Pellet boilers now classified as conventional heating source

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Anna Austin March 06, 2012

Wood pellet boilers are now classified as a conventional, primary heating source, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and consequently will now qualify for Federal Housing Authority Funding. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shawn Donovan announced the news March 1.

The announcement came after a request from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, for HUD to take another look at the issue, because families in Maine are facing major financial burdens from high oil prices and cut backs in fuel assistance programs. “Maine is the most heavily dependent of any state in the nation on home heating oil, and when you see the spikes in oil prices that we’ve seen this year, and the cut backs in the low income heating assistance program, it is causing tremendous hardship for so many of our families in Maine,” she said. “It’s also very difficult because Maine has the oldest housing stock in the nation, and thus, there are a lot of homes that are poorly insulated and would benefit from weatherization projects, and that’s something we ought to invest more in, as well.”

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