In 2012 the price of #2 fuel oil in upstate New York was approaching a previously unheard of $4 per gallon. This spurred many pending heating system projects to consider the use of cordwood or wood pellets.
NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research & Development Authority) committed several million dollars to a program to promote high-efficiency/low emissions (e.g., HELE) wood-burning boilers (eg. cordwood gasification boilers with storage, and pellet-fuel boilers).