During the 2009 HPBExpo our imported Ecoteck, Elena Airplus pellet stove won the Best New Pellet Stoves & Inserts award from Hearth & Home. It is a true honor that we have been presented with this award.

As the Ecoteck products grows we plan to stand along side the Ravelli Group and our dealers with exceptional service that reflects the quality and design of the stoves.

We look forward to wonder 2009 and hope everyone is excited about the new products we will be introducing later this year. For more information on the Elena Airplus and all other stoves, visit the Ecoteck pellet stoves product page.

Posted: March 26th, 2009 under Pellet Stoves.
Comments: none

An article from Barron News-Shield in Barron, WI, is stating that the Barron Area School District is researching whether wood pellets should replace their exsisting wood chip boiler system.

“Superintendent Monti Hallberg said that wood pellets tend to be more expensive up front, but their benefits might outweigh the additional cost. Pellets are drier than wood chips, translating into a lot less water weight in each delivered load. The pellets are also known to burn more cleanly and with less associated maintenance costs.”

“Wood pellet producers can be found as close as Ladysmith and Bloomer, Hallberg said. The Shell Lake School District already uses wood pellets in its heating system with much success, and a consulting firm suggested that Barron give pellets some consideration.”

If the more companies start providing servces simialr to Maine Energy Systems, trucking and pump of pellets into hoppers, then this could become a very feasible option.

Read the full article on Wood Pellets Vs Wood Chips.

Posted: December 1st, 2008 under Pellet Stoves.
Comments: none

We at Northland Distributing are proud to announce that Ecoteck wood pellet stoves are NOW AVAILABLE in North America. With 14 different models to choose from in a variety of colors, there is sure to be a style that suits your home.

Ecoteck Pellet Stoves are manufactured in Italy and imported exculsively by Northland Distributing. These wood pellet stoves are a far superior to anything currently manufactured in North America. EPA testing shows that the average emission level is 1.654 g/hr which surpasses California’s stringent 2.5 g/hr emission law and compared with conventional liquid and gas fuels, these units can lead to a massive savings in heating bills, over 50%.

Stylish design is one of the trademarks of the Ecoteck Pellet Stoves and each new wood pellet stove is thoroughly tested in Ecoteck’s own testing facility to obtain the international certification that has allowed the company to achieve a position of leadership on the world market.

For more information on these revolutionary pellet stoves, check out our newly launched website Ecoteck Pellet Stoves

Posted: November 4th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
Comments: none

On Sunday, August 09 firefighting crews from more than two dozen towns were called to fight flames were called to help extinguish a fire at the Jaffrey wood pellet plant in New Hampshire. Employees discovered the fire and tried to fight it with fire extinguishers, however the fire spread to the conveyor system and become out of control.
After 20 hours the fire had still been smoldering in one of the silos and officials were worried about the silo collapsing from the weight of the water pumped in.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries during the twenty-nine hour fire-suppression effort, officials said.

Steven Walker, president of New England Wood Pellet, said all the workers at the plant have been working to get it operational again. He said he expected it to be fully operational by the end of next week. WMUR 9

The plant’s employees have been working three shifts a day mopping up soggy sawdust and repairing machinery to get the plant back in operation.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed more than $135,000 in fines against the manufacturer after a worker got caught in a conveyor in January.

Authorities say the company showed indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety by allowing combustible wood dust to accumulate and for not having guards on the conveyors. Brattleboro Reformer

New Hampshire fire investigators have concluded that the wood pellet plant was accidental, and that workers responded appropriately in trying to put the fire out.

OSHA said its inspection revealed unguarded conveyors, exposure to fire and explosion hazards due to the design, construction and location of systems used to collect combustible wood dust.

New England Wood Pellet was given 15 business days from the time the citations were issued to either meet with OSHA or to contest the allegations before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
Comments: none

Wood pellets and wood pellet stoves have been in the news a lot lately, stating everything from how efficient they are, how they can keep the air quality around your community cleaner and how you can save yourself a lot of money by installing a wood pellet stove. But now the hype seems to be catching up with everyone as manufactures of both stoves and pellets are unable to keep with the demand from the public.

A news article from the New Hampshire Sunday News called “Pellet stoves efficient, but becoming scarce” shows that many stores in New Hampshire state have become so overwhelmed by the demand of pellet stoves that their sales have increased, in some instances, by 500%.

At Fireplace Village in Bedford, customers won’t receive their stoves until October.

June sales are up close to 500 percent compared to the previous June, and 90 percent of customers are inquiring about the pellet stoves or inserts for their fireplaces, according to store manager Jeff Taylor.

In Nashua, Al Carachio of Pellet King said he sold 100 stoves last month — 10 times the number for a typical June.

“The demand is just enormous,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this at this time of the year,” Carachio said.

Today, more than ever, with raising oil prices people have to seek alternative ways to heat their home without breaking the bank. These little pieces of compressed wood can do just that but at the same time help the environment, yet we have to remember that with any other heating source we have to take cation when using a wood pellet stove.

“I think what’s driving sales is people are getting their home heating bills,” Strimling said. “People are getting concerned about the environment and want to do the right thing, especially if it can save them some money.”Strimling is selling pellets for $269 to $279 a ton now, about $10 more than at this time last year but $60 to $70 more than in March, when prices had dropped. Home delivery will run about $35 a ton.

Raymond Fire Chief Kevin Pratt said that he is receiving “lots of calls” each day from residents who have recently installed new pellet stoves or are thinking about getting their old wood-burning stoves going again.

This trend is most likely to spread to other states at a rapid pace, if it hasn’t already. If you are wanting to heat your home cheaper this year you may not want to wait placing your order for your pellet stove. If you can’t get your wood pellet stove by the start of the heating season, at least you’ll have it for half of the season and that can really keep your oil / fuel cost from getting to high.

Posted: July 29th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
Comments: none

The scale of the Libby changeout – 1,130 wood stoves in a little over two years – makes it the premiere example of a successful changeout program. The Libby experience demonstrates that a wood stove changeout can significantly and cost-effectively reduce harmful emissions. While Libby is in many ways the poster child for a successful changeout, many other areas can benefit from a similar program.

HPBA hopes this report and information on its website – www.woodstovechangeout.org – can help state and local leaders learn how a changeout can make their communities cleaner, safer and healthier.

What is a Wood Stove Changeout?

The wood stove changeout campaign is a voluntary program initiated at the local or regional level that provides eligible communities with a mechanism to reduce air pollution caused by wood smoke.  Residents of participating communities often receive incentives such as rebates, low/no interest loans and discounts to replace their old, conventional wood stoves and fireplace inserts with cleaner-burning, more efficient EPA-certified gas, pellet, electric or wood stoves and fireplaces.  Households that participate in changeouts must surrender their old wood stoves to be recycled.

HPBA Wins Award For Video Production

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) and Strat@comm, a Washington, D.C.-based communications firm, have won a Silver Telly Award for their video production “Clearing the Smoke – The Libby Report.”

The award-winning video details an HPBA-coordinated project in the town of Libby, Mont., where local residents replaced their outdated and polluting wood stoves with new technology woodstoves that burn more cleanly and more efficiently.

“We’re very excited that this video, highlighting the Libby, Montana, story, has been awarded the Silver Telly,” says Jack Goldman, president of the HPBA. “This was a story that needed to be told, and the video that Strat@comm produced is a remarkable retelling of the story.”

The Telly Awards pay tribute to local and regional television commercials and productions, as well as non-broadcast video productions.

SOURCE: HPBA

Posted: July 24th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves, Questions & Answers.
Comments: none