Requirements for $5000 rebate in Maine... apparently you DON'T need 2 weeks of storage if you keep your back up system in place (oil/propane).
Biomass heating systems
are fueled by pellets of sawdust, wood products, and other biomass materials pressed into manageable shapes and sizes.
1. The system must include a bulk fill system that would provide continuous heat without human intervention for 2 weeks (estimated at 1 ton pellet capacity), or have a permanently
installed back-up heating system (electric, oil, natural gas) that provides continuous heat to the home if the biomass heating system runs out of pellets,
and
2. The new system or existing back-up system (when one exists) must provide heat in areas of plumbing, which will maintain the temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time (2 weeks or longer) without human intervention,
and
3. Meet applicable Federal, state, and local requirements, including but not limited to emissions limits, nuisance limits, and siting limits,
and
4. The property appraisal (if required by the PowerSaver program) must reflect that the heating system has market acceptance within the subject’s marketplace,
and
5. The system relies upon a fuel source which is readily obtainable within the subject’s geographic area.
Biomass Furnaces or Boilers:
To meet PowerSaver energy efficient standards, biomass furnaces or boilers must be:
1. Listed as a White Tag pellet model on EPA’s List of Qualified Cleaner Hydronic Heaters at
http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/owhhlist.html.This ensures that these heaters have been tested by an EPA accredited laboratory using test method M28 WHH
*, and reviewed and qualified by EPA,
or
2. A European biomass boiler that has been certified under EN 303-5 1999, Class 3
*, or higher, as evidence by the European certifying agency's compliance label attached to the unit,
and
*
Note: Efficiencies calculated using European method EN 303-5 test method are not comparable to EPA's M28 WHH efficiencies. EN 303-5 calculates efficiencies based on maximum outputs whereas M28 WHH represents the efficiency of a boiler over the entire heating year. HUD reserves the right to revise the eligibility of all biomass heating types, or modify the minimum standards to newer standards, based on its consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and others.
3. Installed according to the manufacturer's recommendations including but not limited to chimney height, proximity to other structures, sizing, and proper thermal storage. This applies to both White Tag and EN 303-5 boilers,
and
4. Aligned with EPA requirements for a certification of the destruction of the old wood-burning hydronic heater when the new hydronic heater will replace an existing hydronic heater that does not meet standards described in the all bullets above.
Note: HUD does not require destruction when existing unit will be kept to provide back-up heat in order to maintain home heat at minimum 50 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time.