The Pellet Fuels Institute held a December 2012 fly-in trip to Washington, D.C., to fight for a biomass heating tax incentive, and those efforts have paid off. Included in the fiscal cliff tax deal was the stove tax credit, which provides a tax credit of 10 percent up to $300 for the purchase of any biomass burning appliance, including pellet stoves. The credit lasts through 2013 and is retroactive through 2012.
Jennifer Hedrick, executive director of the PFI, said that although it may be difficult to judge a single incentive such as this one, PFI thinks that it will have a positive impact on fuel and stove sales.
PFI is also working with other trade groups, the Biomass Thermal Energy Council, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association and other companies within the industry to encourage the Energy Information Administration to expand coverage of residential biomass usage in their energy reports.