Feel Good Heat Supports Maine’s Statewide Strategies to Promote Modern Wood Heat

Feel Good Heat platform aids local agencies, organizations, and businesses in promoting modern wood heat in Maine.

The Center has leveraged its Feel Good Heat campaign to support Maine groups in further promoting modern wood heat through their focused initiatives.

Promoting Local Wood Pellets Through “Maine Made” Campaign

In 2024, the Center supported the Maine Pellet Fuels Association (MPFA) in securing a Domestic Trade Grant from the State of Maine to promote the purchase of domestically produced Maine bagged pellets from participating retail stores.

For the 2025-2026 heating season, MPFA utilized the Feel Good Heat campaign’s existing platforms and digital infrastructure to run online ads across Google targeted to Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts customers. The campaign promoted Maine pellets and prompted individuals to fill-out an online form to request a free bag coupon redeemable at one of 27 participating retailers across the region. The goal was to expose New Englanders to quality, locally produced pellets and generate an email “retarget” list for future marketing. MPFA received 5,580 form responses and generated a 4,687-person retargeting list for future outreach campaigns.

Providing Voice and Resources to Legislative Efforts

The Center is working with partners to support legislatively chartered efforts to grow use of modern wood heat in Maine. The Center is participating in a stakeholder group supporting the enactment of LD 1212 which directs Efficiency Maine, in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and Governor’s Energy Office, to work with representatives of the modern wood heating industry to study and make recommendations relating to the promotion and use of modern wood heating systems in the state. The goal of LD 1212 is to increase public awareness of modern wood heat and use of state rebate programs for residential and commercial installations.

To date, the Center has provided photography assets from the Feel Good Heat campaign to the committee for utilization within Efficiency Maine outreach materials. The committee has also succeeded in raising Efficiency Maine’s Thermal Energy Investment Program (TEIP) incentives from 35% to 45% of the cost of heating equipment and 10% to 20% for the installation of advanced emission controls or BTU meters. This change will help reduce the upfront cost of these advanced systems for commercial scale installations in school, municipal, and business settings. The cost of these systems is consistently cited as the largest barrier against installation among customers.

Learn more at feelgoodheat.org

Interested in using some of the campaign videos or images? Contact Kendall Gray at kgray@northernforest.org

Visit FeelGoodHeat.org

Staff Contact

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Joe Short

Vice President

Email

Cell: 603-491-2651

Photo of Kendall Gray.

Kendall Gray

Program Manager

Email

Cell: 443-841-5201