Wood Heat Campaign Enters New Phase

With rising oil prices top of mind, the Feel Good Heat campaign launched a new set of ads and content on the price stability of wood heat.

Dramatic spikes in energy bills in the last few months highlighted the volatility of relying on fossil fuels to heat homes. Based off recent data from Northern Forest states, homeowners could save $2,100 annually by switching from oil to wood pellets heating systems.

The Center has been championing the benefits of using wood heat instead of fossil fuels in our region since 2011 because wood heat is an important contributor to the Northern Forest economy, and it contributes less to greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels do. We facilitate the Feel Good Heat campaign to grow adoption of modern wood heat.

The newest animations highlight the strain high heating costs have on Northern Forest residents using the data collected.

The campaign also encourages consumers to think ahead to when it might be time to replace their fossil fuel heating system. While heating season doesn’t start for another season, oil prices are predicted to stay high and even if oil prices return to a palatable level, price stability is not guaranteed.

In the first five months of 2022 oil prices fluctuated 41%, a 31% increase from the previous year. Comparatively, the price of pellets over these past few years have remained stable, consistent with decades long-trend.

Thanks to state rebates and a 25% federal tax credit, automated wood pellet systems can cost about the same as their fossil fuel counterparts. Additionally, utilizing modern wood heat reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50% when compared to fossil fuels. While 78 cents of every fuel dollar leaves the region when heating with fossil fuels, wood heat alternatively provides for Northern Forest communities.

For more information on the modern wood heating options, visit feelgoodheat.org.