In the summer of 2011, Doug Whiteman decided to switch from a wood/oil-fired furnace to a pellet-only furnace in his home and a pellet boiler in his shop.
With Alternative Energy Technology Program (AETP) funding from ENR, Doug was able to accomplish his goal. Doug reduced his heating bill by 40% and has realized significant savings by using pellets. The furnace at his home on MacKenzie Drive is currently running at 2/3 capacity and he expects to use 6 tonnes of pellets per year. He expects a payback period of three years.
The pellet boiler at his business/shop is expected to burn 13-15 tonnes of pellets per year. His shop has nine “heating zones” and he only heats the areas he’s working in, thus saving even more on heating.
Doug expects he will continue to save money by using wood pellets as long as fuel oil prices stay above 90 cents per litre.
Doug Whiteman was nominated for and won an Energy Action Award from Arctic Energy Alliance. This award was for showing leadership, reducing his use of diesel fuel and reducing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions being produced from heating his home and shop.
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