FAQ's- Harman Hydroflex, agrafuels, tax credit, harman stoves

Question: I would love your take on the agripellet market. Seems to be getting started in EU.

Answer: Non-wood pellets are beginning to appear on the market in the mid-west. A sponsor for a recent bioenergy show in Minnesota was Sunrise Agrafuels. Harman was demoing the fuel in their PC45 biomass stove. It burned very well. They use ag residue from farm fields for raw material. The heat was consistent with a woody biomass fuel and the ash content was around 2%. You would definitely need a multi-fuel stove to burn this fuel and it does have a higher ash content but they worked well, and were cleaner than some bark mulch pellets I have seen.

Question: Did you like the new HydroFlex60. Would you get one? Any idea when one might be able to get one?

Answer: I do like the HydroFlex60. It is smaller in size and btu's than Harman's PB105, but it was designed that way. Some uses for it include assisting with geothermal heat pump setups, or smaller homes. I do have plans to install one- hopefully in conjunction with a solar hot water package in the next couple of years. It is anticpated that it will be able to go into production mid to late 2009. They are still trying to fill existing orders with current products. There are only a couple of prototypes so there is no pricing structure that I have seen. I will keep you updated! Here are some pictures for you though.

Question: Is your contact info anywhere on the blog?

Answer: No. I didn't want this site to be a sales tool, just an informational tool. I just want to try to answer things as best I can to promote the industry. If you leave a comment I will do my best to get back to you as quickly and accurately as my schedule allows :)

Question: My question is if (in my Harman P68) I change the temperature from 75 to say 85 will it use more pellets or will it just burn those pellets hotter and distribute that heat in the room more?

Answer: If you have your Harman set on room temperature the stove will use the necessary amount of fuel to keep your room at that desired temperature. Generally a higher temperature setting, 85 in your case, would mean that more fuel will be burned. Keep in mind that outside factors can affect fuel usage as well. Insulation, outside temperature, natural airflow through your home, doors and windows opening. The nice thing is that the Harman's self adjust by taking perpetual temperature readings from your room.

Question: What is the purpose of the feed adjustor on my Harman?

Answer: (from Harman)'The feed rate knob sets the maximum time per minute the control will let the feed motor run. The feed rate knob is set to have the stove perform its best depending on the ash content of the pellets you are burning. A feed rate of 4 to 4 ½ works best for most applications. Once you set the feed rate knob, no further adjustment is needed unless you make a change in pellet quality. A common misconception about the feed rate knob is that turning it to a lower setting will cause you to burn less fuel. Since turning the feed rate knob down will lower the maximum time you allow the feed motor to run every minute, the stove will feed at this maximum rate longer to satisfy the temperature setting, resulting in increased fuel consumption.'

I usually recommend starting at a four and you may need to adjust slightly up if you have long pellets, and less if you have shorter pellets. I have never moved mine off of a 3.5 setting for both my boiler and pellet stove.

Question: I burn a bag and a half of pellets a day. The stove runs constantly but the stove is rarely roaring. Is it better to turn it up so the fire is hotter for shorter amounts of time?

Answer: One of the great things about pellet stoves is their ability to adjust the fuel to air ratio so that you don't need to have a raging fire in all temperature scenarios. You can get an efficient clean burn whether you need 12,000 btu's or 68,000 btu's. Harman self-adjusts to give you the temperature you set. So in the morning if you turn the stove on in a cold house the stove will turn itself on and there will be a large fire. As the day warms the fire will shrink as your heat need is lower. When the sun starts to set and the temperature outside drops the stove may increase the size of flame. The thing to remember is that it will never give you more or less than you ask for.

Question: My dealer is telling me that I should put a deposit down to get on a waiting list for a boiler next year. Do you recommend that?

Answer: We took orders in May and June for stoves that would be delivered through the end of the year. It was a non-refundable deposit. We have not had cancellations and Harman has delivered stoves on schedule. Lennox did not release a stove per it's promise and we did give a couple of folks their money back. We did not take orders beyond the end of the year because stove manufacturer's were not giving ship dates or quantities of stoves for shipment beyond December. We now have numbers from Harman and Lennox for stove ship dates in the first quarter of 2009. We will shortly be taking orders and deposits for those stoves.

