January 6, 2017

In this Week's Pellet Wire:


Register for Breakfast & Biomass at HPB Expo 2017 in Atlanta, GA

The Hearth Patio & Barbecue Expo 2017 is approaching quickly! The annual event is taking place this year March 2-4 in Atlanta, GA, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

As in years past, PFI will be holding Breakfast & Biomass on Friday, March 3, at 7:30am. Don't miss the chance to network with fellow pellet fuels producers as well as stove manufacturers, retailers, suppliers and others involved in the pellet fuels industry.

Have breakfast and talk biomass with us at the HPB Expo. Registration is open for the $35 event, and is available on the Expo registration webpage.

If you have ideas for topics you'd like to see addressed at Breakfast & Biomass, please contact Carrie Annand at [email protected]



PFI Standards Program: Reminder of Marketing Materials

As consumers and retailers focus on pellet purchases for the 2016-2017 winter season, we want to remind PFI members of the resources available to you to help you communicate about the PFI Standards Program and what it means for buyers.

One pager on the Standards Program: Our informational handout on the PFI Standards Program explains the program and its implications for pellet producers, retailers and stove manufacturers. It also lists the companies that have been qualified for the program, along with their websites.

One pager on the symbols found on pellet bags: We have created a one pager specifically explaining the various PFI logos and marks found on bags of pellets. It helps retailers distinguish the PFI Standards Program Quality Mark from other commonly used symbols. This handout is also ideal for printing off and distributing to customers or posting in a store.

Materials for members of the program: For qualified companies, we have created a marketing kit with suggested language for ensuring that customers and retailers are aware of your company's acceptance into the program and what it means. It also includes suggested language for websites.

If you are interested in receiving any of these materials, please contact Carrie Annand at [email protected]. If you are interested in joining the program, first step is to visit PFI's Standards Program web pages to identify an accredited auditing agency. The agency will help you come up with a Quality Control manual and get you on the path to joining the program.


2017 PFI Sponsorship & Advertising Opportunities 

PFI invites you to become a 2017 sponsor! This year, we have developed a new, streamlined sponsorship program that will create multiple opportunities for your company in 2017. Your company will have great visibility at PFI events, on the PFI website, and in the PFI newsletter, amongst other benefits.

The 2017 Sponsorship packages include benefits such as:

  • PFI Annual Conference registrations
  • Breakfast & Biomass registrations
  • Company logo listed on the PFI website
  • 10x10 booth at the PFI Annual Conference
  • Weekly newsletter advertising
  • Website advertising
  • And more!

PFI's membership includes over 100 member companies, and our electronic newsletter is sent to over 3,500 people every week. Now is the time to become a sponsor of this organization. Visit our website to explore how you can become involved.


Follow and Connect With Us on Social Media!

We urge all PFI members to engage with us on social media. By joining PFI in being visible and active on social media, we can make our voices heard more loudly and by many more audiences.

Follow us on Twitter: @PelletFuel
Friend us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pfipellets
Link with us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pellet-fuels-institute


Have News to Share on Pellet Wire?

We'd love to feature your company's news in a future Pellet Wire! We want to be the first to know your company's recent developments to share them with the wider pellet fuels industry.

Please be in touch with Carrie Annand at [email protected] with information on your company's growth, job openings, promotions or other news. 


Join a PFI Committee

We welcome and encourage all interested PFI members to get involved in our committees. There are many opportunities to help steer the association. No matter where your expertise and interests lie, we have a committee that will suit you. Help us plan our next conference, shape our policy agenda, lead communications outreach or grow the PFI Standards Program. Visit PFI's website for more information.


 


Upcoming Industry Events 

March 3, 2017: PFI Breakfast & Biomass

July 23-25, 2017: PFI Annual Conference

Connect with PFI

PFI Newsletter
PelletHeat.org
Facebook
Twitter
Join PFI


Fuel Availability

Are you a PFI member pellet manufacturer or distributor that has fuel available? Email [email protected] to have your listing updated or added to the PFI website.


Industry News

Wood is Great: The Elevator Pitch
Biomass Magazine
The world can often seem too complicated for its own good. It's a big reason some people, such as I, live in a rural place, where things are simpler to some degree.

Through this lens, I sort of hate having to write columns periodically on why burning wood for heat is good, because of course it's good. We all know this. I don't have to tell you that cutting your own firewood, or buying a load of logs from the local logger, or a pallet of pellets that were produced in the same region, and using that fuel to keep your family warm is a million times better than buying an imported fossil fuel product. You already know that the new wood chip boiler in your local public school has saved the taxpayers in your region hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Read the Full Article


Interest Grows in Wood-Based Biomass
Energy Manager Today
Wood-based biomass is making inroads. The projects are not on a large and dramatic scale, but collectively bring the benefits of the approach to many people - and make it something about which energy managers must be familiar.

A good example is the Berlin Memorial School in Berlin, MA. The Telegram reports that the town's fire department will visit installations similar to the one it plans in order to educate itself.

Read the Full Article


Powered by Pellets, Local Energy Company Bolsters Local Economy
Massachusetts Valley News
When Morton Bailey started his company, Lyme Green Heat, nearly a decade ago, oil prices were high and wood-pellet fuel was dramatically cheaper. It made wood-pellet stoves a pretty attractive heating option for Upper Valley homeowners, and Bailey's business selling bagged wood-pellet fuel grew steadily throughout the region.

But when oil prices started plummeting a couple of years ago, he said, it left everyone in the solid-fuel industry scratching their heads about how to succeed when they'd lost one of their greatest selling points.

Read the Full Article

 

Pellet Fuels Institute |  [email protected]   | 206.209.5277