Which stove companies can you trust?

Ok, but why would the alliance for green heat heat mislead about efficiency.. I am sure independent testing is not cheap. but I always questioned stove companies that say 2 cubic foot stove can heat up to 1800 square feet... Where Miami..

 

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/certifiedwood.pdf

Or down load the attachment.

 

I was just about to post the link to the EPA list of certified stoves. That is what we used to compare a stove's efficiency to claims on manufacturers sites. The EPA only posts HHV efficiencies provided by approved third party labs. Most manufacturers post LHV (European) numbers, which will be 5 - 8 points above the HHV numbers that are commonly used in the US, but we only called out the stove models that had efficiency figures that were 15 - 30 points higher than their actual efficiency tested by a third party lab.

We just got a company to remove a claim of 99% efficiency and have been in pretty regular touch with a rep from HHT, which owns lots of companies with various exaggerated efficiency claims. But in terms of "trust" there are lots of things that are as or more important that efficiency numbers. First, honoring a warranty and making products that don't need repair for many years is most important. Being able to trust the person who installs or repairs a device is key. The one thing that a group like us can objectively assess is what a company puts on its website and if they make outlandish claims, like lots of outdoor boiler makers used to. Our goal is to have a more level playing field so that the companies that honestly report their efficiencies don't look like they are making less efficient stoves. These companies that misrepresent things end up undercutting some of the best stove makers in the country.

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback. We enjoyed reading all the comments. Here is a link to the original piece, which we will update periodically: Heated Up!: Wood and pellet stove companies that you can trust – and those you can’t.

And here is a link to a similar article that just looks at what companies are posting actual, verified efficiencies on the list of EPA certified stoves, even if they don't provide those same numbers on their websites to their consumers: Heated Up!: A Review of Wood and Pellet Stove Efficiency Ratings; More Manufacturers Posting Verified Efficiencies.

And if you want to get a monthly, free newsletter about issues like this, sign up for our newsletter: The Alliance for Green Heat - Email Sign-up - Sustainable, Local and Affordable Heating

Best,

John Ackerly
Alliance for Green Heat

 

Thanks, HD1
Very interesting page

Hopefully Grizzly Adam or one of the mods can post it up as a resource

and maybe indicate its potential informational value/shortcomings in a way that people can understand it

 

Welcome to the site , Mr Ackerly
and thank you for all you have done for the industry

 

I have bookmarked this thread. Will read all the info later and should be able to make this a reasource.

 

Thank you Grizzly Adam

 

Thanks guys. I didn't even know about this site until recently, but glad to see lots of folks on it. Is there any relation to hearth.com, or is the format similar just becuase it uses same program?

 

We both use Xenforo software, so does arborist site.

 

Welcome to the forum John Ackerly Glad to have you aboard

 

Nice to have you here. Put your feet up, and sit a spell. We all like to learn while we chat and have some fun.