Fall Home Improvement 2013
Agency installs wood pellet boiler in time for winter
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
ASHLAND — The days may be getting colder but staff and visitors to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s northern region headquarters, located in Ashland, won’t have any trouble staying warm, thanks to a grant received earlier this year that was used to install a wood pellet boiler at the facility.
“It’s important to understand this is one piece of a bigger puzzle we’ve been working on since 2009. It’s made a huge difference in Maine job creation,” said Regional Forest Ranger William Greaves.
The grant was for $39,000, which covered the price of the boiler, its installation and other expenses.
Greaves said the boiler enabled the department to shift from oil dependence to using biofuel.
“This was a big event for us. We’d talked about going with wood or pellets, but without this assistance, we wouldn’t have been able to transition as soon,” he said.
According to Greaves, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, through the USDA Forest Service, received a Wood to Energy Grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“A portion of this money was used to install a wood pellet boiler at the northern region facility in Ashland,” Greaves said.
“This new boiler will immediately save 41 percent of the heating costs for this facility. Six different AC&F agencies will benefit from this biofuel project, creating a taxpayer savings for many years to come. In addition, 100 percent of the dollars spent on energy costs will be sent directly to our economy in an effort to maintain and create local jobs,” said Greaves.
He said the project has even more meaning, given the Forest Service’s efforts to promote the forest industry.
“This is a big part of what we do — show support for the forest products industry. This creates another market/niche for them. It also saves tax dollars, while promoting the forest industry,” said Greaves.
Greaves said this isn’t the first time his agency has used pellets for a heating source.
“The first pellet boiler was installed in 2007; it was a residential boiler installed in our Masardis location. It reduced heating costs right out of the gate,” said Greaves, who estimated a savings the first year of about $800 using the pellet stove.
The system — Maine Energy System’s AutoPellet — was purchased through Daigle Oil Company through the Maine Energy System. The boiler is an auto-feed system. When pellets are delivered, they’re dumped directly into a bin. The machine then feeds the pellets into the boiler as needed. Other than periodic checks on the system, no staff has to be on hand to keep the boiler operating.
“The six agencies in the building will save over $4,000 a year in heating costs,” said Greaves. “That $4,000 may seem like a small amount but for our agency it may mean the difference between keeping a position and losing one.”
Greaves said not only will the department save on its heating costs, what is spent will stay in the local economy.
“We worked with DOC to install the boiler; pellets will be bought through our contract with Daigle (where the state had a contract for oil as well), and originate here in Ashland at Northeast Pellets. Money spent will continue to help the local economy and help keep local people employed,” said Greaves. “The system’s working great. We’ll have no problem staying warm this winter.”
