Earlier this week, the Maine-based Farmers’ Almanac issued its winter outlook for both the United States and Canada. the almanac. The Farmers’ Almanac, which claims 80 to 85 percent accuracy bases its predictions on a secret mathematical formula using the position of the planets, tidal action of the moon and sunspots.

The almanac says that winter in the US will be cold in the East and milder in the West but that much of the country will still be colder than normal.  The almanac says that New England will get a “cold slap in the face” after missing last winter’s misery. Finally, residents of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes are expected to get the piles of snow that will be lacking elsewhere.

The almanac predicts that winter in Canada will not be as mild as last year, when temperatures were 4° C above normal and less snow. This year winter will make a comeback, bringing back much colder conditions during 2010-11, particularly to the eastern half of the country. This compares to the west, where milder temperatures will with a wetter forecast prevail.

In several weeks we will compare this to the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer’s Almanac.

In the past several months, there has been a lot of discussion and attention regarding the use of woody biomass for energy (heat or electricity) and its affect on greenhouse gases. Advocates say that wood for energy is “carbon neutral” and therefore, good for mitigating climate change, while others believe that there is a negative impact.

Well, according to a recent study by Manomet and its partners, both sides are right and wrong.

The answer is more complex. More specifically, it depends on the life-cycle of the biomass being used, the biomass energy technology and the fossil fuel technology it replaces, and the way landowners choose to manage their forests.

The study shows that using wood for energy can result in an initial “carbon debt” because burning wood releases more CO2 into the atmosphere per unit of energy than fossil fuels (oil, coal, or natural gas). But, unlike fossil fuels, forests can grow back and recapture (or sequester) CO2 from the atmosphere. Over time, through accelerated forest growth, the carbon debt can be “paid off.” After the carbon debt is paid off, if the forest continues to grow, a “carbon dividend” is realized and the use of wood for energy then becomes increasingly beneficial for greenhouse gas mitigation.

Here is how the authors depict the concept of “carbon debt-then-carbon dividend“.

The executive summary and full report can be downloaded from the Manomet website.

National Geographic has built a pretty interesting online resource for looking at your personal energy consumption compared to your friends and neighbors. The tools are all part of The Great Energy Challenge designed to help you understand your current energy situation.

The tools range from easy-to-digest mini-calculators to the more comprehensive personal energy meter. I found all of the tools educational, but learned the most from the mini-calculators. Personal note: I need to take care of the energy vampires that lurk in my house!

Have you ever wondered what uses more energy in your home — heating, cooling, lighting, or powering electronics like TVs, computers, and refrigerators?

No surprise it is heating. I bet you are not too surprised, after all, Greenwood is a renewable heating company. However, what may surprise you is to what extent it outpaces other energy use in your home.  As a homeowner, the U.S. Energy Information Administration presents a rather compelling picture for home improvement.

Two-thirds of the energy used in your home is for heating. Time to upgrade the windows, add insulation, pull out the caulk gun and (here it comes) look at cheaper forms of heat like a high-efficiency wood boiler. Sales pitch aside, the biggest dent you can make in your monthly energy bill is take a bite out of the heating gremlin.

Happy caulking!

December 31st, 2010.

That is the date that federal tax credit is scheduled to expire for the purchase of new energy efficient products, including high-efficiency wood boilers. With the purchase of a qualifying product, the government will credit you 30 percent of the cost (and installation), up to $1,500.

So, why is this a big deal? Well, a tax credit is much more valuable than a tax deduction.

A deduction is an amount you can subtract from your taxable income. However, a tax credit lowers your actual tax bill dollar-for-dollar, in this case by up to $1,500. So a tax credit has a bigger impact on the money left in your pocket at the end of the day.

So, whether you are considering a wood gasification boiler, air conditioner, water heater or windows time is running out.

For more information, BuffaloNews.com has a great article.

It is August and it is still hot out there. In case you are still trying to figure out how to deal with the heat, the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program offers some great advice on low- and no-cost energy-efficient cooling tips.

