Task force reviews pros and cons of wood heat

Converting a large number of homes from oil heat to wood heat would save consumers money but could have implications for both the environment and other forest product industries, members of a task force were told Wednesday.

For the past seven months, members of the Governor’s Wood to Energy Task Force have explored the potential for lessening dependence on oil for heat. On Wednesday, the group heard comments on the pros and cons of switching to wood, a homegrown resource already central to the state’s economy.

John Parsons, representing the Oxford Hills School District, estimated that the district could save 80,000 gallons of oil — and therefore hundreds of thousands of dollars — by converting the local high school to a modern, high-efficiency wood boiler. Currently, Oxford Hills and other school systems across the state have to reduce teaching positions or eliminate educational programs just to keep the buildings warm.

"We are literally tossing our teachers into the boilers," Parsons said.

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