Grant Union High School installed a biomass boiler system to heat the school. Now, the school is heated by wood pellets that are manufactured just two miles down the road.

THE STORY

After a flood uprooted the heating oil tank at Grant Union Junior and Senior High School in May 2011, the boiler system was switched to propane. The school's heating bills remained high, though, and were expected to climb even further as the price of propane increased.

That was when Wisewood Energy stepped in. Thanks to the Clean Energy Works of Oregon and Craft3, Wisewood Energy was able to help the school district secure outside financing assistance. The school district, in turn, brought their local Sterling Bank to the table, which administered federal loan money through the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) initiative.

Once the funding was in place, Wisewood Energy coordinated the planning, design and construction of a new biomass boiler system at the school. The boiler started providing heat to the school in March 2012, less than a year after the flood. Now, the school is heated by wood pellets that are manufactured just two miles down the road.

“The school district chose biomass in an effort to support Malheur Lumber Company, the major employer in town," said Andrew Haden, founder and president of Wisewood Energy. "This biomass partnership directly supports job creation at the mill, which helps keep families in town and positively benefits the entire community.”