New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Changes Rebate Program for Residential Bulk-Fed Wood-Pellet Central Boilers and Furnaces

Oct 3, 2011- Wise Heat

Funding breakdown for rebate program as of 8/24/2011. Source: New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission

The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (NH-PUC) has announced improvements in its rebate program for furnaces and wood pellet boilers during the early part of this summer and considered the inclusion of central heating systems that are installed outdoors.

NH-PUC has made two key modifications to its program to allow more systems to qualify:

• The overall efficiency rating requirement has been lowered to 80% from 85% or greater.
• Systems now qualify that require routine cleaning for approximately each ton of premium pellets used. (Systems that automatically clean the burn chamber and the heat exchanger still qualify as well.)

The introduced changes this year will enable program participants to have a wider range of systems to choose from, thus assuring more opportunities to benefit from using more efficient biomass heating systems.

The new program will allow consumers to get a rebate of 30% on the cost of such heating systems subject to a maximum of $6,000 if they complete the installation of an authority approved, efficient and automatic wood feeding furnace or pellet boiler before February 2012. To remain eligible for the rebate, the submitted applications need to be approved by the PUC before the completion of installation.

Pellet boilers are currently available with automated feeding technology and capacity to store pellets. Home owners installing such boilers will immediately receive a rebate of 30% on the price. It is estimated that a normal house owner located in the Northeast who participates in the program with an estimated use of 6 t of pellets per year in place of oil will save more than $1,000 on costs of heating. It is estimated that the consumer can reach the break even stage within a span of six years or less if heating oil prices continue to increase and it will be only savings afterwards.