This is interesting green business news. Estemerwalt Log Homes (www.Estemerwalt.com) has announced that they have saved over one million gallons of fuel oil (1,314,000 at the time of this release) since the installation of their sawdust burning dry kiln system in 1996. Instead of using a standard fuel oil-burning system that would burn approximately 240 gallons per day, Estemerwalt installed a sawdust gasification system to help reduce operating costs as well as benefit the environment.
Estemerwalt Log Homes is a 5th generation, family owned company with 125 years of experience in the lumber industry. Owner Kurt Propst explained his reasoning behind their sawdust burning system, “Twelve years ago, we needed to put a new system in for drying lumber and we were faced with the decision to use fuel oil or sawdust. Even though fuel oil was inexpensive at the time we decided to use our waste sawdust. Estemerwalt is a family company and we make decisions from that family perspective…being self sustaining is an important necessity.” He goes on to say, “As a log home company, we care about effectively managing our renewable resources so that future generations can enjoy them. I can’t imagine having to use 240 gallons of fuel oil at today’s prices. By using what is essentially a waste product as fuel, we are able to pass along those savings to our customers. It’s a great feeling.”
The sawdust burning system that Estemerwalt uses is a model of efficiency. Green sawdust is fed into a primary burn chamber where the sawdust is burned, yet starved of oxygen. This converts the sawdust into gas. The wood gas then passes into a secondary chamber where it is ignited. The end result is an incredibly efficient and environmentally friendly means of heat. To learn more, visit www.estemerwalt.com.
