Heating alternative offered locally (printed Nov. 30, 2007)
By Stowell P. Watters
Staff Writer
Maine has a heating problem. According to a Maine Office of Energy Independence and Security (OEIS) study of average statewide oil prices, the price of No. 2 heating oil— as of Nov. 5, 2007 — is 89 cents higher than it was this month last year and is, on average, higher than it has ever been in years past. In fact, the price rose by 23 cents from September to November this year. The price of crude oil, according to OEIS, averages $90 per barrel.
In addition, the OEIS certified 80 percent of Maine homes are heated by oil during the winter. The average cost for 275 gallows on oil (the average household tank size) in Maine is $755, an epic figure considering the fact that this state is generally regarded as the poorest in the Northeast.
According to Agra-Energy of Maine, LCC (www.agraenenergiesofmaine.com), the energy a household can draw to from one tank of oil is equivalent to that produced by burning $513 worth of corn kernels or $450 worth of wood pellets. The advantage, said Andrea Brann at Agra-Energy, lies not only in the price.
“These sources of energy are also completely renewable,” Brann said.
Mark Norwood is the owner of Evergreen Heat (evergreenheat.com), a company based in his Old Orchard Beach home that sells the special incinerating stoves used for burning the corn kernels and wood pellets. He also sells the fuels. His idea is to keep Maine heating issues in check by getting people off of their dependency on oil and bringing back this relatively old heating concept.
“In Europe you have to have one of these heating systems, pot-bellied stove are a thing of the past, and they have been doing this for years. The trend is just starting to come back in America as a result of the global economy,” Norwood said. “As people become more educated they seek out these kinds of opportunities; cheaper, more environmentally friendly energy sources.”
In the past, Norwood said, oil prices were low enough for families to easily purchase. He recalled a time when gas was lower than 80 cents a gallon.
“But times have changes, oil is a luxury now, it is time for people to come to grips with the impending catastrophe of a global climate change,” Norwood said.
Wood pellets come in two different varieties, hardwood and soft, and because they are made under extreme stress and pressure they have a moisture content of about three to four percent. Corn kernels are similar but because they are much less dense it takes more corn to produce the same amount of heat produced by the pellets; Norwood recommends mixing the two in equal proportions, and using that as a fuel in his stoves.
Because both mediums have similar moisture content, they burn cleaner, producing little to no visible smoke and ash. Even the driest firewood, Norwood said, still has a moisture content of about 20 percent, and produces a plume of smoke and ash.
“Pellet and kernel burning is carbon neutral, they do not produce any more carbon when burned than they would if they were to rot naturally,” Norwood said.
Solar energy, while providing a completely clean and free energy source, requires a substantial initial investment as the whole house receiving the system must be up to snuff.
“The house has to have thick walls to hold the heat, has to be built in the right location, the roof has to face the sun at the proper angle — a lot of money goes into it,” Norwood said. “You are looking at a house that costs 15 to 20 percent more than your average home.”
However, solar users also receive a $2,000 write-off when they file with their power company and the state, according to OEIS. Norwood would like to see some incentive for the pellet and kernel systems in the form of tax breaks or write-offs.
A wood pellet burning system is not cheap, it can cost up to $10,000 for the incinerator an installation, but Norwood said the investment begins to pay off in about five years time.
“The bottom line is this energy source is renewable, reliable, easy on the environment and cost effective,” Norwood said.
Dexter Merrit is the owner of Green Mountain Transplants, an agriculture store in Arundel. His 10,000 square-foot store is heated by a single pellet-burning furnace, for display in the middle of the store.
“We are very proud of it, we used to have gas burners but the bills were getting worse and worse,” Merrit said.
This will be the third winter the store has solely relied on the pellet-burning unit for heat. Merrit said, judging from past winters, he has absolute confidence in the system.
“It works very well, very little ash and smoke,” he said.
In addition to alternative heating sources there are simple things Mainers can do to avoid the winter heating blues. The OEIS has created Operation keepMEwarm, a program that offers energy saving tips as well as reduced cost heating solutions.
Their suggestions include installing storm windows (a savings of $149 a year), closing unused rooms ($85 yearly savings) and installing faucet flow-restrictors and low-flow showers ($126 a year). For more tips, keepMEwarm can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 on any Maine landline.