Each dealer is different!!!!!!

Questions to ask them might include whether they had a past track record of delivering on time? Do they have an actual ship date for the stove they are selling you? Is the deposit refundable or transferrable? What will they do if the date cannot be met (notification, discount, cancellation policy change...)?
Remember that most dealers are doing their absolute best to give you accurate information and a fair deal.

Question: I heard there was a tax credit for pellet stoves starting in 2009?

Answer: True! Senator John Sununu co-sponsored a tax credit for pellet stoves this fall saying, “We need to encourage renewable energy with strong tax incentives, and I am pleased that this bill includes my 10 percent tax credit for high efficiency wood pellet stoves,” said Sununu. “I have consistently fought to expand renewable energy tax incentives, and this is the second time that the Senate has considered our bipartisan proposal. It was passed in the bailout package in October. The credit will be up to $300 for a pellet stove, insert, or whole house system.

Energiesparverband

Last week in Wels Austria the World Sustainable Energy Days and Pellet Conference was held ending with the Energiesparmesse industry trade show. I was not able to attend this year, but wanted to share a little from my past visits. Many countries converge on the friendly town of Wels located near the German border. It is easily accessible by car as we drove in from Munich one year, or the ever-popular train. My last visit I stayed in Salzburg and enjoyed the countryside during the one hour train ride into Wels each day.
The invitation began with site visits. We all loaded on to motor coaches for visits to various pellet projects. The first stop was at a district heating facility that provided biomass heat for the neighborhood below. The boiler was housed in a modest building with supplies out back. This seemed a practical solution compared to each home having an appliance and independent fuel supply. One appliance maintained by a few people as opposed to 3500 appliances.

As we were driving to our next destination we saw what looked like a small grain truck going down the road past us. We were delighted to see that it was a bulk pellet fuel delivery truck from a local mill.

Our next stop was a local pellet mill. It was built adjacent to the lumber portion of the business with conveyors to move the raw material from one section to the other. Pellets were made with similar equipment to US mills. The difference was after the production. As most fuel in Europe is bulk the fuel is conveyed to a holding tank, and there was a drive through section of the building with a loading hose for the bulk trucks. They did have a small bagging section that was new to them. The price was higher for the ~15 kg bags, but the bags were unique. They were a biodegradable corn fiber bag as opposed to the plastic bags we use in the US.

We then headed off to Guntamatic, a pellet appliance manufacturer. They showed a wide variety of pellet boiler, and furnace systems. Again, most biomass appliances in Europe are whole house systems. They let us tour their efficient and clean factory that uses laser welders, cutters, and a state of the art cad design system. Then they did a product seminar explaining the various components and boiler systems. I was most impressed by their ability to accept a much higher ash pellet, their ash handling system, and the bulk containment systems that pneumatically transferred pellets from the tank to the boiler.
Our last stop was a consumers home. They had created a bin for the fuel in their basement with a convenient fill port on the outside. It was conveyed using an auger to their boiler system. They had received tax incentive from their government to help offset the cost of purchasing and installing the biomass system.