Some things to consider include:

• Pulling curtains or blinds
• Changing the filter on your air conditioner
• Seal your air ducts

For a complete list visit the Energy Star site.

A typical household spends almost 20% of its utility bill on cooling, and by taking steps this summer to improve energy-efficiency; you can save energy, save money, and help fight climate change.

US Federal agencies purchased or produced 2.3 TWh of electricity from renewable sources in FY09, representing 4.2% of the Government’s electricity and surpassing the goal of 3% set by EPAct 2005. This represents a 2x increase over 2003. The goal increases this year to 5% of total electricity from renewable sources, and increases again in 2013 to 7.5%.

Perhaps what is most fascinating is that this figure does not include non-electric renewable energy purchased or consumed by the Federal government — sources like bio-thermal space heating or solar thermal hot water. However, according to a Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) testimony, “The renewable sources of non-electric energy are often the most cost-effective means to displace fossil energy,” she explains.

With that acknowledgment, what steps can be taken to insure the adoption of these cost effective sources?

One way is increase subsidies to promote adoption, much like those in H.R. 5805: Thermal Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2010. Unfortunately these are only focused on large scale applications. An alternative would be to look to other countries where these alternative technologies have been employed and implement their approach — incentives targeted at residential heating.

The State of New Hampshire’s Wood Pellet Boiler Rebate program is an example of such a program. It is narrowly focused on wood pellets, but removes much of the upfront cost of implementing a system that makes a homeowner energy self-sufficient.

A new study released by the Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) and four other organizations outlines a bold plan that calls for a significant increase in the use of renewable resources for space heating to 25% by the year 2025.  In the plan, biomass gains the largest ground from 4% to over 18% followed by an increase in solar thermal (hot water) to 5% in the same period.

At first pass this is indeed bold with many competing interests – industry, regulation, environmental. However, it also has some merit worth considering. First, the Northeast has plentiful wood and biomass resources (see figure on forest land) and has a culture in many regions of wood-burning. Second, the use of wood for space heat (when done properly) is the “highest and best use” of this natural resource. If you do the math, you quickly realize that solar is not an economical option which is contrasted by wood heat which converts 80%+ of the stored energy in the wood to usable energy (heat).

Next, with the Northeast adopting stricter regulations on wood burning appliances, the new units that are installed reduce wood smoke emissions by 90% or more. One need look no further than Northern Europe where wood heat accounts for up to 30% of energy used with countries targeting even higher consumption to reduce their dependence on foreign energy sources.

Certainly there are limitations to the study, but to make progress one must begin with a plan, even a bold one.

You can find a summary of the report here and a copy of the full report here.

Imagine a biomass fuel that:

• Produces more biomass per acre (20-25 dry tons) than any other non-food biomass plan,
• Can be grown on a wide variety of soil types and under a wide range of climatic conditions,
• Reaches harvest-able maturity in 18 months and may be harvested every 9 months,
• Has a plant lifespan of 25 years,
• Does not require tillage, fertilizer or pesticide.

Sounds too good to be true, right? Not if you are familiar with Arundo donax. You will certainly here more about this wonder-plant since several companies, including local company TreeFree Biomass Solutions, have figured out how to grow the plant as a crop.

For more information here is an article from North American Clean Energy magazine.

If you thought that forests were a rural phenomena, you will find the data compiled by a Dovetail Partners report eye-opening. In their report, Urban Wood Utilization and Industrial Clusters, they describe the growth of the urban forest in the lower 48 states from an area the size of Vermont and New Hampshire in 2000 to the size of Montana in 2050.

Equally interesting is the discussion about the volume of wood, removed annually from urban forests. The amount is significant — from 16 to 38 million green tons per year. This is more than the total annual harvests from America’s National Forests. Yes, you read that correctly.

This report focuses on an emerging urban wood-based industrial (business) cluster in the Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities) metropolitan area. Examples of Twin Cities’ cluster-based wood utilization activities and corresponding cluster-building techniques are highlighted. Recommendations for advancing wood utilization activities on a community-wide basis are offered.

The complete report may be found here.