Case Study: Green Acres Apartments

Green Acres is a 50 unit -apartment complex owned by the Public Housing Authority in Barre, Vermont. Due to the high costs of electricity in the 1980s and the subsequent vacancies resulting from $200-$300 per month electric bills, the housing authority converted the electric baseboard heating system to a central woodchip-fired heating plant, with an oil boiler backup.

In 1999, the approximate monthly heating and hot water cost per residence was $24.

System Specs

  • .65 Megawatt wood fired boiler
  • Sloping-grate combustor
  • Below ground fuel bin
  • In floor auger (to feed combustor)
  • Underground hot water heat distribution lines run to eight buildings
  • Backup oil-fired boiler

Cost of System

  • Installation cost $1.04 million
  • Annual Operation and Maintenance Cost
  • Maintenance cost $800
  • Wood fuel cost $13,298

Additional Information

http://www.canren.gc.ca/renew_ene/index.asp?CaID=47&PgID=958
http://www.me3.org/issues/biomass/community.pdf

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