If you are in this category, there are many resources available to help you out.  One of the best we have found is DSIRE.

DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.  Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

With two easy ways to search for incentives in your area, this site is very user-friendly. 

Go to http://www.dsireusa.org/ and use one of the following two options to find incentives in your area:

1. Click on your state.  A list of incentives for your state will be brought up.
2. Click on the ‘Search DSIRE’ box and fill in the information that pertains to you and a list of the incentives available will be brought up.

 To find a WoodMaster dealer near you check out our dealer locator.

Calling around to different dealers in your area is always a good start.  However, if
you’re more interested in what actual owners of these furnaces have to say, check out some forums. Here are a few popular ones where you can find a lot of useful information:

Hearth.com
There are many different categories, a few with good wood stove information are The Boiler Room and The Hearth Room.

Forestry Forum
The best category on this board is Firewood and Wood Heating. You’ll be able to read a lot about what people think of the different brands out there.

To find a WoodMaster dealer near you check out our dealer locator.

Marc Spinale, owner of Grid Be Gone

Marc Spinale’s first venture with alternative energy began when he constructed his own solar panel at just seven years old.

Now, he’s started Grid be Gone, a company that sells products to help people become less dependent on the power grid—products that now include WoodMaster stoves.

“My vision is that all people can live in an energy-independent way, and my goal is to offer products and services to help people get there,” says Marc.

After launching Grid Be Gone in spring of 2011, Marc began researching a heating option that would fit his company’s niche. He found WoodMaster and has never looked back.

“With WoodMaster stoves, customers can burn a convenient pellet fuel or, if they live in a rural area, utilize the resources in their own backyard to generate their heat for free.”

Marc has been selling the WoodMaster Flex Fuel Series since July 2011 and plans to start carrying pellet furnaces, including the WoodMaster Force/Renovator Natural Energy heating systems, in the coming months.

Marc says he has had a lot of interest in the stoves so far. People are most excited by the fact that they can burn multiple fuels in the same stove and that they are made in the U.S., he says.

Besides being able to offer his customers a green product that helps lower their heating costs, for Marc, one of the greatest rewards of being a dealer is simply working with the folks at WoodMaster.

“They provide top-notch support to their dealers, and you know they’re standing behind their products,” says Marc. “Working with WoodMaster has allowed me to enter the industry with confidence.”

Grid Be Gone currently sells products through an online store and website, but in spring 2012, customers will be able to check out the stoves in person at his new retail store in downtown Peterborough, N.H.

Visit Grid Be Gone’s Facebook page to see pictures of Marc and his crew installing
WoodMaster stoves and stay updated on the latest energy-efficient trends.

WoodMaster booth at 2012 AHR Expo

The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Exposition (AHR Expo) blew into Chicago on Jan. 23 and provided big crowds, hot topics, and a plethora of new products.

The expo set an all-time attendance record with nearly 40,000 registered visitors at Chicago’s McCormick Place. The previous record for visitors was 38,534 in New York City in 2008. For the 2012 expo, when you add in the exhibitor personnel and other attendees, more than 58,000 HVACR professionals participated in the event.

The 2012 show was also the largest in terms of space as nearly 430,000 square feet of exhibit space was used for display.  That made the show 5% bigger than the 2006
Chicago show.

“We are delighted that we have established new all-time records for both the size of event and the best visitor attendance,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Co., which produces and manages the AHR Expo. “We hope this is an indication that the economy is on the upswing and will continue to approve.”

Stevens also attributed the new records to the many new energy-efficient technologies and products in the marketplace, as well as pent-up demand for new equipment.  In addition to seeing the new products that were on display at every turn, attendees spent a great deal of time at the show discussing news that broke as the industry as the industry was in Chicago. Recent developments with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considering a faster phase-out of HCFC’s got a lot of attention from contractors and manufacturers alike.

But the greatest amount of talk centered around the size of the expo and the number of new products being showcased.

A total of 1,968 exhibitors from 35 countries showcased their products and technologies, nearly tying the record of 1,989 companies that exhibited at the 2006 Chicago show.  In addition to the thousands of new products and technologies exhibited on the show floor, more than 100 educational sessions were offered by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and many other industry associations.

