Space Heating Efficiency

The GRP is supporting the Center in its goal of having 80% of the energy for space heating be generated sustainably by 2012.

One of the biggest ways the Outdoor Center can reduce its carbon footprint is by heating its buildings sustainably. The new garage structure has a wood-fired boiler that once running will deliver heat through radiant flooring. Tamarack Lodge has a high efficiency wood-fired boiler delivering heat via radiators, but it can be improved with some additional equipment. One project for this summer is finding an appropriately sized water tank to capture and store heated water more effectively. Once done, research can commence to figure out how frequently the furnace needs to be fired given the outdoor temperature. The goal is to create a super efficient system that can be fired for several hours to a day, and then not again for several days. Because radiators require water to be very hot, this will be a challenge. Heating in the other buildings on campus will be tackled next summer; Cedar has a high-efficiency oil system, which will be used as a backup for a biomass system in the future.