NESCAUM Part 1 Review Clarification

Linked below is Tom Morrissey's reply to comments made by NESCAUM regarding part 1 of the previously posed Review.  Two of Woodstock Soapstone's stoves (with similar model numbers) were certified to EPA 2020 standards using two different approved test methods on two different dates.  These tests are available online.  NESCAUM is alleging that the reports & stoves are the same (they are not), and that the "similarity in the appliances and their close proximity in test dates caused significant confusion for the reviewers."  This response was written to allay any confusion NESCAUM may have regarding these fully disclosed and publicly available test results.   

Click to Read

 

NESCAUM Review: Part 2B

Linked below is Part 2b of Tom Morrissey's review of the NESCAUM "Assessment".  Part 2b focuses on density, data, and invalid test runs.

NESCAUM was unable to achieve the required density in a majority of its tests reviewed, rendering these tests invalid and raising red flags about their methods.  Appended to Part 2b are 10 pages of emails written during the week of 7/5/2021 between Tom and the EPA, in which they try to derive whether NESCAUM meets the requirements of its own proposed standard in runs documented to EPA.  The data sets for ALT-140 are very small, but even now there are obvious problems with load density, large coal beds, and representative low burns meeting the criteria spelled out in ALT-140.
 

Click to Read

More About the Cordwood Test Method War

        Almost concurrent with the release of our “Review Part 1” statement on May 15th, nine State Attorney Generals (from states VT, MA, RI, NY, NJ, MD, WA, OR, and AK) sent a letter to the EPA.  The letter urged the EPA to revoke the current cordwood test method (ASTM E-3053) and adopt the new method (IDCTM) proposed by NYSERDA. 

The EPA is currently using two labs (one in OR, one in CT) to test the proposed new method.  Three different stoves will be run through multiple tests to ascertain (1). If test results can be replicated over subsequent burns in the same lab, and (2). If test results can be replicated in two different labs.  

We expect these results to be slowly forthcoming over the next two months.

Linked below is part 2a from Tom Morrissey’s review of the “Assessment” and proposed new test method (IDCTM).  This part of the review delves into the “low” and “medium” burn rate measurements used in the current EPA certification process, a focus of NESCAUM’s criticism.

Also discussed at length in this review is how the NESCAUM test method proposes to measure efficiency.  Stove efficiency results reported thus far by NESCAUM for tests using its proposed method are unexpectedly low, likely to be attributed to the test protocol having different beginning and end points (discussed in “Part 2a” of Tom Morrissey’s review).  

Another point of concern is the lack of test calculation transparency.  Test developers (NESCAUM/NYSERDA) refuse to disclose the data and sample calculations so that their method of calculating efficiency can be explained and verified.  This is very odd behavior for “public servants”.

Click Here to Read Part 2a of Tom Morrissey's Review

A New War Over the Accuracy of Cordwood Test Methods

    In March of this year the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) published an attack on the EPA wood stove certification process.

The document, entitled “Assessment of EPA’s Residential Wood Heater Program”, claims that the EPA process is dysfunctional and a systemic failure.  In addition, the document attacks test labs that perform the wood stove certification tests, the third-party reviewers who certify these test reports for the EPA, and alleges collusion between manufacturers and test labs.  In short, it attacks every entity in the wood stove testing and certification process.

Almost simultaneously with the publication of the “Assessment”, NESCAUM released its own new woodstove test method.  Their “Integrated Duty-Cycle Test Method (“IDCTM”) is alleged to solve all problems NESCAUM had identified with both the current EPA test methods and also with the participants in the certification process: manufacturers, test labs, third-party certifiers, and the EPA itself.

In the “Assessment,” NESCAUM makes various claims that are deeply colored by bias and conflict of interest, untrue, or factually incorrect.  Appended to this blog post is a response to NESCAUM’s “Assessment” by Tom Morrissey, President of Woodstock Soapstone Company.

Tom’s response, “Review Part 1”, is the first of what will likely be a number of posts on this topic.

At issue are the accuracy of NESCAUM’s claims, the way both emissions and efficiency are measured going forward, the accuracy of cordwood test methods, the cost of compliance testing and regulatory approval, and the barriers to both entry and innovation in this market.  Stay tuned.