Eric Brannon, owner of Lawn Masters & More

Eric Brannon has been selling firewood for 15 years, but it wasn’t until spring 2011 that he began selling WoodMaster stoves. His reasoning for becoming a dealer? Good ol‘ competition.

“There’s only one person in the area who sells wood furnaces, and I decided he needed a little bit of competition,” says Eric, founder and owner of Lawn Masters & More in Athens, Ohio.

Lawn Masters & More is a contracting and construction landscape business, but they also distribute firewood, which Eric uses to supplement his income during the winter months. Selling wood stoves is a natural fit to accompany Eric’s firewood distribution, and the business the stoves bring in have helped further bridge gaps in his income.

Eric is currently selling all the WoodMaster outdoor wood burning furnaces, and his best-selling stove is the WoodMaster 4400. He has sold six in less than a year and says every customer has been pleased with their stove’s natural energy and ability to lower heating costs.

Eric runs his business on the tenet that home landscaping is an expression of your personal style, which is one of the reasons he said he chose to sell WoodMaster.

“The unit is pretty refined in looks, compared to others in the market,” says Eric. “If you are going to burn firewood for your main source of heat, then WoodMaster is a no-brainer for both energy efficiency and aesthetics.”

But don’t just take our word for it.

Derrick Bender, agricultural and natural resources educator at the University of Maryland Extension, is in the midst of a case study comparing the use of wood, wind and sun as alternative energy sources. In a recent article in the Cumberland Times, Bender said his in-progress case study has revealed a wood stove is the best investment of the three, hands-down.

If you’re looking to save both money and energy, the most reliable, renewable and affordable fuel may be in your own backyard.

Jason Osborn, owner of C & C Heating

That’s the motto of Jason Osborn, founder and owner of C & C Heating in Nokomis, Ill., and one of WoodMaster’s new dealers.

Jason has been in the heating and cooling business for 20 years and started selling WoodMaster stoves in October 2011.

“I’ve been really surprised at how it’s taken off,” says Jason. “I didn’t think we’d sell any stoves by the end of the year, but we sold nine.”

Jason is a WoodMaster newbie, but he’s no rookie to the wood stove industry. After installing stoves distributed by other companies for nine years, Jason decided C & C Heating might as well carry its own line of energy-efficient stoves. Jason currently sells all the WoodMaster stove models, and his best-selling model is the WoodMaster 4400.

“Selling WoodMaster gives us an advantage because we’re now the only heating and air company around that does everything, from selling the stove to installing and maintenance,” says Jason.

One of Jason’s business goals is to offer his customers affordable heating options, a mission in which WoodMaster’s energy-saving stoves fit perfectly. Jason’s customers benefit from lower heating costs, and C & C Heating profits from the increased business.

Jason says he always calls customers to see how they’re liking his products, and every customer that has purchased a WoodMaster stove has been more than pleased with their purchase.

“Everyone loves them and most people wish they would have done it years ago,” he says.

The best thing about being a WoodMaster dealer? The inside edge it gives his company, says Jason.

“If you don’t do something different than everyone else, you don’t stand out. Selling WoodMaster has helped us quite a bit because we offer things that other heating and air companies don’t,” says Jason. “I couldn’t ask for anything better in the stoves.”

Jonathan Wells, part-owner of Wells Contracting

When WoodMaster dealer Jonathan Wells’ first batch of furnaces were delivered, the first thing he did was put one in his own house.

“As far as I’m concerned, WoodMaster has one of the best wood-burning products out there, and I’ve looked at a lot of them,” says Jonathan. “I figured if I’m going to sell them, I ought to have one.”

Jonathan and his brother, Brian Wells, began selling WoodMaster furnaces one month ago as an experiment in supplementing his family-owned contracting business during the slower, winter months. So far, he’s sold ten WoodMaster furnaces and says it’s been “going without a hitch.”

Jonathan, part-owner of Wells Contracting in Murphy, N.C., currently sells WoodMaster wood furnace models, including the WoodMaster 4400; however, his eventual goal, as long as there is demand, is to carry all WoodMaster products.

