The following information was released by the New Hampshire
Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA):
A group of homeowners gathered at Tea Birds Restaurant
Tuesday night to celebrate the end of their addiction to home heating oil.
"Every time the oil truck goes by, I smile," said
Marie Canning.
Canning's home is one of 36 Berlin homes that has or is in
the process of replacing its oil burner with a high efficiency wood pellet
boiler. It is estimated the 36 homeowners combined will save more than $50,000
a year in heating costs.
In addition to saving money, the homeowners are also proving
that switching to a local renewable energy source helps the local economy and
the environment. The project is expected to have a $200,000 annual impact on
the local economy.
The homeowners participated in the Model Neighborhood
Project, which subsidized the purchase and installation of the boilers.
Launched in the fall of 2011 by the Northern Forest Center, Berlin
BetterBuildings, and Maine Energy Systems, the goal was to install 40 pellet
boilers in Berlin homes.
"Berlin has proven that this technology works, that we
can use local wood to replace foreign oil, that we can spend our heating
dollars locally and support jobs in the local forest industry," said Rob
Riley, president of the Northern Forest Center.
Mike Wilson, senior program director at the Northern Forest
Center, said Berlin now has the highest concentration of bulk pellet boilers in
the country.
"Berlin really is a model for this," he said.
Wilson said the 36 boilers will annually eliminate 347 tons
of carbon dioxide emissions and replace 31,000 gallons of oil.
Skip Bunnett of the Maine Energy System said the first group
of homeowners in the program had a lot of patience as the new technology was
introduced. Maine Energy System director Dutch Dresser said the enthusiasm of
the first homeowners was crucial to the program's success and make it easier
for others to make the switch.
"This really is a tremendous project," said Cimbria
Badenhausen, community director for Berlin BetterBuildings. "Offering our
clients a renewable energy alternative to enhance the savings obtained through
energy efficiency measures was a wonderful bonus," she said.
Badenhausen said she wished the program would have been
available to surrounding communities but it was limited to Berlin. Even so,
Brad and Sue Wyman of Dummer toured one of the early installations in Berlin
and decided to put a wood pellet boiler in their house on their own.
The program subsidized over two-thirds of the cost of
transitioning from oil heating systems to the pellet boilers. The
state-of-the-art boilers range up to $25,000 but through the program the
homeowner's share was $5,000 to $10,000. The Northern Forest Center subsidized
39 percent of the cost and rebates through the New Hampshire Public Utilities
Commission (PUC) covered 25 percent. The PUC rebates are available statewide.
The program also locked in the price of the pellets through
this June at the equivalent of $1.99/gallon of heating oil.
Riley said the Northern Forest Center plans to replicate the
Model Neighborhood Program in other communities in the four state region as
soon as funding is secured. The center was taping testimonials from the
homeowners Tuesday night to use in raising money. One woman said she used to
wear battery-operated socks to keep her feet warm but since installing the
pellet boiler, she has no need for the socks because her house is warm. Mark
Tremblay said he and his wife have had six different heating systems in the 33
years they have owned their house. He said the pellet boiler is
"unquestionably the best".
The program has also helped both the Berlin Housing Authority
and St. Kieran's Center for the Arts convert their buildings. St. Kieran
Executive Director Joan Chamberlain said she used to wear boots in her office
and would negotiate with groups over heat for practices and rehearsals. With
the new pellet boiler, she estimated the center will save $10,000 in heating
costs for the year. More importantly she said, "We're happy. We're
warm."
Badenhausen and Wilson noted there are still four more spots
left in the Berlin Model Neighborhood Model program. Interested Berlin
homeowners should call Badenhausen at 717-6529 or email cimbriab@nhcdfa.org
Maine Energy Systems, based in Bethel, Maine, will continue
to look for homeowners interested in converting to wood pellets.
The Model Neighborhood Project has been supported by
foundation, individuals and corporations that purchased tax credits through the
N.H. Community Development Finance Authority. Tax credit purchasers include
Bank of New Hampshire, Citizens Bank, The Common Man, First Colebrook Bank, Global
Forest Partners, Grappone Automotive Group, The Lyme Timber Company, Nathan
Wechsler and Co. PA, Northland Forest Products, Northway Bank, Stoneyfield
Farm, and TransCanada USA.
The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire
Charitable Foundation, Jane's Trust, the John Merck Fund, and the US Endowment
for Forestry and Communities have provided grant support for the project.