Click Here to Read Tom Morrissey’s Response

Wood Stove Home Cooking: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili for Two

Recipe from EatingWell's Test Kitchen

    Get out the soup bowls, gather the family and warm up by your Woodstock Soapstone stove for this cozy sweet potato & black bean chili recipe!

   

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• ⅛ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 ⅓ cups water
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Original Recipe Directions (for a traditional stove top):

    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and potato and cook, stirring often, until the onion is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water, bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro.

Tips for cooking on your Woodstock Soapstone Stove:

    Think of cooking on soapstone as if you're cooking with a slow cooker.  The soapstone is radiating the heat over a longer period of time, so the things that do best are soups, stews, etc.  

    The Progress Hybrid and Ideal Steel Hybrids give a little more versatility for heat due to their griddle top and removable center burners respectively, but slow and steady is the way to go for any of our wood stoves!

    For this particular dish, we recommend starting with the onions, sweet potatoes and spices first to soften them.  Then, add the other ingredients and simmer for about an hour or until your sweet potatoes are as soft as you like them.

    

    Garnish with sour cream and/or shredded cheese with tortilla chips on the side and enjoy!

    Soapstone won't ever absorb spills or stain as it's a non-porous surface, but if this delicious recipe does happen to find its way onto your soapstone stove top, no problem-  clean up with some fine-grit sandpaper and steel wool.  Good as new!

    We'll be cooking up our own pot of this chili on one of our in-factory wood stoves soon- watch our Facebook and blog for updates and videos!

Recent Posts

•  2019-2020 Wood Stove Purchases Eligible for $300 Tax Credit 2/19/21
  
• Save Up to $1000 (Or More) With the 2021 Tax Credit for High Performance Wood Stoves! 2/8/21
  
• Working in Isolation 3/30/2020
•  Exceeding 2020 EPA Standards Since 1995! 2/07/2020
• Customer Images Keep Rolling In! 1/21/2020
•  Customer Installations! 1/9/2020
•  And the Free Stove Winner Is... 12/31/19
•  What a Hybrid Wood Fire Looks Like! 11/27/19
• A (Palladian) Phoenix Rises: The Restoration of a Damaged Palladian Wood Stove 6/19/19
• New Product Development - Custom Architectural Steel? 4/18/19
• Stove Stories: Navajo Dual Fuel Hybrid & Survival Hybrid Wood Stove 3/11/19
  
•  February Steal YOUR HEART IS IN MY HEART 02/12/19
• Hot Buzz in the Summertime  07/06/18
• Hot Diggity 06/08/18
• Harmony and Balance 05/10/18
• 
• Arbor Day!  04/10/18
• News Update: Navajo Stove Project 04/04/18
• Luck of the Irish 03/10/18
• 
• Federal Tax Credit Instated for 2017  2/14/18
• It's Seed Catalogue Time! 02/09/18
• Photos of our Newest Survival Stove 01/19/18

2019-2020 Wood Stove Purchases Eligible for $300 Tax Credit

If you Purchased a Woodstock Soapstone Wood Stove between January 2019 & December 2020 a $300 Tax Credit is Still Available 

    In answer to the many questions about the new tax credit and cut-off dates, we want to note that qualifying wood stove purchases AND installations conducted from January 1st of 2019 to December 31st of 2020 are still eligible for the $300 Federal Tax Credit, which was in place during this timeframe.  ALL Woodstock Soapstone wood stoves shipped in 2019 and 2020 are eligible for this Tax Credit!  Click here for more information about this $300 Tax Credit.

    The new 26% Federal Tax Credit now in effect is only for wood stoves purchased and installed after January 1st, 2021, with a lesser 22% for purchases in 2023.  As we noted in the previous blog post, this new Tax Credit was signed into law December 20, 2020 and only stoves that passed the EPA 2020 certification AND tested at 75% or greater HHV efficiency using the EPA test method will qualify.

    Please remember that both the 2019-2020 $300 Tax Credit and the new 26% Tax Credit are tax Credits - you have to be paying taxes for the credit to have value. 

