Pellet Stove Madness in Maine: Finding an Alternative to Oil

We may be in the midst of the heat of summer, but record oil prices are forcing many homeowners to start thinking about winter heating already. Those who use heating oil could be in for a nasty shock this year, as the price has risen so much that it can cost up to $5 per gallon. Consumers in the northeast – particularly Maine – are especially reliant on oil, so some folks in areas like Maine are looking for any possible alternative. For many, that means installing wood pellet stoves.

From The Examiner:

Here in western Maine, former ski mogul Les Otten is banking on European wood pellet furnaces with his Maine Energy Systems Inc., which he launched with two other investors. Otten once headed American Skiing Co. and was later a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox.

Otten already has 400 orders even though he hasn’t taken delivery of his first shipment – they’re not due to arrive by container ship until later this month. To fuel those furnaces, he’s arranging for a fleet of trucks to make home deliveries of pellets made at plants in Maine, New Hampshire and Quebec.

Otten, who has a pellet furnace in his home in Greenwood, said it works much like existing forced-water heat systems, except the burner is fueled with wood pellets rather than oil or natural gas. Pellets are made out of compacted sawdust, wood chips or other wood material and look something like rabbit food.

Otten wants to replace 10% of residential heating in Maine with wood pellets. Pellet stoves are ‘flying out the door’ in the state, with consumers paying an average of $4,000 up front but expecting to make that money back in a year or two, assuming oil prices stay this high or get even higher.

Wood pellets are typically made from sawdust created as a byproduct to sawmilling and other wood transformation activities. Since they’re so dense, they burn with a very high combustion efficiency. Pellet heating is a low net-CO2 solution because the CO2 emitted during combustion is equal to the CO2 absorbed by the tree during its growth. New high efficiency stoves have also lowered emissions of Nox and volatile organic compounds, making it one of the most non-polluting heating options currently available.

Link [The Examiner]
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