Wood Heat Considered For Rec Buildings

(Pete McIntyre) http://www.1075kiss.com/news/headlines/

Using wood instead of natural gas to heat Greater Vernon's recreation facilities, could save taxpayers thousands of dollars a year.That was the pitch given to the Greater Vernon Services by Cornelius Suchy who's company, Mawera Canada, engineers, designs and erects wood-fired energy systems.Suchy says the system would burn wood residue from local mills, and could reduce energy costs by 90 percent.Greater Vernon Services currently pays about $100,000 a year to heat its buildings such as the Multiplex and Recreation Complex.The committee will debate the proposal at its next meeting but GVS chairman Gary Corner feels its worth taking a closer look at."I guess I have some concerns on the output. Particulates in the air would increase which we don't need but there are some benefits that would offset that."The company would implement the system and transfer it to GVS after ten years, all at no cost. Mawera says it would recover its investment from the client's gas savings. Director Barry Beardsell says the idea seems to have benefits, but he would like it checked over by NORD's air quality committee as a first step.