CARIBOU, Maine — The international company Trane was hired to perform energy savings improvements in the city’s municipal buildings in 2012 including the installation of four new pellet boilers “for a guaranteed year-one savings of $77,274” according to the city council minutes from June 27.
The boilers are anticipated to cost the city an extra $5,000 this year because “the boilers were made for European pellets” explained City Manager Austin Bleess.
The boilers were discussed as the city reviewed pellet bids on Oct. 14 during a regularly scheduled City Council meeting and again on Oct. 20 during a budget workshop.
“As council is well aware with all the problems we’ve had with these boilers, Trane points the finger at the fine content of the pellets. In talking with other boiler manufacturers, we strongly believe that is not the case,” Bleess said.
The city requested bids based on the specifications that were listed in the boiler manuals, but Bleess stated that there are no pellet manufacturers in Maine who produce pellets to those specifications.
“The closest place in New England that produces pellets to those specifications declined to bid, citing the high cost of transportation,” he explained to the councilors.
Only one pellet bid was received, submitted by Daigle Oil Company at $223 per ton with delivery, but the council ultimately rejected the bid.
As Caribou has a guaranteed energy savings for the nearly $1 million they invested in the project, Mayor Gary Aiken suggested having Trane foot the bill for the increased travel.
“Since Trane guaranteed savings for us based on the cost of the pellets versus the cost of fuel oil, why don’t you suggest to Trane that we’re going to transport pellets up here … and they’ll have to pay the cost of what we don’t save?” he suggested to manager Bleess.
Bleess responded that the company was not interested in sending pellets all the way up here.
As discussed in the Oct. 20 budget workshop, the line for boiler maintenance of the municipal building budget is up by $5,220 this year — which was the biggest increase to the building budget.
Bleess explained that $5,000 is what needs to be budgeted for Kevin Adams, owner of Adams Heating of Caribou, to clean out each of the four boilers each month to try to keep them working.
“These are all issues we’re taking up with Trane?” Councilor Kenneth Murchison asked Bleess.
“Every one,” Bleess responded.
A modification for the boilers was slated to be installed this week, and the city will be in contact with Trane about the results, but Bleess also mentioned to the councilors that the city is also looking into the legal aspect of the situation.
