$2,000
100%
or more of hot water
100%
or more of space heating
$13,300
15.0%
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Okofen boiler replaced an oil system. After a year including one winter it has been great. Quieter than our old Burnham, easy to remove ash once a month or so and has probably saved us at least 30 to 40 percent in fuel.
$2,000
100%
or more of hot water
100%
or more of space heating
$13,300
15.0%
Property
- Owner:
- The Jensen Family
- Type:
- Residential
- Address:
- 448 Lewis Hill Road, Bethlehem, NH 03574
- Size:
- 3,000 sq ft
- Energy need met:
- 100% or more of hot water
- 100% or more of space heating
- Event Participation:
- NESEA Green Buildings Open House 2013 Host
Technology
- Type:
- Biomass & Biofuel systems
- Installed:
- June 2012
- Size of System:
- 41,000 BTU
- Purposes:
- To heat hot water
- For space heating
Financial Details
- Gross Cost of System:
- $19,000
- Value of Rebates:
- $5,700
- Net Cost of System:
- $13,300
- Annual Savings:
- $2,000
- Own or Lease:
- Cash Purchase
- Additional Financial Notes:
- A winter-to-winter comparison is tricky (for us anyway) but we saved at least $2,000 during the first year of operation. We expect the OkoFen will have paid for itself in about six years.
Professionals & Suppliers
- Installers:
- Cutting Edge Energy Systems, West Burke VT
What You Need to Know
Description:
OkoFen Boiler provides heat and hot water. There's a six-ton bin in the garage for premium pellets. An auger and vacuum system automatically feeds the pellets to the boiler. We have a guaranteed price of $249 a ton for premium pellets. Told for equivalent BTU that works out to $1.99 a gallon for oil. But we honestly don't know if that's true.
Other Benefits:
Quiet and low maintenance. We like the idea the pellets come from New England.
Maintenance Requirements:
Once every few weeks or a month depending on how heavily it is being used we have to unlatch a small container to empty ashes. Once a year we have a cleaning/maintenance. Cost us $75. Pellets are delivered by a huge truck with an auto-fill. Not with bags.
Efficiency or Sustainability Improvements:
None
My Motivation:
Green energy and cost savings.
Advice:
Make sure the unit is big enough. Ours had three BTU settings. When it started routinely hitting -20F the smallest setting couldn't keep the house warm. The installers made an adjustment to the max setting (41,000 BTU) and that took care of it. In retrospect I might have purchased a larger system.
Experience with Installer:
We were very pleased.
Open House Info:
October 5, 2013. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The house is at 448 Lewis Hill Road in Bethlehem. Lewis Hill Road is right off US 302. You can't easily see the house from the road. House number on a pole stuck in stone wall. The driveway is gravel and goes downhill. We only have parking for three cars. If you're fit it is best to park along Lewis Hill Road and walk down. It is about 100 feet. Otherwise just drive down.
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