Pellet Boilers in the NEK

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Created on Wednesday, 09 March 2016 11:41
Written by Alexandra Conroy

wood pelletsLYNDON - Northern Forest Center hosted their first pellet boiler home tour on Darling Hill Road yesterday. This allowed residents around the Northeast Kingdom to see the advantages and disadvantages of having a pellet boiler in their home.

 Residents were interested in looking around homes and seeing how the boiler systems worked. Tabitha Bowling, who owns one herself says, "The tours are effective. Opening homes and inviting people in to have conversation, I think it's a great way to bring the community together around an issue and an opportunity."

One advantage of owning a pellet boiler is that it is more environmentally friendly. The wood pellets are made from recycled materials and creates a drier fuel, which produces less carbon dioxide. The pellets burn hotter than regular wood in a fireplace. Also since the fire is being contained in a box, there is less smoke to be emitted, and it keeps the flames and debris from flying. "The fact that we can heat our home from trees that aren't far from where we live and we're doing it in a responsible way, is a pretty cool thing," said Bowling.

Residents who attended the tour were welcomed back to one of the homes that participated in the tour for refreshments in the warmth of the heating system.

Overall, it's cost effective and easier to manage. Chris Jenkins is happy to see his costs lower after switching to a pellet boiler. "We were going through 12 cords of wood. That's $250... that's a lot. I'm going to say it's saving us about $800 a year."

There are more advantages than disadvantages in purchasing pellet boilers. It's overall better for the environment and your home. For more information on pellet boilers, visit https://northernforest.org/.