Wood Pellet System To Save Anna Maria 15% On Heating
When the Sisters of Saint Anne founded Anna Maria College in 1946, they took great care and concern for the environment and the 196 acres the college sits on in Paxton.
College President Jack Calareso said he’s continuing that tradition by converting about 90 percent of the college’s heating to an energy-efficient biomass wood-pellet system.
“These types of projects generate a tremendous amount of excitement because they demonstrate palpable ways of helping the environment,” Calareso said. The college is working with International Wood Fuels of Portland, Maine to install what’s called a “Green Energy System.”
Free To Play
Two of the school’s oil-burning boilers will be replaced by the end of January with new wood-pellet burning heating machines, saving the college about 15 percent annually on its heating costs.
The project is being done at virtually no cost to the school because IWF is using the savings the college will create annually to pay for their services.
IWF will also fully manage the college’s energy needs during the 10-year contract the college signed with the company. Executive Vice President of IWF Michael Herz said the company will track the college’s energy use and bill the school directly based on the amount of energy used instead of having the college purchase the pellets from a third-party source.
That process will allow IWF to better monitor and maintain the wood pellet burners and ensure energy savings, he said.
IWF will invest between $250,000 and $500,000 in the new wood pellet burners and will recoup the costs through the 10-year agreement they have with the college.
Meanwhile, the college has no upfront cost for the project and will begin saving almost 15 percent on their heating costs beginning in February when the new system is set to go online.
The college is predicting it will reduce its carbon emissions by nearly 900 tons annually and reduce its oil consumption by 85,000 gallons a year under the new program.
The school has also made smaller changes and is planning other larger initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint.
For example, the school has instituted a single-stream recycling initiative, has installed solar-powered score boards on athletic fields and has exchanged conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting.
College officials are also working with the town of Paxton to study possibly erecting a wind turbine on the college campus.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments