{"id":1842,"date":"2013-11-15T11:14:16","date_gmt":"2013-11-15T16:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northwoodscenter.org\/wordpress\/?p=1842"},"modified":"2016-12-13T19:12:14","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T00:12:14","slug":"northwoods-is-in-hot-water-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northwoodscenter.org\/wordpress\/northwoods-is-in-hot-water-again\/","title":{"rendered":"NorthWoods is in hot water again!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story began in November 2012 with a devastating fire at NorthWoods. The small building\u00a0housing the boiler that heated our main complex burned down. We were facing an expensive\u00a0replacement project with many unknowns, and few resources. Nearly a year later, NorthWoods\u00a0has come out of the fire much the better! Not only are we ready for winter, we\u2019re also\u00a0achieving some important efficiency improvements. Your donations of funds, materials and\u00a0professional and volunteer services continue to be critical to our recovery and success. Thank\u00a0you! And please read on to see the progress we\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>

The new wood gasification boiler.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our boiler story features more than a few heroes, including our friends at Poulos Insurance who\u00a0helped to sort through the insurance claim and secure a settlement that covered a significant\u00a0portion of the replacement cost, and designer\/contractor Vermont Heating and Ventilation\u00a0(VHV) of Williston\u2014who brought the technical background to design and install our facility to\u00a0the modern energy-efficient standards we were hoping for, and also recognized NorthWoods\u00a0as an environmentally important client that could help demonstrate energy efficiencies critical\u00a0to improving Vermont\u2019s energy report card. For this reason, VHV donated a portion of the\u00a0design, labor and equipment project costs.<\/p>\n

We are grateful for additional recovery support from the Derby Lion’s Club, the Vermont\u00a0Community Foundation Special and Urgent Needs Fund, Efficiency Vermont rebates that\u00a0enabled us to go with super-efficient LED lighting (in conjunction with New England Electrical\u00a0in Newport and installed by Gates Electric of Newport\u2014who also didexcellent work), site work\u00a0by JB Hauling and Excavation, excellent building design and construction by Lee Cooper, and a\u00a0hefty list of NorthWoods board, staff and friends who volunteered during the demolition, clean\u00a0up, and re-building process, donated building materials, and were generous with their time and\u00a0energy as we mapped out some precepts and ideas that would be used to design and construct\u00a0a truly remarkable new facility.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\"Two<\/a>

Two 400 gallon water tanks help store heat and improve efficiency.<\/p><\/div>\n

The new boiler, while smaller, is a more state of the art version of the previous\u2014still wood\u00a0gasification so we can burn wood from our site. Efficiency is greatly increased through the\u00a0addition of two 400 gallon water tanks for heat storage, and the system now has a backup heat\u00a0supply with a Buderus instantaneous propane hot water heater capable of carrying the building\u00a0if the wood boiler goes out on a long cold night or weekend. We also added a backup generator\u00a0in case the power goes out during a storm, and a water service to support the boiler system,\u00a0allowing the building to be sprinklered for fire safety.<\/p>\n

The building layout, while on the same foundation, has completely changed\u2014about 40% of\u00a0the footprint will be a new, heated workshop for Terry, our Head of Maintenance. Building\u00a0quality is also improved with better insulation, a better roof, and nice aesthetics. The building\u00a0overhangs are designed to emulate the overhangs built into forest homes in Germany to\u00a0store firewood (see photo). NorthWoods will also be palletizing the firewood to allow a more\u00a0efficient way to store and move the firewood.<\/p>\n

If your winter plans include a NorthWoods workshop, a visit to our ski trails, an evening\u00a0coffeehouse (why not all three?), take a moment to enjoy the cozy atmosphere thanks to our\u00a0new boiler. And don\u2019t be shy about asking for a boiler tour\u2014we love to show it off!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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