Since 1992
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By Michael Bourgoin
TPI Feature Writer
GREENE – Founded in 2000 by Rich and Helen Thibodeau and located on the corner of U.S. Route 202 and Daggett Hill Road in Greene, Independent Power has been providing customers with solutions for their heating needs by offering Central Boiler outdoor wood and wood pellet furnaces.
They also provide off-grid solar power systems and Kohler automatic standby generator systems.
Rick is a master electrician with more than 25 years of experience. He and Helen use their knowledge and experience to provide customers with energy efficient and cost-effective solutions.
Independent Power is Maine’s oldest Central Boiler dealer. Heating a home or business with an outdoor wood boiler uses the old-school method of burning firewood with new-school technology.
Here in Maine, burning wood for heat is nothing new. Over the years, traditional wood stoves have been inefficient, messy, labor intensive, provided uneven heat, and in some cases can be dangerous. Anyone who has ever used a traditional wood stove knows the work and mess involved. Wood needs to be carried in to the house which leaves bark, wood slivers, bugs, and dirt on the floors. Starting the fire requires matches, paper, and kindling to get the fire going.
Once the fire is going, there is the adjustment of flues and dampers to provide optimum combustion in the stove. Incomplete combustion results in potential energy being lost through the chimney.
Wood stoves also require frequent cleaning to get rid of the ash build-up in the firebox. Wood stoves create a hot zone around the stove, but the radiated heat does not travel effectively to other parts of the house. Traditional wood stoves are also limited to the types of wood that can be burned.
Soft woods generate less heat and can cause creosote build-up which can contribute to chimney fires. In a case of old school meets new school, Independent Power provides their customers with a solution that harnesses the benefits of wood burning while eliminating most of the hassles.
They offer Central Boiler outdoor wood gasification boilers. These boilers take wood heat to the next level. The outdoor wood boilers are standalone units that contain the water jacket, firebox and controls. The boilers occupy a small footprint approximately four feet by five feet for one unit and can be set up on concrete patio pavers. The outdoor wood boilers are connected to the existing heating system via a heavily insulated and flexible hose.
hese boilers are certified by the EPA as clean burning and they qualify for up to $3,000 in rebates from Efficiency Maine. The boilers come in two versions, one that uses traditional cord wood and another that uses wood pellets. Let’s start with why these outdoor wood boilers are so efficient. The airtight firebox of the boiler burns the wood at much higher temperatures than a traditional wood stove. When the wood is burning, the gasses that are normally lost up the chimney are recirculated into the lower firebox where the high temperatures burn the gasses and create more heat. That means less energy lost and much cleaner emissions while burning less wood.
The complete burning cycle means that woods other than hard woods can be burned in the furnace. While burn times are still subject to the type of woods used, the ability to efficiently burn soft woods greatly expands the capability of the furnace. Depending on the wood, burn times can last from 12 to 72 hours on one filling.
For greater ease, Independent Power sells a wood pellet version of the boiler. It has the same features and efficiency but uses a 600-pound capacity hopper with an optional one-ton hopper available. The real beauty of the system is how it seamlessly integrates with the existing heating system. Water is circulated through a flexible, heavily insulated, underground hose. Only a shallow trench is needed from the boiler to the house.
The flexible hose means easy installation without the need for fittings that can impede the flow of water. Once connected to the home’s heating system, the boiler can heat all of the home’s domestic water. Because the outdoor wood boiler plugs into the existing system, heat is distributed evenly throughout the home. The boiler isn’t limited to just baseboard heating, the boiler can connect to a variety of heating systems. There are available heat exchangers that will work with forced hot air or radiant systems. The integration of systems allows the home owner to control the heat with a simple thermostat. The outdoor wood boiler is flexible enough to handle many other application installations including heated swimming pools, barns, greenhouses, and garages. These boilers also have the capacity to heat more than one house at a time leading to reduced heating costs all around.
Living here in Maine, heating costs can make a serious dent in a family’s budget. In addition to the hefty rebates available, these outdoor wood boilers have an advantage in heat production. On average, one cord of wood contains about the same amount of energy as 200 gallons of oil. Historically, firewood prices have remained steady. Oil prices, on the other hand, are subject to wild fluctuations. As we saw last winter, demand for oil sometimes outstrips the ability to deliver it whereas wood doesn’t have that problem. Fire wood is a renewable energy source that comes from local foresters.
By using these boilers, you are promoting sustainable forestry, keeping your money local, and decreasing dependency on fossil fuels. In today’s world, connectivity is everything. We can monitor our homes electronically and we can even have refrigerators that tell us when we need to go shopping. Central Boilers are no exception to the latest technology. Owners have the ability to monitor their boilers via the internet and their smart phones.
hey can observe temperatures and know when to reload the firebox. Rick and Helen at Independent Power do more than just sell boilers, they provide technical support and carry an assortment of accessories. With over 20 years of experience, Rick and Helen are ready to design a solution for your heating needs. Call them at 207-946-4444.
Submitted photos Photo caption: Heating a home or business with an outdoor wood boiler uses the old-school method of burning firewood with new-school technology. Owners have the ability to monitor their boilers via the internet and their smart phones. They can observe temperatures and know when to reload the firebox.
Rick and Helen at Independent Power do more than just sell boilers, they provide technical support and carry an assortment of accessories. With over 20 years of experience, Rick and Helen are ready to design a solution for your heating needs. Call them at 207-946-4444.
