exactly the sort of regional solutions appropriate to regional resources that I advocate--with a variable mix of energy sources in each area.
and with regionally produced pellets, we are more likely to know the full story of their production. Margaret On Aug 31, 2014, at 4:59 PM, Stuart Staniford wrote: > > > On Aug 30, 2014, at 5:59 PM, Joanne Cipolla <[email protected]> wrote: > >> people should be aware that pellets, if not responsibly manufactured in an >> area where there are few neighbors can be very disruptive to peoples peace >> and quiet. It takes a lot of energy to prepare the pellet and it is >> extremely noisy.Some are prepared with things that are not healthy and some >> can even be smelled leaving a petroleum kind odor. My brother ordered some >> and once the bags were opened it was very obvious it wasn't just wood in the >> pellet. >> >> Some pellets are manufactured properly with only wood in the ingredient, >> finding them is the challenge. >> >> We now use hardwoods dried at least 2 years and stored covered.We chose a >> King Blaze wood stove from Papa Bear in Marathon. We stopped using gas for >> heat last winter and decreased our costs substantially. A full load of 2 >> full plus cords is$500.00 we only used half of it to keep our home at about >> 68*.(1800sq ft). Our costs to use gas for heat was about 900- 1000.00.The >> stove is the highest efficiency and lowest emitting that we could get >> manufactured in the US. > > The context of my suggestion was alternatives to propose to a mainstream > commercial developer. Putting a wood stove in every house is unlikely to fly. > > Personally, I love heating with cordwood and do it happily. I wouldn’t put > it in a rental, however, since that’s a bet that all future tenants will be > willing and able to run a wood stove (it takes considerable time and skill to > heat with wood). > > Nothing is perfect, and there are tradeoffs the other way also. Right now, a > considerable portion of the pellet supply chain comes from sawmill waste, > which seems good. Pellet stoves burn with higher efficiency than wood > stoves, and produce considerably less smoke. Neither cordwood nor pellets > are fully scalable as solutions to fossil fuel usage. > > Agree on the need for quality pellets. Given that, I think pellets are > currently much better than natural gas in regions with ample forest resources > (such as the northeast). > > Stuart. > > >> >> Joanne Cipolla-Dennis >> >> >> From: Joel and Sarah Gagnon <[email protected]> >> To: Sustainability in Tompkins County >> <[email protected]> >> Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2014 11:44 AM >> Subject: Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Dryden Pipline Update from Irene Weiser >> >> For those willing to be more "hands on", cord wood is more efficient than >> pellets, especially when sourced nearby. >> >> Joel >> >> At 09:20 AM 8/30/14 -0400, you wrote: >>> Thanks for the input, Stuart. You're right that conservation must be part >>> of the equation - not only insulation but also solar thermal to replace gas >>> water heaters.. >>> >>> I know that right now gas is priced cheaply. But that wasn't the case last >>> winter, when prices spiked during the super cold days. And it won't be the >>> case once exporting begins. Or when supplies start to dwindle, or when >>> drillers have to pay back on their debt and can't drill enough productive >>> wells to do so... >>> >>> Good to know about the Ehrhart Energy program. Does anyone know more about >>> life-cycle energy costs of pellet production? Do you think it is a >>> viable/advisable fuel source "for now"? >>> >>> Irene Weiser >>> Brooktondale, NY >>> [email protected] >>> 607-539-6856 >>> >>> Joy to the world >>> All the boys and girls >>> Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea >>> Joy to you and me >>> >>> >>> >>> On Aug 29, 2014, at 9:48 AM, Stuart Staniford <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> The only mainstream-convenient renewable heat source in our area that is >>>> cost-competitive with natural gas is wood pellets (which are at least >>>> regionally sourced from Upstate NY and New England). Ehrhart Energy has >>>> just started supplying automated pellet boilers here (we just put a very >>>> early one in a rental unit) though they’ve been used in Europe for a long >>>> time. Unfortunately, the hyper-heating air-source heat pumps that can >>>> cope with our climate are still very expensive, as is ground source. They >>>> can compete with propane or heating oil, but not with natural gas at >>>> current prices (obviously it would be different if there was a serious >>>> price on carbon emissions…). >>>> >>>> I don’t know any of the math here, but I wonder if it would be more >>>> viable, rather than increasing the natural gas supply to the area, to do >>>> something that would increase the rate at which insulation/air-sealing of >>>> existing homes takes place. There are a ton of natural gas using homes in >>>> the area, and there’s probably lots of low-hanging fruit in conservation >>>> there. >>>> >>>> Stuart. >>>> >>>> On Aug 29, 2014, at 7:08 AM, Irene Weiser <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I'm hoping for more than conversation - I'm hoping for action. >>>>> Are there people who can help put together alternative plans - district >>>>> heating, or air-source heat pumps, or ??? that we could propose to the >>>>> Lansing developers - to show that it is (relatively) cost competitive