Staff Writer
Maine has a heating problem. According to a Maine Office of Energy Independence and Security (OEIS) study of average statewide oil prices, the price of No. 2 heating oil— as of Nov. 5, 2007 — is 89 cents higher than it was this month last year and is, on average, higher than it has ever been in years past. In fact, the price rose by 23 cents from September to November this year. The price of crude oil, according to OEIS, averages $90 per barrel.
In addition, the OEIS certified 80 percent of Maine homes are heated by oil during the winter. The average cost for 275 gallows on oil (the average household tank size) in Maine is $755, an epic figure considering the fact that this state is generally regarded as the poorest in the Northeast.
According to Agra-Energy of Maine, LCC (www.agraenenergiesofmaine.com), the energy a household can draw to from one tank of oil is equivalent to that produced by burning $513 worth of corn kernels or $450 worth of wood pellets. The advantage, said Andrea Brann at Agra-Energy, lies not only in the price.
“These sources of energy are also completely renewable,” Brann said.
Mark Norwood is the owner of Evergreen Heat (evergreenheat.com), a company based in his Old Orchard Beach home that sells the special incinerating stoves used for burning the corn kernels and wood pellets. He also sells the fuels. His idea is to keep Maine heating issues in check by getting people off of their dependency on oil and bringing back this relatively old heating concept.
“In Europe you have to have one of these heating systems, pot-bellied stove are a thing of the past, and they have been doing this for years. The trend is just starting to come back in America as a result of the global economy,” Norwood said. “As people become more educated they seek out these kinds of opportunities; cheaper, more environmentally friendly energy sources.”
In the past, Norwood said, oil prices were low enough for families to easily purchase. He recalled a time when gas was lower than 80 cents a gallon.
“But times have changes, oil is a luxury now, it is time for people to come to grips with the impending catastrophe of a global climate change,” Norwood said.
Wood pellets come in two different varieties, hardwood and soft, and because they are made under extreme stress and pressure they have a moisture content of about three to four percent. Corn kernels are similar but because they are much less dense it takes more corn to produce the same amount of heat produced by the pellets; Norwood recommends mixing the two in equal proportions, and using that as a fuel in his stoves.
Because both mediums have similar moisture content, they burn cleaner, producing little to no visible smoke and ash. Even the driest firewood, Norwood said, still has a moisture content of about 20 percent, and produces a plume of smoke and ash.
“Pellet and kernel burning is carbon neutral, they do not produce any more carbon when burned than they would if they were to rot naturally,” Norwood said.
Solar energy, while providing a completely clean and free energy source, requires a substantial initial investment as the whole house receiving the system must be up to snuff.
“The house has to have thick walls to hold the heat, has to be built in the right location, the roof has to face the sun at the proper angle — a lot of money goes into it,” Norwood said. “You are looking at a house that costs 15 to 20 percent more than your average home.”
However, solar users also receive a $2,000 write-off when they file with their power company and the state, according to OEIS. Norwood would like to see some incentive for the pellet and kernel systems in the form of tax breaks or write-offs.
A wood pellet burning system is not cheap, it can cost up to $10,000 for the incinerator an installation, but Norwood said the investment begins to pay off in about five years time.
“The bottom line is this energy source is renewable, reliable, easy on the environment and cost effective,” Norwood said.
Dexter Merrit is the owner of Green Mountain Transplants, an agriculture store in Arundel. His 10,000 square-foot store is heated by a single pellet-burning furnace, for display in the middle of the store.
“We are very proud of it, we used to have gas burners but the bills were getting worse and worse,” Merrit said.
This will be the third winter the store has solely relied on the pellet-burning unit for heat. Merrit said, judging from past winters, he has absolute confidence in the system.
“It works very well, very little ash and smoke,” he said.
In addition to alternative heating sources there are simple things Mainers can do to avoid the winter heating blues. The OEIS has created Operation keepMEwarm, a program that offers energy saving tips as well as reduced cost heating solutions.
Their suggestions include installing storm windows (a savings of $149 a year), closing unused rooms ($85 yearly savings) and installing faucet flow-restrictors and low-flow showers ($126 a year). For more tips, keepMEwarm can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 on any Maine landline.
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