The conference itself began the next day with many government officials making presentations about their countries plans, success, and future goals. There were also conferences on new technologies, and cooperative projects to further technology and distribution. Each country had and shared their various incentive programs. This is a far cry from the US Hearth Show that is run by people tend to merely dismiss pellet on a good day...
The first year I attended they had invited all of the US pellet manufacturers. They were trying to secure additional supplies as their expansion was rapid, and supplies thin. Last year European biomass pellet consumption surpassed 10 million tons. The US doesn't have an accurate figure but estimates put it at 1 to 1/5 million.
The end of the week brought the Energiesparmesse. The equivalent of our hearth show, but so much more. It was a venue with four halls, booths inside and out. We saw everything from the beautiful tiled stoves that are so prevalent over there, to solar systems, pellet-solar systems, boiler manufacturers, builders with pex and insulation systems, bulk feed material supply, stove manufacturers, fireplaces, pipe companies.
The stand-outs in my mind were the BP biomass booth, Okofen's bulk feed bins, Froling's boilers, a company that made pex panels for wall use, and a kitchen stove manufacturer that had a wood pellet kitchen stove that was as elegant as a cast iron wood cook stove, but with the ease of pellet!
We also saw some familiar names like Enviro-fire which started in Europe and sells in the US.
The biggest impression I walked away with was how the government embraced, encouraged, and provided incentive for wood pellet products, and projects. Sweden uses pellet power for schools, government buildings, commercial buildings, district heating, electrical generation, and residential home heating. Italy, Bavaria, and France were not far behind.
What can you do to help encourage wood pellet use in the US? Write your congressmen, and senators. There have been a few bills that have been introduced but have not made it all the way through to fruition. Get both groups on board. You can visit the PFI's web page at http://www.pelletheat.org for more information. Here is a link to the Energiesparverband web site http://www.energiesparverband.com/esv/index.php?id=8&L=1

Pellet Forced Hot Air and Boiler Systems

(Harman rep with Bulk Fuel Bin and PB105- Reno HPBA March 2007)

Harman has long been the front runner in the pellet stove marketplace. It's underfired feed system has given us some of the largest btu, lowest maintenance pellet stoves available in the US. That coupled with Harman's strong coal, and wood furnace background lead to the introduction of their whole house pellet systems. The PF100 Pellet Furnace was first released in 2004. This innovative unit was the first pellet furnace to be made in and for the US market. In the fall of 2006 it was followed up with the PB105, the first pellet boiler manufactured in the US. The fall of 2007 showed continued innovation and promotion with the bulk fuel bin that Harman designed to work with both of their whole house units, as well as their P-series pellet stoves.

The PF100 contains the same control, feed, and venting systems as the Harman freestanding and insert stoves, just on a larger scale. It has an impressive heat range from 0 to 112,000 Btu's. The unit itself holds 160 pounds of pellets, or hook up Harman's latest innovation the bulk feed bin for 1400 pounds of hands free use. It's large ash pan means that cleaning needs to happen only after three or so tons have gone through. This is a great system that many people add to their homes for central heat. Some replace their old system entirely, while others leave their old system in place as a backup and simply install the pellet furnace in series by tapping into exisiting plenum systems.

Many areas use hot water, and forced hot water heat systems. While they had to wait a little longer it was well worth it. In 2006, Harman released the PB105. This unit will heat water up to 120C with a heat range of 0 to 112,000 Btu's. The optional hot water coil gives an added benefit of heating domestic hot water. Again using Harman's control, feed, and heat transfer system from their stoves and inserts. This unit has an extra large ash pan, and pellet hopper, as well as the ability to direct vent using a four inch PL rated pellet stove pipe. The bulk fuel bin may reduce filling to once or twice a month!

Harman's latest innovation gives us a glimpse of the future. The bulk fuel bin is designed has a small footprint, and is designed to be fed from bagged fuel, as the vast majority of pellet fuel is delivered in this manner. It is a step in the direction of elminating the bag, and moving to a bulk feed and delivery system. We may learn a great deal from Europe about bulk pellet fuel systems. They have pellet trucks that deliver fuel in much the same way as we have oil and propane delivery trucks here in the US. There are a handful of dealers and consumers who buy bulk pellets using bulk sacks, or other bulk deliveries such as rail, and I suspect that this method has room only to grow. New England Wood Pellet received a grant a few years back to purchase the first bulk pellet fuel delivery vehicle. Grain silos have been the predominant fuel holders in the US. Europeans often make wooden bins, or pellet closets that may be similar to what coal bins or closets were like in the late 1800 and early 1900's here.

In the coming years we may see other companies follow suit with similar boiler and forced hot air pellet systems. Central Boiler has recently released a multi-fuel outdoor system, Tarm offers an imported boiler or furnace system as examples. Europe's wood pellet leads the market as far as wood pellet boiler and furnace systems with many innovative and viable designs in place, but with people like Dane Harman behind the US market keep an eye out!