Costs to heat schools climb

It takes fuel to heat the schools, about 50,000 gallons per year. It takes money to buy the fuel. A lot more money this year than last, and costs continue to climb.

"We heat with #2 diesel. The price varies. My target this year was anything under $2.75 per gallon. Next year we budgeted $3.80 per gallon," said Leland Bliss, Director of Operations for the Sisters School District.

The elementary school used 8,500 gallons of diesel this last year, the middle school 8,200 gallons and the high school 30,000 gallons, Bliss said. The bus barn uses waste oil but supplemented that with 1,500 gallons of purchased diesel.

This year the district budgeted about $125,000 for fuel, and spent about $115,000.

"That includes propane, too (for cooking)," according to Bliss.

Next year the budget for fuels goes up to $195,000. (This does not include fuel for buses. That comes from a different budget. See story in The Nugget, May 28 issue.)

The increase of about $70,000 for fuel next year is going to put a bit of a crimp in the facilities budget that Bliss oversees.

"I was planning on doing some of the preventative maintenance, like sealing sidewalks. I don't see that happening. We were looking at new tools for maintenance guys, but will cut only to necessary items for next year, and try to repair what we have," Bliss said.

No staffing changes are anticipated.

Bliss said the district could burn propane, diesel or biodiesel in its boilers for heat but "biodiesel is really hard to get and is not any cheaper. Getting it in the quantities we wanted was a challenge last year."

That leaves schools with the option of burning either #2 diesel or propane for heat. So far, diesel has been the most economical, if that word can be used.

"Last year I compared the cost of diesel and propane. The price, per Btu, diesel was cheaper."

A "Btu" or British thermal unit, is a unit used to describe the amount of energy content in fuel. Price per Btu is a more accurate way to compare cost than price per gallon, according to Bliss.

Bliss is going to check and compare prices again this summer before he tunes the boilers. The boilers need to be calibrated for the type of fuel used.

"I don't tune them until I can put a good heat load on them, to get maximum efficiency out of the boiler," he said.

Bliss said that he buys fuel when prices dip, and tries to avoid buying when demand and prices are high.

"Every week, our guys check levels in the tanks," he said. "I have a spreadsheet that has the amount, how much we are using, and the weekly 'degree days' so I can compare temperature and climate for, say, week nine of the school year, going back to 2006. I get a weekly report (on prices) from a petroleum information service, see the daily cost of fuel."

A "degree-day" is a measurement of how much heating or cooling might be required.

Bliss uses his information to establish the trend of the district's needs and prices. He notes that fuel costs are high in October at harvest time, when "the cost goes through the roof." He tries to "buy in the low trend, ride out the high trend."

The projected cost for fuel next year came from discussions with "facilities managers all over the state. There is an organization for school facilities. We network together. Our general consensus was $3.75 to $3.80 a gallon," Bliss said.

The district has been looking at biomass for a couple of years. But the price of conversion of existing facilities would be high.

"The cost to do wood chips is a lot," Bliss said. "If we (were doing) new construction, it would probably be a good idea. Harney County hospital put in a pellet boiler. They are real happy with their costs, so far."