25,000 Gallons of Oil Saved Each Year
Greenfield, NH (PRWEB) November 23, 2009 -- Patients and residents at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center will be much more comfortable this winter thanks to a new connection to its central biomass district heating system made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Fund (GGERF).
The project allowed two larger buildings on the Rehabilitation Center campus, including one of the hospital units, to be connected to Crotched Mountain's central district heating plant that uses wood chips harvested from New Hampshire forests. Previously these buildings used an inefficient steam heating system powered by fossil fuels.
Michael Redmond, Senior Vice President/COO for Crotched Mountain stated, “The new system, complete with individual controls, provides occupants with comfortable, regulated heat. Windows are staying closed rather than serving as ventilation for excess heat.” “In addition,” said Redmond, “We project a reduction in oil usage of close to 25,000 gallons of oil annually and an annual reduction in carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, of over 250 metric tons per year.”
Of the 30 projects funded through the GHGERF this year, Crotched Mountain's is the first to be completed. “We see this project as a triple win,” said Jack Ruderman, Director of the PUC’s Sustainable Energy Division. “Not only have we met the goals of the fund by reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, but we have helped a non-profit that is vital to New Hampshire lower its fuel expenses and ensured that low income individuals will be warm and comfortable."
This project was funded by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Fund, a program initiated in February 2009 to fund projects throughout New Hampshire to lower greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. The GHGERF grant of $176,531 was matched by Crotched Mountain with a cost-share contribution of $98,290.
The GHGERF fund consists of proceeds from the auction of carbon allowances through New Hampshire’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an effort by 10 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the electric power sector.
Crotched Mountain is a charitable organization whose mission is to serve individuals with disabilities and their families, embracing personal choice and development, and building communities of mutual support. Crotched Mountain provides specialized education, rehabilitation, community, and residential support services for more than 3,000 people from New Hampshire, the other New England states and New York. For more information about Crotched Mountain, please visit www.crotchedmountain.org.
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