Building energy with biomass: Ketchikan GSA boiler heats up economy.

• Author: Colby, Nicole A. Bonham
• Position: ENERGY POWER & UTILITIES

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Believed to be the first-ever installation of a biomass boiler for a General Services Administration-owned building in the nation, the new boiler at the United States Federal Building in Ketchikan successfully heated the facility over the winter to positive tenant reviews.

Part of a larger conversion from steam heat to a hydronic, or hot water, heating system, the biomass boiler burns waste-wood pellets generated by the timber industry, marking a milestone in the evolution from outdated oil-fired steam heat to innovative renewable energy for the government facility. Perhaps of greater interest to those in Southeast is the business opportunity to supply the waste wood necessary for the heating system. That the innovative renewable-energy upgrade would specifically occur in Ketchikan--long seen as Ground Zero in the highly politicized boom-and-bust cycle of the traditional timber industry--is an interesting juxtaposition, and hints at a potential new niche for Tongass timber and small-business operators.

Component of Larger Upgrade

The $4.7 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Energy Improvement Project fully replaced the building's heat generation, distribution, and automated control systems, along with other energy upgrades, including installation of the new biomass boiler system. The GSA replaced the building's outdated, inefficient 1964 steam heating system with an energy-saving, hydronic heating system that includes the biomass boiler and one high-efficiency, oil-fired boiler for back-up, according to project managers.

This first year of operation is designed to test the efficiency and effectiveness of biomass to heat the building, with GSA running both the high-efficiency oil and biomass boilers. Engineers will use the resulting information to improve the efficiency of all GSA-managed facilities. By using both systems, GSA anticipates reducing fuel-oil consumption roughly 50 percent during the first year. The Ketchikan Federal Building historically burned up to 9,000 gallons of fuel oil each year.

The project team reports it is pleased with the progress so far, says Mike Rayburn, project manager for the upgrade effort. The GSA received "lot of compliments," he says. "It's pretty uniform heat." Particularly with tenants such as the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies, "they like to see that we're using renewable resources," he says.

While the design for a primary unit and back-up unit will...