Eleven schools in Wisconsin currently heat with biomass materials, and the state Secretary of Agriculture, Rod Nilsestuen, wants to see that number increase. He believes about one-third of the schools in the state would save money if they switched to biomass heating systems.
School districts that need to replace boilers should look at biomass options. Implementing a biomass system would cost $500,000 to $1.5 million, which is comparable to a fuel boiler, stated Nilsestuen.
A Feasibility Study of Wisconsin Schools Heated with Wood, burning wood, switchgrass, or cornstalks creates less carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide than other options such as burning coal (PDF 1.96 MB) Download Adobe Reader .
The report found that 200 to 300 Wisconsin schools that currently use natural gas would see an economic benefit in the first year by switching to biomass boilers. Each of these schools currently purchases more than 75,000 therms of natural gas at a rate of $0.90 per therm. Wood chips cost about $32 a ton, she said. Pellets are a bit more expensive, generally $100 to $140 per ton. About 500 tons of wood chips are needed to heat a school for a year.