Additional Savings on Wood Stoves for Vermont Homeowners

    An Efficiency Vermont partnership has also established another incentive for Vermont homeowners to purchase clean, high efficiency wood stoves.  Professionally installed, qualifying high efficiency wood stove purchases are eligible for a $500 rebate at the point of sale, with a larger $600 rebate if an existing wood stove is removed and destroyed at the time of installation.  Vermonters are now in he enviable position of being able to get a $500 State Rebate on the purchase and installation of a high efficiency performance wood stove, an a 26% Federal Tax Credit on the remaining cost.  Read
more about the $500-$600 Vermont Rebate here.

The Absolute Steel Hybrid and a warm, happy dog

    Wood Heat Recognized as a Green Energy Source

    In our previous blog post, we talked about the new 26% Federal Tax Credit that applies to wood stoves meeting 2020 EPA standards and exceeding a 75% HHV efficiency rating.  This substantial Federal Tax Credit puts residential wood heat on par with solar, geothermal and wind energy, all of which have received similar federal tax credits as clean, renewable sources of energy.  

    Woodstock Soapstone Company has always been focused on clean burning and high efficiency.  We introduced the first hybrid wood stove in America (Progress Hybrid) 10 years ago, and followed that by introducing new hybrid designs in 2013 (Ideal Steel Hybrid), 2015 (Absolute Steel Hybrid), and 2017 (Navajo and Survival Hybrids).  We are delighted that the federal government recognizes residential wood heating as a clean, renewable source of energy.

    Click here to subscribe to our e-mail list to receive updates

Save Up to $1000 (Or More) With the 2021 Tax Credit for High Performance Wood Stoves!

New 26% Tax Credit Applies to Stove Purchase Price and Any Related Costs for Installation

       The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) has been working to implement the Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) act for more than a decade - and it’s finally been realized!  On December 21st 2020, Congress signed into law a 26% federal tax credit for wood stoves AND wood stove installations complying with these BTU revisions…Meaning more accessibility to clean-burning and modern wood heat for you.

      What makes a wood stove eligible for the huge 26% tax credit? 

1. The stove must meet the 2020 EPA standards 
2. The stove must have a minimum efficiency of 75% (HHV). More about High Heat Value (HHV) below. 
3. The stove must be purchased and installed in 2021-2022 (there will be a 22% credit available for 2023)

Lucky for you, ALL Woodstock Soapstone wood stoves are among the elite group that meet these qualifications.

Comparing High Heat Value (HHV) and Low Heat Value (LHV) Not all wood stove efficiencies are created equal. There are two different metrics for understanding wood stove efficiency: High Heat Value (HHV) and Low Heat Value (LHV). Woodstock Soapstone, like the EPA, uses High Heat Value (HHV) for our efficiency measurements.         High Heat Value (HHV) tests are run using cord wood with approximately 20% moisture content, generating efficiency results similar to what wood stove owner’s experience in their homes.         

        Low Heat Value (LHV) tests are run as if the wood had zero moisture content, generating results that look better, but aren't reflective of a typical wood stove owner's real world experience.         As an example, a stove tested using HHV may have an overall efficiency of 75% and an artificially higher efficiency of 80% when using the LHV metric. Just How Far Will a 26% Credit Go? For a Woodstock Soapstone Progress Hybrid wood stove, the tax credit would realize about a $1,120 credit off of it’s roughly $4,300 retail price. Pair with this an additional 26% tax credit on the installation of the stove itself, and any Woodstock Soapstone wood stove becomes more accessible than it’s ever been. Progress Hybrid Retail Cost (with Ash Pan): $4,305.00 Federal 26% Stove Tax Credit: -$1,119.30 Cost After Tax Credit: $3,185.70 Plus, the cost of installation qualifies for the same 26% credit. That means 26% on pipe, chimney and labor!

Working in Isolation

We have a small number of employees at work every day (because we have to issue paychecks, keep up with all the various state and federal requirements for employee leave, answer questions, and keep the loading docks open for shipments in and out).  When we’re not  busy with essential tasks, we have replaced all the lights in the laser cutting area with LEDs, and we have started to assemble a new paint booth (see photos below).

We’ve also worked on a new damper system for the Progress Hybrid, which we will show in the coming days.  Yes, it will retrofit existing stoves, so stay tuned.

LED bulb installation in the laser area 

Installation of our new paint booth

Exceeding 2020 EPA Standards Since 1995!

