lowering prices.

Budget Cuts Target Home Heating Assistance Program

Sustained high prices for home heating oil raise the specter of fewer people being able to afford to keep their homes warm come next heating season. That will be especially true if cuts to the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program are implemented.

As part of his draft budget released last week, President Obama targeted $2.5 billion in cuts to the $5.1 billion program that helps low-income households with energy costs. Obama justified the cuts by noting that the price of natural gas, a dominant heating source nationwide, has fallen steadily in the last two years.

But that's not true for heating oil, says Garrett, in a blog post at HeatingOil.com. After hitting their highest levels ever in the summer of 2008, crude oil prices crashed along with the economy in late 2008 and early 2009, making heating oil "quite affordable." Since then, however, prices have risen sharply, doubling during the slightly more than two years since Obama took office and rising 38% in the last year alone.

Garrett doubts that the proposed 50% cut in LIHEAP funding will make it into the final budget, noting that strong negative reactions from constituents and lawmakers "will translate into a much less severe cut." Legislators from Maine to Maryland, regardless of party, will work together during budget negotiations to ensure that the cuts to the program aren't made, he says.

"They realize this is a huge issue for their constituents," says Garrett, "and they're definitely not going to stand idly by and let the program get gutted."

View Original Article By David Schepp, DailyFinance.com - Click Here

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Creosote buildup inside your chimney is the primary reason you will need to have the chimney cleaned, and it is the primary cause of chimney fires. Creosote is one of the chemical products of “incomplete combustion of fuel”. It is one of byproducts of burning fires that is carried up your chimney through the flue to be vented safely outside.

There are several steps you can take to minimize creosote condensation inside your chimney. The first and easiest is to always burn well seasoned wood in your fireplace or woodstove. Green wood, or unseasoned wood, has high water content so it burns cooler with more smoke. Cooler burning and more smoke both contribute to creosote buildup in your chimney.

You also want the most complete combustion of your wood that is possible for your fireplace or woodstove. Meaning, you want to burn the wood in the fire as completely as you can at a hot temperature. A small, hot fire burns the fuel more completely than a large, cooler fire.

Non-toxic and environmentally safe creosote cleaner is also sold. Creosote cleaner, which you can spray inside your fireplace or wood stove, and on the wood within the firebox, helps prevent chimney fires, and turns dangerous creosote and soot into a harmless ash or char that can be easily removed. Once your fire is lit, creosote cleaner helps reduce the amount of buildup in your chimney and helps breakdown the creosote that exists there from previous fires. Although sprays do decrease the creosote, it by no means is a real substitute for a regular chimney sweeping.

However, anti creosote sprays are a great addition to your cleaning repertoire, helping prevent the creosote from becoming too solid. Spraying your fireplace or wood stove regularly is a very good idea for chimney maintenance.

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