University of Oregon cites success in Eastern Oregon

A school and a hospital kept warm during the winter by burning wood? What is this, the 1930s?

No, the University of Oregon reports, it’s a modern way to quit burning fossil fuels and using local resources instead.

“Heating large buildings with woody biomass can save money and promote carbon-neutral energy uses,” the university reported in an announcement from Eugene.

A new guidebook, “Wood Heat Solutions: A Community Guide to Biomass Thermal Projects,” and a companion video, “Keeping Energy Dollars Local: Using Wood to Heat the Enterprise School,” show how using woody biomass for heat can dramatically reduce energy costs and improve forest health.

The guide book and video are available at http://ri.uoregon.edu.

By woody biomass, the UO means by-products of forest thinning or wood-products manufacturing that are converted into wood chips or pellets and burned in a boiler.

This fall, students at Enterprise High School in Wallowa County were the first in the state to attend a school heated with wood in more than 50 years, according to the UO.

The school district estimates an annual savings of $112,000 from the conversion of an oil-fired boiler to one using wood chips from a local post-and-pole business. The $1.5 million project included a comprehensive energy audit to improve energy conservation at the school.

In Burns, the 55,000-square-foot Harney County District Hospital installed a wood pellet boiler last year and has already saved more than $50,000 compared to propane or electricity, according to Jim Bishop, the hospital’s chief executive officer.

“The decision to use wood pellets to heat the hospital was based on cost savings as well a desire to reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuels,” he said.

In operation for over a year, the system requires minimal maintenance and generates modest amounts of waste product, about 30 gallons of ash every two to three weeks, which is given to people in the community to use as a soil supplement.

“Out here in Harney County, folks are just happy that we’re using wood and saving money,” Bishop said.

The university’s Resource Innovations program developed the guide for schools, hospitals, government buildings and other facilities that need a lot of heat on a small budget said Marcus Kauffman, program manager.

“With multiple benefits, including cost savings, wildfire risk reduction, low emissions and increase in local employment, we encourage community leaders and local businesses to consider using woody biomass and talk with those reaping the benefits first hand.”

Resource Innovations is a research collaboration between the Resource Innovation Group and the University of Oregon Institute for a Sustainable Environment.

###

Kevin Weeks