vs >>>>> gas heat? >>>>> If so, please get in touch!! >>>>> >>>>> Irene Weiser >>>>> Brooktondale, NY >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> 607-539-6856 >>>>> >>>>> Joy to the world >>>>> All the boys and girls >>>>> Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea >>>>> Joy to you and me >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Aug 28, 2014, at 1:50 PM, Gay Nicholson <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Thanks Irene for distilling the situation. We knew a while ago that the >>>>>> proposed pipeline would not be the one used to repower Cayuga as it was >>>>>> aimed at enabling business expansion by the airport and another Lucente >>>>>> housing project. >>>>>> >>>>>> The answers will be complex and lie in the readiness of the broader >>>>>> culture to finally get engaged in the process of redesign of our economy >>>>>> and political process. >>>>>> >>>>>> Sustainable Tompkins is willing to host this conversation about a >>>>>> strategy that can connect the dots and make visible the best way to >>>>>> protect our shared future. We must find a way to help people move past >>>>>> their assumptions that they have to continue "business as usual" or go >>>>>> bankrupt, or lose the election, or whatever other fear is driving the >>>>>> choice to fry the planet instead. But we need help in making the >>>>>> alternatives viable -- and we are in several battles on that front too >>>>>> as those alternatives threaten the market share of various corporations. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Instead of having my tax dollars go to subsidize a Lucente gas-powered >>>>>> development, I would much rather subsidize a district heating approach >>>>>> combined with passive house design. And our economic development >>>>>> dollars should be going to help businesses grow near existing utility >>>>>> infrastructure or be designed to meet their own utility needs that >>>>>> exceed existing infrastructure. We have to overcome this addictive >>>>>> behavior of thinking we can just have "one more" of what is harming us >>>>>> over time. And that takes courage and collective effort. >>>>>> >>>>>> If those interested in this conversation want to email me back >>>>>> separately, I can send out a doodle poll to find a time to meet and then >>>>>> we can let others know when we will gather. >>>>>> >>>>>> The big Climate March is happening on September 21. That's great, but >>>>>> it's what we do afterwards that counts, and at some point we have to >>>>>> address the complexity of driving change deep into how we do things. >>>>>> >>>>>> Gay >>>>>> >>>>>> -------------------------------------- >>>>>> Gay Nicholson, Ph.D. >>>>>> President >>>>>> Sustainable Tompkins >>>>>> 109 S. Albany St. >>>>>> Ithaca, NY 14850 >>>>>> >>>>>> www.sustainabletompkins.org >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> 607-533-7312 (home office) >>>>>> 607-220-8991 (cell) >>>>>> 607-216-1552 (ST office) >>>>>> 607-216-1553 (ST fax) >>>>>> >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 12:43 PM, Karen Jewett >>>>>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> Listmates, >>>>>> Thanks go to Irene Weiser for the update below. >>>>>> -Karen >>>>>> >>>>>> From: Irene Weiser <[email protected]> >>>>>> Subject: Dryden pipeline update >>>>>> Date: August 28, 2014 at 8:16:53 AM EDT >>>>>> To: [email protected] >>>>>> >>>>>> I attended the rally/info-session re: the Dryden pipeline the other day. >>>>>> They went to great lengths to reassure us that the pipeline was not >>>>>> capable of providing gas to a "repowered" Cayuga - that it would need to >>>>>> be different type of pipe (thicker walls) different standards for >>>>>> welding joints, different regulators for putting in taps to supply >>>>>> residences along the pipeline w/gas, etc. Whew. I think. >>>>>> >>>>>> BUT there is still a problem to address. They say the pipeline is >>>>>> needed for "reinforcement" of current gas supply in the area - as well >>>>>> as to meet demand for a proposed new residential development in Lansing >>>>>> (Rocco Lucente, developer) >>>>>> >>>>>> TCAD has indicated support of both the housing project and the pipeline >>>>>> - and I've heard (but not confirmed) that they've even put in a >>>>>> proposal, under the Gov's regional economic development grant program, >>>>>> for funding to support the development. >>>>>> >>>>>> SO HERE"S OUR LOCAL CHALLENGE - how can we educate and persuade TCAD and >>>>>> local developers (and other residents who want gas for heating) to find >>>>>> alternative solutions? NYSEG, as a public utility, is under obligation >>>>>> to provide service when customers request it. So it's UP TO US to >>>>>> ensure that such requests don't happen - and that these developers and >>>>>> TCAD and the County reject added fossil fuel expansion. >>>>>> >>>>>> Thoughts on how we can begin this process??? >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Irene Weiser >>>>>> Brooktondale, NY >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> 607-539-6856 >>>>>> >>>>>> Joy to the world >>>>>> All the boys and girls >>>>>> Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea >>>>>> Joy to you and me >>>>>> Are you a member of Sustainable Tompkins? Join today. >>>>>> >>>>>> Karen Jewett-Bennett, Director of Operations >>>>>> Sustainable Tompkins >>>>>> 109 S. Albany St. >>>>>> Ithaca, NY 14850 >>>>>> 607-216-1552 >>>>>> >> >> > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
