Dobrepolje elementary receives new biomass boiler

The new boiler room brings many improvements – lower management costs, lower energy consumption and zero CO₂ emissions.

Prior to the reconstruction, the Dobrepolje Elementary School and the Ringaraja kindergarten received heat from a central boiler room located in the elementary school. Extra light fuel oil, a fossil fuel, was used as the energy source. Heating demand was met by two old and energy-inefficient boilers, each with a  230 kW capacity. Once the municipality decided to build a new kindergarten and sports center, it became obvious that the heat demand would increase and that the old system could not provide enough thermal energy for all the facilities.

“For this reason, we decided in the Municipality of Dobrepolje that a reconstruction of the boiler room was needed, which would not only cover the need for heat, but would provide it in an energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly manner,” said the mayor of the Municipality of Dobrepolje, Janez Pavlin. A concession contract was signed at the end of April 2017 for the renovation of the heating system in the Municipality of Dobrepolje. The duration of the public-private partnership contract is 15 years.

As part of the renovation of the heating system, Resalta has set up a new independent boiler room that besides housing the biomass boiler and its associated equipment includes a woodchip storage space.

The new boiler room is connected to the old boiler room in the elementary school with a hot water pipe. The entire distribution station has been renovated – with the aim of distributing heat across the facility in a more economical and energy-efficient way. One of the existing light fuel oil boilers has been kept as a reserve for peak demand periods.

“Due to the transition to biomass, CO₂ emissions into the environment will be reduced by 116 tons per year. The newly installed boiler will use 17% less of primary energy due to higher efficiency in heat production. In addition to ecologically acceptable emissions, fuel in the form of wood chips also has positive effects for the wider local community, as the wood biomass used is produced locally – in the municipality of Dobrepolje. On the other hand, on the users’ side, the new integrated distribution station with technical interventions will contribute to better and easier regulation of the temperature on the premises, which will significantly affect the improvement of the comfort and quality of life of children and employees of Dobrepolje Elementary School ” said Nejc Frumen, director of technical development at Resalta.

The whole renovation project was carried out through the energy contracting model, which enables the municipality to pay for the investment from the savings achieved from the project itself.