While other manufacturers are struggling to certify stoves to the EPA 2020 standards, the wood stoves we’ve been producing since 1995 have been exceeding the new, stricter wood stove standard!

For the last 25 years we have been building and selling the cleanest stoves in the United States!

Customer Images Keep Rolling In!

With the recent cold snap, we are getting more and more images of our beautiful, high efficiency stoves from customers in different parts of the country. Below are a few of our newest images, and we're sure more will be coming!

Customer Installations!

Customers have been submitting some wonderful installation images of and comments about their Woodstock Soapstone stoves recently, and we wanted to share a few of them here on our blog. 

This group is a nice representation showing one of our newer wood stoves, the Progress Hybrid, our largest gas stove, the Fireside Franklin, as well as one of our original models, the Fireview/Model 201 (built before 1996). Enjoy!

And the Free Stove Winner Is...

A big congratulations to Joyce Cooper, the winner of our Free Survival Hybrid Wood Stove giveaway! Joyce's name and email were picked at random at noon on December 31, 2019, and Joyce was notified immediately by email.

Joyce called right away both excited and surprised that she actually won! Turns out that Joyce has been looking at our Cottage Franklin Gas Stove to install in a home she is just starting to build in NH! Of course we wanted Joyce to have the stove that would make the most sense for her and her family, so we applied the full price of the Survival Hybrid as a credit to the SALE price of the Cottage Franklin Gas Stove. A win for everyone!

And a big thank you to Joyce for sending such a great photo!

Winner of our FREE STOVE Giveaway!

What a Hybrid Wood Fire Looks Like!

Woodstock introduced the first hybrid wood stove
in the USA in 2011

The pictures of a Progress Hybrid below just came in last week from a new customer in Pennsylvania.  The pictures show one thing that many of our customers like about our hybrid stoves - there’s a lot of flame activity, especially at the top of the firebox where secondary combustion occurs.  The flame activity can be quite mesmerizing, and can also be adjusted by changing the amount of air feeding the fire.

Hybrid Secondary Combustion Flames:  they occur at the top of the firebox, where we introduce combustion air to ignite exhaust gasses.

A (Palladian) Phoenix Rises: The Restoration of a Damaged Palladian Wood Stove

Condition of Palladian in need of refurbishment

  We have restored many stoves for customers who lost their homes, and most of their possesions, to floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires. Sometimes the only thing left standing after these disasters was our customer’s Woodstock Soapstone stove. Many of these stoves make their way back to our factory to be restored.  For our customers, the stove may be the only surviving item from their “pre-disaster” life.   

  Our stove builders have yet to encounter a stove that could not be fully refurbished. In the next couple of pages, we’ll highlight some of the refurbishment stages that the 15 year old Palladian (pictured above) went through to get it back in “Like New” condition.  This stove survived a house fire (not related to the stove) and then sat in a barn for three years.  It arrived with lots of rust, and not in usable condition. 

  The first step in the restoration process is the initial assessment to determine what parts need replacing, how much labor will be involved, and what the customer’s expectations are.

New Product Development -Custom Architectural Steel?

If you’ve ever come across a beautiful metal cut gate, a privacy screen, metal wall art, or CortenTM siding in an architectural magazine or online, you may have thought briefly of wanting to incorporate something similar into your own home. Likely, your consideration of architectural metal stopped there.

Stove Stories: Navajo Dual Fuel Hybrid & Survival Hybrid Wood Stove

Navajo Dual-Fuel Hybrid Stove & Survival Hybrid Wood Stove A Story of Great Challenge & Reward

The story of Navajo & Survival Hybrid stoves had a fascinating start with the design and development of a clean burning, small, dual fuel stove for use on the Navajo Nation at the Four Corners of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado & Utah.

Making the “impossible”, possible!

Navajo Stove Installed in
Beta Testers Home

In 2016, the US EPA approached Woodstock Soapstone Co., to ask if we would be interested in designing a clean burning stove capable of burning both wood and coal. The design would be used on the Navajo Nation Reservation, as part of a consent decree with Arizona Public Service & Southern California Edison for violations to the clean air act.  The settlement had designated funds for a stove change-out and weatherization program near the Four Corners region. This is a region where indoor and outdoor air quality is often quite poor, and a significant number of Navajo people suffer from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as a direct result.

