Wood Energy FAQs
Tarm Biomass sells a broad mix of heating boilers that use diverse forms of wood fuel. We decided to make a simple wood fuel guide that contains frequently asked questions about wood energy. To start with, wood energy is measured in British Thermal Units or BTUs. A BTU is the amount of energy required to […]
Modern Wood Heat vs. Cold Climate Heat Pumps: Which Is Better?
Tucked away in basements and utility rooms, boilers and furnaces quietly emit about 75% of household carbon dioxide emissions. Making large reductions in household carbon footprints requires de-fossilizing home heating systems. Homeowners are in luck because new wood pellet boilers and furnaces, aka modern wood heat and cold climate air-source heat pumps (ASHPs), can eliminate […]
Tax Credit and Huge Incentives Available for Tarm Biomass Pellet Boilers
As of December 2020, installations of wood-fueled boilers and stoves for home heating with an efficiency of 75% or better qualify for a 26% federal tax credit. The Investment Tax Credit or ITC, which has been available for other renewable energy installations for years, was finally granted for efficient wood heating after almost a decade […]
Automatic Wood Pellet Boilers and Fuel Storage
A May Firewood Story and How to Contend with Carpenter Ants
From the back windows at home we look to the west, down over the leach field, back lawn, and past the vegetable garden, then over a small field to a stone wall and tree line that runs parallel to the back of our house. Another stone wall intersects the first wall at a 90-degree angle […]
Green wood chips or dry wood chips, what is the right choice?
Green wood chips or dry wood chips, what is the best fuel for heating boilers? Generally the answer depends upon scale. Green wood chip boilers and fuel handling systems require more infrastructure, which means both a larger investment and larger requirements for floor space. Green wood chips do not require as much processing and handling […]
A “Climate Emergency” Does not Make Heating with Wood Less Sustainable
Using wood for heating is not only smart carbon policy, but should also become an essential component of pro-forestation land management. Some believe the countdown timer on a 10 year planetary climate time bomb has begun. They believe we have ten years to figure out how to clip the carbon “wires” or human-induced carbon emissions […]
Over-Heat Dump Zones for Solid Fuel Hot Water Boilers
All Solid fuel hot water boilers must be installed with an ability to shed heat with or without the benefit of electrical power. In the unusual event a boiler exceeds its set-point temperature and the temperature is continuing to climb, an over-heat dump zone may be the only means for preventing the boiler from making […]
Wood is Nature’s Battery
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Headline_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Storing renewable energy is one of the great challenges of the current age. Until renewable energy can be stored reliably and in massive quantities, we are not able to relinquish our use of fossil and nuclear fuels. There is no single energy storage method that can solve all of our needs, though electric […]
Wood Burning is Carbon Neutral
[siteorigin_widget class=”Tribe_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Wood burning is carbon neutral. For thousands of years, wood burning has been carbon neutral. Now that we face a climate crisis, some people have concluded that wood burning is no longer carbon neutral. What changed? Here’s what hasn’t changed: People believe the science they want to believe. Some think all forestry is […]