11/15/23
Bethel, ME – Maine Energy Systems: 2,000 Systems Installed; 500 Million lbs. of Pellets Delivered; Offsets 30 Million Gallons of Oil and Propane; Keeps $130 Million in the Economy.
Maine Energy Systems wood pellet central heating systems are heating up the Northeast with over 2,000 installed in North America and 500 million pounds of pellets delivered in the Northeast, offsetting over 30 million gallons of heating oil and propane, and preventing 380,199 tons of CO2 from being introduced to our atmosphere.
The vast majority of these systems are in the Northeast which is heavily reliant on #2 heating oil as a primary heat source. MESys (Maine Energy Systems) has bulk delivered over 500 million pounds of pellets to homeowners and small businesses, schools, and municipal buildings in the Northeast – offsetting over 30 million gallons of #2 heating oil and propane use. This ultimately saved 380,199 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.
From wood pellet delivery sales alone, approximately $130 million has been kept in regional and state economies rather than being exported to the fossil fuel market overseas thanks to homeowners and businesses (under two million BTUs) switching to wood pellets. These dollars support job creation and sustain jobs within the heating industry as people switch from conventional systems to more renewable options such as wood pellets, deemed carbon neutral by the US EPA and US DOE.
These systems, up to 93% efficient, are central heating solutions that rely on carbon neutral fuel to provide both heat and domestic hot water for whole home, and commercial and public building heating needs. They’re also very efficient in terms of fuel cost for heat produced.
Wood pellets are made predominantly from pure wood from sawmill residues, wood waste, low grade products from other forest industries, and urban waste wood. It is a simple and efficient way to use the resources Mainers are surrounded with, while decarbonizing and stretching heating dollars at the same time. It’s also an impactful way to work towards decarbonizing heating in a meaningful way.
Taking wood that would have otherwise been wasted by being burned as sawdust or buried in a landfill and instead using it for heating pellets is just smart – wood that burns or decays naturally releases exactly the same amount of CO2 as a much higher efficiency pellet does. Further, this CO2 is already within our atmosphere guided through the cycle of photosynthesis and carbon sequestration in our forests, so it’s not new CO2 introduced into the atmosphere as is seen with fossil fuels. With responsible forest management ensuring that as many or more trees are growing than are harvested annually, Maine has a wood basket to stretch generations and if continually managed can be a major carbon sink for the state.
Fully automatic modern wood heat and domestic hot water systems are being installed and incentivized through thousands of dollars in state rebates across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and there is currently an additional federal tax credit of $2,000 available. Maine Energy Systems also provides for its Maine customers to generate and sell Thermal Renewable Energy Credits; reducing the cost of wood pellet fuel by up to $65/ton and saving even more on heating compared to fossil fuels or electric heat. New Hampshire has a similar program in the works, and Vermont has a sales tax exemption to support installations of modern wood pellet heating. Maine Energy Systems is proud to be on the cutting edge of advanced wood heat technology.