U.S. homeowners can get a 30 percent tax credit of up to $1,500 for purchasing a qualifying wood stove, fireplace or fireplace insert before Dec. 31, 2010. The tax credit also applies to pellet stoves and inserts.

Many people have discovered the benefits to heating all or part of their home with wood, particularly if they have access to free or inexpensive cord wood. “Financial benefits are derived for years to come with significantly reduced heating costs,” said Karen Smeltz, brand manager for Hearth & Home Technologies, maker of Quadra-Fire and Harman stoves. “Burning wood in a high efficiency stove also has environmental benefits. In addition to producing low air particulate matter, it is considered carbon neutral since the same amount of carbon is released into the air when burnt as during the growing and decomposition process in the forest.”

In a brief two minute video, Smeltz explains the benefits of heating with wood, including technical advancements that make today’s wood stoves much more efficient than the stoves of the past. Click to see the video: benefits of heating with wood.

Harman and Quadra-Fire EPA-certified wood stoves, fireplaces and fireplace inserts are up to 85-percent efficient, producing more heat with less wood to provide warmth and comfort for many hours. They are clean-burning with minimal ash and outside air emissions. Great efficiencies are attained through high temperatures, ample oxygen and sufficient burning of gases. This system also greatly reduces the accumulation of creosote, a flammable chimney residue.

“All of our wood models qualify for the tax credit,” said Smeltz. “With multiple designs and styles to choose from, Harman and Quadra-Fire stoves feature the most advanced technologies for heat efficiency and are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.”

Wood stoves and fireplace inserts are perfect for homeowners who want to live green and also enjoy the crackling sounds and flickering flames of burning wood. For more information about the tax credit, visit www.fireplaces.com.

About Hearth & Home Technologies Inc.
Hearth & Home Technologies is the world’s leading provider of whole hearth systems including fireplaces, stoves and inserts, as well as furnaces that utilize biomass fuels. Its family of brands includes Harman?, Heatilator®, Heat & Glo®, Quadra-Fire® and Fireside Hearth & Home® retail stores and builder design centers. The company offers a wide variety of energy efficient and environmentally sustainable hearth products, which are manufactured, packaged and delivered with respect for the environment. Hearth & Home Technologies is a subsidiary of HNI Corporation, the second largest office furniture manufacturer in the United States. More information can be found at www.hearthnhome.com.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/10/29/prwebprweb4722994.DTL#ixzz14nroQwtY

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Tax Credit Allows Homeowners to Stay Warm and Save Cold Cash On Lennox Hearth Products

Up to $1,500 now available for purchase, installation of energy-efficient wood and pellet Stoves, fireplaces or fireplace inserts

Orange, CA (Vocus/PRWEB ) February 2, 2010 — Providing taxpayers with incentives to make homes more energy efficient is a key portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the federal government recently issued clarifying guidelines on how the legislation affects homeowners who purchase a 75 percent efficient wood- or pellet-burning stove, fireplace or fireplace insert. When homeowners purchase and install qualifying hearth products during 2009 and/or 2010, including many from Lennox Hearth products, they can receive a 30 percent tax credit for costs incurred, up to $1,500.

Energy efficiency is a key component of the Stimulus Plan, as it provides incentives to homeowners who purchase high-efficiency, alternative energy heating sources such as wood or pellet stoves and fireplace inserts. These products provide potential energy savings to the American homeowners while also benefiting the environment

The fireplaces, stoves and inserts available today are definitely not your grandpa’s wood stove
When you add the tax credit on top of cleaner emissions, increased efficiency, the opportunity to zone heat your home and the desirability of using renewable fuels to reduce your carbon footprint, it just makes good sense for homeowners to consider the benefits of investing in a wood or pellet heating products

“Energy efficiency is a key component of the Stimulus Plan, as it provides incentives to homeowners who purchase high-efficiency, alternative energy heating sources such as wood or pellet stoves and fireplace inserts. These products provide potential energy savings to the American homeowners while also benefiting the environment,” said Wendy Howells, vice president and general manager of Lennox Hearth Products (LHP). “Wood- and pellet-burning stoves, fireplaces and inserts are cost effective and can help homeowners utilize zone heating to further save on their home-heating costs. A good example of zone heating is when a stove is used to heat the kitchen and great room during the day. Then rooms such as formal living rooms, dinning rooms and bedrooms, which families use less frequently during that time, can be maintained at lower temperatures, saving money.”

Wood and pellet stoves offer additional environmental benefits as a home-heating option since the fuel sources they use are renewable, as opposed to natural gas, oil, propane or electricity. The new legislation means homeowners who are dedicated to living in a way that reduces their environmental impact are now being rewarded with a significant tax credit to help their efforts.

“The fireplaces, stoves and inserts available today are definitely not your grandpa’s wood stove,” said Howells. “Lennox Hearth Products has more than 20 different models that qualify for the tax credit and they complement virtually any home interior, from traditional to contemporary to rustic.

“When you add the tax credit on top of cleaner emissions, increased efficiency, the opportunity to zone heat your home and the desirability of using renewable fuels to reduce your carbon footprint, it just makes good sense for homeowners to consider the benefits of investing in a wood or pellet heating products,” added Howells.

An Official Manufacturer’s Certificate, which homeowners can use when preparing tax returns, is available to customers at www.lennoxhearthproducts.com. While neither the certificate nor a product sales receipt is required for submission to the government, homeowners are encouraged to retain both for their tax records.

About Lennox Hearth Products:
Offering a diverse family of products for every style and budget, Lennox Hearth Products (LHP) is a leading manufacturer of indoor and outdoor fireplaces, fireplace inserts, free-standing stoves, gas log sets, accessories and venting products for the specialty retail, residential new construction and industrial markets. LHP, based in Orange, California, is a business unit of Lennox International Inc. (NYSE: LII). Through its subsidiaries, LII is a global leader in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration markets. More information about LHP can be found at www.lennox.com.

Source: PRWeb

Information on Wood Fireplace Inserts

Technorati Tags: government incentives, tax credit