The obvious hurdles, and what other manufacturers deemed impossible, was engineering a low cost stove that could burn both wood and sub-bitumious coal cleanly.  In fact, there were no EPA certified coal stoves in 2016, and a coal testing standard had never been developed,  these were a testament to the fact that it would be a challenging task.

Happy February

Everyone knows February is the month to celebrate love and here at Woodstock Soapstone Company love burns brightly every day in more ways than one!

For over 40 years now Woodstock Soapstone has been passionate about the design and manufacturing of comforting and affordable wood heat. This month’s Ideal Steal is a celebration of that long burning love, for both the stoves as well as the lasting friendships we’ve made with our great customers. 

February Steal of the Month Design YOUR HEART IS IN MY HEART

 

Hot Buzz in the Summertime

It’s summertime, and the air is alive with all kinds of buzzing.  People are buzzing about this month’s Ideal Steel Steal of the Month, it’s the stuff legends are made of.  Our theme this month is the Dragonfly, one of the favorite harbingers of summer. 

The Dragonfly has many names; mosquito hawk, snake doctor, and invincible insect.  Mythology loves the Dragonfly.  This unique insect is believed to symbolize strength, protection, and good fortune, much like our Woodstock Soapstone Ideal Steel Hybrid wood stove.

Dragonfly Burners

The July Steal of the Month Dragonfly design set will adorn your Ideal Steel Hybrid with a delightful array of dragonflies dashing across your side medallions, hovering over your top burners, and perched on your andirons.  It will be your good fortune to have them on your Ideal Steel Hybrid wood stove, as it will protect your family from winter’s icy chill.

Dragonfly Side Panel

The long 12-14 hour burn time and the super-efficient clean burn is a result of the hybrid technology which is built into every Ideal Steel Hybrid wood stove. This is why the Ideal Steel Hybrid will provide you and your family with continual radiant heat that feels like a big warm hug.  The warmth will remind you of those warm summer days when dragonflies were flitting about.   

You are fortunate to have the opportunity to get this special Ideal Steel Dragonfly motif during the month of July for a very exceptional low price. Call today to order your Woodstock Soapstone Ideal Steel Steal of the Month dragonfly wood stove.  Customer service representatives are ready to answer any questions and help you proceed with an order.  Call 1-800-866-4344; Monday thru Saturday, 9-5 Eastern time.   Or, if you would prefer, fill out the reservation form, and our customer service representatives will contact you for all the information.

Dragonfly Andirons

Don’t let this special offer expire like the bug on the windshield of life!  Protect your home from those freezing cold days that will be arriving when Winter comes knocking.  Don’t delay! The end of the month, this July Ideal Steal Steel of the Month will be only a legend and will fly away.

Hot Diggity

2018 is the year of the Dog, according to the ancient Chinese Zodiac Calendar. For our Steal of the Month for June, we are celebrating these loyal friends with a dog inspired theme. Young or old, large or small, dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years and loyal companions for almost as long.

The center burner for this set is the symbol for 4 Blessings - Virtue, Longevity, Prosperity, and Good Health. Service dogs, working dogs, companion dogs, and simply beloved members of our family, all reflect these blessings.

Burners for Ideal Steel Hybrid

We get a lot of photos of family dogs enjoying the warmth of their Woodstock Soapstone stoves.  You too can curl up with your furry best friend in front of your June Steal of the Month Ideal Steel Hybrid Wood Stove. Your dog won’t know that your stove is energy efficient, or has low emissions for a 

Side Medallion

cleaner burn, but you will. Your pet will, however, know the heat provided by your Ideal Steel Hybrid wood stove is gentle and bone-warming and will love the heated comfort in the house.  Don’t worry if your pet wants to sit right in front of your Ideal Steel, there is plenty of room for all to enjoy the wonderful heat of the Ideal Steel all winter long.

Andirons

Let this Ideal Steel Steal of the month be your loyal companion throughout the cold winter months. Order yours today. Call our customer service team at 1-800-866-4344, Monday through Saturday 9-5 Eastern time, or fill out a reservation form on our website at www.woodstove.com to take advantage of this “ hot diggity dog” deal.