NDL Hearth Blog

Between the rising energy prices and the environmental impact of fossil fuels, more people are using wood as a sustainable, affordable source of heat.

Of course firewood can be burned in wood burning stoves, a masonry heater or a basement furnace; you have another option that is rising in popularity, an outdoor wood furnace.

An outdoor wood burning furnace addresses the kind of energy issues that more and more people are concerned about.

Outdoor wood furnaces otherwise known as a wood boiler look like a metal garden shed with a short chimney. Feed firewood into the firebox behind a door on one end and the fire heats water in an insulated tank that's also inside the structure. Pipe this hot water to a building through insulated underground pipes, extract the heat, and then use it for space heating and hot water. This outdoor wood furnace proposition offers unique advantages.

By moving the fire outside, you sidestep the work of bringing firewood inside and the work of hauling ash back out.

Outdoor wood boilers make heating more efficient. Clean burning means the furnace does most of the work. Ash cleanup is virtually non existent with the Empyre Pro Series wood boilers. The built-in cleaning portals makes brushing out fly ash from the gasification chamber and flues a quick and simple process.

The Empyre outdoor wood furnace burns cordwood, a renewable resource which is easily accessible. These wood boilers make splitting wood obsolete. With the newly designed, smaller firebox requiring less wood, it maintains burn times comparable to conventional outdoor furnaces at the same heat output.

Heat output is another feature of outdoor wood boilers. Even the smallest models are capable of heating a full sized home, with larger units capable of heating multiple buildings as well as heating domestic water, all from a single location. Wood boilers make it practical to handle more of your overall energy needs with wood.

An outdoor wood furnace makes direct use of an energy resource that's abundant and renewable across a large part of the Northeast, and the fact that wood is likely to stay that way may be the best benefit of all.

See this video for more information, or contact Northeast Distribution LTD.



Original article Calgary Herald

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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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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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It is approaching the time to clean out your wood stove, fireplace or insert, hopefully for the rest of the winter season! We have worked our fireplaces hard this winter, and they need a break, a cleaning and a polishing after what we have put them through this year. The winter of 2010-2011 has entered the history books for the Northeast, and our stoves and inserts need a break.

Northeast Distribution, LTD has all the products you need to make your stove, insert or fireplace look brand new again. We offer many different styles of ash buckets and shovels for cleaning up after a wood burning fire. It certainly is an unpleasant job, but there's but you can at least make cleaning as quick and easy as possible.

Imperial also makes the best line of maintenance products and stove paints on the market today. For easy cleaning of your stove, fireplace, or insert we carry all that you need. Glass door, gas log, and masonry cleaner along with gold and brass cleaner and high heat stove paint.

For everything wood stove, fireplace and insert related for Spring Cleaning, call Northeast Distribution today.

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Last night, the House voted 177 to 148 in favor of the $858 billion Tax Cut Compromise Package of 2010 that reduces the biomass heater tax credit to 10 percent with a $300 cap. The bill now goes to the White House for the President's signature. Another significant change that further restricts the tax credit for biomass appliances is that Congress removed the lower heating value measurement and only allows the credit toward the purchase price and not for installation.

Energy efficiency provisions were shortchanged even further by a clause that says the $500 tax credit is a lifetime maximum, meaning that if a homeowner has used this credit anytime since 2005, it cannot be used again. During the past two years, the credit up to $1,500 could be used regardless of whether the family has used the credit between 2005 and 2009.

The reduction to 10 percent tax credit affects all energy efficiency measures that had enjoyed 30 percent credit for the past two years. Many members of Congress felt the 25C tax credit program had cost the government too much money and should not be extended in its current form at 30 percent up to $1,500.

This setback for incentives for wood and pellet heating systems is a result of biomass appliances being considered an energy efficiency device instead of a renewable energy system. Solar, wind and geothermal systems still enjoy the full 30 percent tax credit with no maximum and are not set to expire until 2016.

"This creates a terrible double standard for incentives between renewable energy systems favored and affordable by the wealthy and systems favored and affordable by average American families," said John Ackerly, president of the Alliance for Green Heat. "Fortunately, we understand that Congress will be revisiting these tax credits again in 2011 and advocates for cleaner and more efficient biomass appliances need to be prepared," he said. Instead of using tax credits based on a percentage of purchase and installation costs, Congress is likely to consider performance-based credits.

This report prepared by the Alliance for Green Heat.

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At NDL we would like you to know that along with our retailers we support our communities. With the help of our retailers, last year we provided $1600 dollars worth of toys for Toys for Tots in and around the Northeast. That is hundreds of toys!  And this year, again with the help of our retailers, we are providing hams to the local food banks in our communities. Our goal is 130 hams! The hearth shops of the Northeast will order the hams through NDL when they place their orders. 

NDL will match the amount of hams bought by the distributors. These holiday hams will then be distributed by the local food bank in your neighborhoods to families in need this holiday season. So if you are in the market for a fireplace, insert, or wood stove or any hearth accessories, let us connect you with the retailer in your area. By supporting  your local hearth retailer you are supporting you community. No one supports your neighborhood more during the holiday season than local, small businesses.

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This winter, if you are having trouble keeping the cold at bay, consider adding a fireplace or fireplace insert to your home. Not only will you add comfort and atmosphere, you will add value to your home as well. A working hearth is considered a plus to home buyers, thus increasing the value of your home. Fireplaces and inserts can be fueled by natural gas, electricity, pellets, or wood and all these fuel sources have their advantages. Pellets and wood are considered renewable energy sources and are economical. But that is not all. Many fireplace inserts have a tax credit as well!

Gas and electric fireplaces and fireplace inserts are generally easier to use with less mess and effort. They are also very efficient and can be hooked up to a thermostat and remote. This way, you have constant heat which you can enjoy with the touch of a button. Whichever fuel source you choose to run your fireplace or insert, one thing is certain; working fireplaces add atmosphere and ambiance to any home. New home buyers love the idea of a working hearth and they make your home more enticing. If you are remodeling for your own enjoyment, a room with a burning fire adds a whole new dimension to entertaining.

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