“We’re open to selling every item WoodMaster offers, including the pellet furnaces and bioenergy flex fuel furnaces,” says Jonathan, explaining he and Wells Contracting staff have plans to travel to WoodMaster headquarters in Red Lake Falls, Minn., for training on other WoodMaster products.

Jonathan has sold furnaces to people of all ages, from people in their 20s to people in their 70s. With his sales of wood-burning WoodMaster furnaces already thriving, he is considering investing in a wood processor to sell wood along with the stoves. 

One of WoodMaster’s main benefits, says Jonathan, is “person-friendly heat.”

“You get the benefit of burning wood without the mess—there’s no dust or ashes, so it’s good for people with allergies,” explains Jonathan.

As a business owner, Jonathan says his job description is simple: “to make sure the customer is pleased, regardless of whether I make money on the project. We take pride in our work and go the extra mile to make someone happy.”

Jonathan says all of his WoodMaster customers have been overly surprised with the product’s efficiency.

“I like to see people smile when they crank it up and see how great it works,” says Jonathan. “They knew it was going to work well, but they didn’t know it would work this well.”

With “customers calling all the time to tell him how they love the system,” it’s safe to say that selling WoodMaster products fits right in with Jonathan’s job description.

Though, consumers are often deceived with negative sales approaches and misleading information.

For a number of years, a report titled “Energy Industry Comparison Report: Outdoor Wood Furnaces—a Comparison of the Top 10 Manufacturers” has made its way around the Internet. The fine print at the bottom of each page states, “For more information on this publication, contact the Pentwater Group, LLC at info@pentwatergroup.com.” In a recent report, this contact information was changed to Energy Research and Analytics.

A word of caution

In order for you to make a fully informed decision, I want to share a word of caution with you.

I have searched and reached out to this group and cannot find any information regarding their validity. I have been unsuccessful in trying to email their stated email address. It comes back undeliverable. I can only find one source for this report, and it is a manufacturer of one of these products. So, in turn, I emailed this company, since they seem to be the only ones who have the report, and requested data to back the findings and statements within. I have tried a minimum of three times to no avail. I would like to know, who the “Energy Industry” is, who the “Energy Research and Analytics Group” is and who commissioned this report? In my opinion, this is a biased report that has no data to back what they are saying. It seems to be solely speculation and opinion.

Customers deserve to know the truth

We care about customers, and we don’t want them to be misled. Of course each company is going to give its best sales pitch as to why its product is the right choice. That’s part of the process. And we welcome that challenge. However, releasing false information disguised to be from an unbiased, professional-sounding third party is another story.

I suggest consumers research the companies’ past performance, product longevity, customer testimonials, company reputation and future outlook.

Here are some questions to consider:

• Has the company responded to new EPA rulings?
• Does the company research and develop new and enhanced products to secure its future in the industry?
• Will the company be here for the long-term to back what it sells?

WoodMaster warns, “Do your homework”

We encourage you to compare our products with others. Our business model is very customer- and technology-focused. We are passionate about what we do and about our quality products. If you ever have any comments or questions for us or about the industry, please ask (or simply comment here)!

Oil prices have continued to increase in the Northeast, even more so than previous years. This year’s 33-cent price jump brings the cost of oil to $3.71/gallon.

Many consumers are thinking the same thing and primarily switching to gas. But switching from oil to gas doesn’t solve the underlying problem—prices are skyrocketing because we’re depending on limited, nonrenewable resources, where the price is controlled by someone other than us.

Currently, only four percent of the Northeast’s thermal energy comes from renewable, American-grown resources, like wood. Why such a low number?

Clearly there’s room and reason for change. WoodMaster has implemented some ways to help lower the cost of making the switch. Read about WoodMaster’s surprising affordability. Individual states are also offering many incentive programs for renewable heating, further helping to lower the cost of change.

An added benefit of growing the wood thermal heat market in the Northeast is the creation of new jobs. The Biomass Thermal Energy Council estimates over 140,000 jobs could be created as a result of a 25% penetration in the Northeast.

Steadily increasing oil and gas prices will eventually force everyone to make the switch to alternative, renewable energy sources. Why not stay ahead of the curve, enjoy some serious ROI on your heating investment and become energy independent now?