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Travis Industries and the HeatGreen Council's mission is
to further the public understanding and use of environmentally
responsible hearth products and
fuels as home heating sources.
Along with being a member of the HEATGREEN Council, Travis Industries, Inc. designs and manufactures incredible wood,
pellet and gas fireplaces, inserts and stoves, featuring the most amazing styles and cutting-edge technology available!
We manufacture under the brands Avalon, Lopi and Fireplace Xtrordinair. We're the largest privately-owned hearth manufacturer
in North America and have long been recognized as industry leaders in innovation, beauty and performance. All our products are
made right here in our factory in the U.S.A.
"Green can save you money"
That fact will ignite the interest of most consumers looking at stoves and fireplaces today. With the cost of
central methods of home heating continually on the rise, heating with a warm fire will do more than just save money.
And there are so many more advantages to hearth products!
The HeatGreen council is committed to helping all in our industry speak with unified voice about the green advantages of
our stoves and fireplaces. Our products focus on fuels that make a visible flame, and are good for the environment, while providing
ambiance and warmth. Too many people think all wood stoves smoke, pellet stoves are dirty and natural gas is imported!
They are surprised to learn our stoves and fireplaces have been tested to strict standards for efficiencies and we have a
rating system to compare each model's impact on the environment. Most of our products are a greener alternative to traditional
central systems and utilizing our rating system will help customers understand their differences.
There is not one fuel that is right for everyone:
Wood is sustainable and renewable. Burning wood does not leave a carbon footprint. EPA rated stoves and fireplaces reduce emissions
dramatically if burned correctly! Some people will have a ready supply of wood they enjoy gathering themselves, while others will
support the local economy buying from a local supplier. Wood does require space, and may not be the best choice in densely populated areas.
Pellets are a biomass fuel made from waste products from renewable sources. Pellet stoves and inserts can be controlled to burn only what
is needed to provide the required amount of heat. The transportation factor and reliance on electricity to operate dilute their status, and the number
of flames their hang tags will display, but they are certainly a viable choice for those who cannot handle wood but enjoy the penetrating heat from a “real” fire.
Natural gas is a very clean burning fuel and its convenience may be appreciated by those who have it available. It is relatively inexpensive,
is in abundance in North America and is not derived from fossil fuels or OPEC control. Indoor air quality is not compromised by dust, it operates
without electricity and is a very affordable option for those in urban areas.
Wood, pellet and gas, when burned in a stove or fireplace provide zonal heat! A greener home is one that uses less energy to create a
comfortable environment. Creating a warm zone with a flickering fire, while reducing our dependence on foreign oil, electricity, saving money.
The HeatGreen website is a valuable source of information about hearth appliances for professionals and consumers.
Take it upon yourself today to learn all you can about the advantages our products provide. Today’s consumer wants to be environmentally
friendly and we can help them accomplish that, plus add value to their home and save money keeping it warm too!
Just What Is a "Green" Hearth Product? A Definition...
There continues to be a basic question about green hearth products. The question is: What's a green hearth product? Some people think
that the answer must be very complex and requires non-industry experts to properly define it. Other people simply are not sure what one is.
Here's how our HeatGreen Council defines what a green hearth product is:
"A green hearth product provides environmental advantages over standard hearth products, or over central heating systems typically
installed in today's homes. These advantages include fuel renewability, sustainability, reduced carbon footprint and better efficiency.
This is a pretty straight forward definition. There are certainly a number of less important factors that can influence whether or not a
hearth product is green. All the factors are listed under The Rating System on our website www.heatgreen.org.
Should All Hearth Products be Green? The simple answer to this question is: Absolutely not.
There's a place for green hearth products and a place for entertaining hearth products. Some hearth products are very efficient and
others have beautiful flames and style. Many popular hearth products are a blend of both efficiency and good looks. The difficult part
in understanding the role of hearth products in homes is to understand they are a mixture of function (efficient heating) and entertainment.
It is as appropriate for a consumer to want a gas fireplace with great looks and low efficiency as it is for the same consumer to want a heated
garage or a huge home theater system.
The nice thing about hearth products is that there are a wide variety of choices. It's obvious to consumers which fireplaces are
the most entertaining with their huge flames, but not so obvious as to which fireplaces are green.
The important thing is that you choose the right product, whether it's primarily entertaining or it's very efficient and green.
In fact, the worst possible thing to do is purchase an inefficient fireplace with big flames to buying a small, efficient fireplace.
Hearth Products and the Green Controversy
Green hearth products can be controversial. It may seem obvious to most of us that wood and pellet stoves are green, but too many consumers have
not heard this news. They remember the smoke from old stoves and fireplaces and surmise wood to be a dirty fuel. Pellet stoves are still relatively
unknown to a vast number of homeowners and the advancements of that industry are an exciting story to tell when consumers are looking at our
products as alternative heat. You would think that by now, most everyone would accept the fact that our industry manufactures a wide variety
of hearth products that are obviously green. That doesn't seem to be the case.
During the last year we've had push backs from people about hearth products that are a little surprising.
Their comments can be summarized as follows: - There are not any green hearth products.
- Green hearth products are only those with a little better efficiency.
- We shouldn't promote green hearth products because it will look like greenwashing.
- Wood burning can't be green because small amounts of methane are released.
- Why do we need green hearth products?
- Only scientists can identify green hearth products.
Knowing the reality behind these statements will help dispel mis-informed opinions and place hearth products in the positive position they deserve. Here are the rebuttals; more information available on the website www.heatgreen.org.
- We don't have any green hearth products. We most certainly do have green hearth products! Many hearth products are green because they use sustainable fuel, use renewable fuel, use fuels that do not contribute to
global warming, or are more efficient than typical home heating systems.
- Green hearth products are only those with a little better efficiency. Some green hearth products are green because of many factors in addition to higher efficiency. Some use sustainable fuel, use renewable fuel and use
fuels that do not contribute to global warming. Heating products that use sustainable, renewable and non-global warming fuels are very environmentally friendly and very green.
- We shouldn't promote green hearth products because it will look like greenwashing. Greewashing is promoting of products using trivial or inaccurate claims. Green hearth products can be promoted honestly, using a number
of proven environmental advantages. This kind of promotion is not greenwashing.
- Wood burning in clean burning wood stoves can't be green because of methane is released. This kind of argument looks at one very small item and ignores everything else. Yes, wood stove emissions contain small amounts of
methane. However, there are huge environmental advantages of wood fuel being renewable, sustainable and non-global warming that must also be considered. Also, wood either burns or rots, nothing else. When wood is left to rot
or burn in forest fires, it produces more methane than when burned in a clean burning stove. So, the way to produce the least methane is to burn wood in a clean burning stove.
- Why do we need green hearth products? We need green hearth products because some consumers want green hearth products and the rapidly growing green home construction specifications require that only green hearth products
be used.
- Only scientists can identify green hearth products. This kind of argument against identifying green heart products simply uses a false premise. it's like saying only scientists can list cars that get the best gas mileage,
or only a scientist can be president because the president organizes scientific policy matters.
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