Temporary boilers to be installed at Oxford Hills Middle School

According to SAD 17 Facilities Director Nelson Baillargeon, Two propane boilers is able to heat the entire Oxford Hills Middle School.
Propane boilers will be used as temporary heat source until the new biomass wood pellet boiler arrives in February. The propane boilers will then be used as backups.

The two oil boilers that previously heated the school complex on Pine Street were taken out last week. Most of the metal will be sold for scrap but a few parts have been saved for reuse at the West Paris Elementary School, which operates on a similar oil boiler.

“The (propane) boilers are big enough to handle the full load of the school,” Baillargeon said. “They are designed and sized so if the wood pellet boilers were down, we’d have heat.”

The (propane) boilers will reduce energy costs and fuel consumption and also will resolve some environmental issues. Installation of a wood pellet boiler at the Paris Elementary School and other energy savings projects are included in the $1.5 million funding.

Earlier this year, wood pellet boilers were installed in the Guy E. Rowe Elementary and Oxford Elementary schools in Norway and Oxford.

School officials began investigating alternative energy projects in 2007, when they hired Siemens Building Technologies to install lighting and other devices in the schools. Under terms of the contracts, the company must guarantee savings each year. If the guarantee is not met, Siemens must reimburse the difference between the guaranteed amount and the actual savings.

In 2007, officials said the projects demonstrated a 17 to 30 percent reduction in annual energy consumption and an annual savings of $247,942. In 2008, SAD 17 realized $327,000 in energy savings.

By 2012, the high school had a biomass boiler installed. Officials decided the savings was enough to investigate using pellet boilers at other schools.

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