PFI’s original pellet fuel standards were developed in the 1990s to help bring consistency to pellet fuel for an improved consumer experience. Those first standards were quickly adopted by manufacturers within and outside the Pellet Fuels Institute; however, over time it became apparent that these standards lacked key components. Fourteen years later, as the conversion to pellet heat has grown, it is clear that new standards for the industry need to be put in place.
To that end, earlier this year PFI launched an improved standards and quality management program for the industry. The information below outlines what consumers can expect in the upcoming months as the program continues to develop.
1. Usage of New Material. With the changes in the industry in the last few years within the housing market and the closing of numerous saw mills, pellet producers have been looking to other resources, including round wood, for the production of pellets. While round wood has proved to be a reliable resource, its use will likely change the final composition of a pellet, including changes in measurements, ash content and BTUs.
2. Truth in Labeling. Consumers continue to become more and more educated about the industry, which further increases our responsibility to provide detailed and accurate labeling. As it stands now, there is no requirement for manufacturers to include content information on pellet bags. With the new standards program, participating manufacturers must label their bag with accurate information that reflects the testing of their products.
3. Testing. Participants in the standards program must have their fuel tested by a participating testing lab every 1,000 tons. PFI has contracted with Twin Ports Testing to analyze the blind data from these tests to determine if the parameters that categorize each fuel grade are in line with what is being produced in the industry. This testing period will last for one year and then be followed by an extended analysis by the PFI Standards Committee to determine if the original program parameters need to be amended.
4. PFI Registered Fuel. Those companies participating in the standards program will be utilizing an interim label which states that they are registered in the standards program. After the year of data collection, the participating company will receive an official certification mark that reflects what is contained in the bag. PFI members not participating in the program may continue to affix a PFI label to their bags stating membership within PFI.
As a consumer, PFI member and/or program participant, you are urged to contact PFI if you have any questions or comments about the program.We are proud to announce that the Pellet Fuels Institute’s Standards Program is now open for registration. Registration is open to both PFI members as well as non-members.
To register for PFI's Standards Program, Please click here.
Participating Mills
Anderson Hardwood Pellets
Curran Renewable Energy
Marth
Nature's Pellets
Intertek
MVTL Laboratories, Inc.
Timber Products Inspection
Twin Ports Testing
Wood Science and Technology Centre,
University of New Brunswick
Question/Answer Resources and FAQs
PFI staff can be reached at 703-522-6778 or questions emailed to hedrick@pelletheat.org.
To handle technical questions, PFI has contracted with Twin Ports Testing, Inc. (TPT). TPT will answer technical questions regarding PFI’s QA/QC program, notify production facilities of deficiencies found in their quality control programs during the registration review process and work with them to make the necessary corrections. TPT staff can be reached at 715-392-7114 or questions emailed to chris.wiberg@twinportstesting.com.
Since we anticipate that numerous organizations will likely have the same questions, we are using the forum located on TPT’s website to post FAQs and program resources. Questions can be asked and answered through the forum as well. TPT’s forum can be found at the following link:
http://twinportstesting.com/forum/