Background

BIOMASA Association is a non-profit organisation, whose members are mainly municipalities. Its activities include the promotion of biomass through the installation and operation of biomass boilers and the production of pellets. In the context of taking an integrated approach to the creation of a pellet market in Slovakia, 44 fossil boiler rooms from 15 to 2,500 kW have been converted to biomass, mainly in public buildings. These boiler rooms were the first to use wood pellets in Slovakia.

The school building before the reconstruction

The school in Klokocov, a small village in the Northwest of Slovakia, was one of the two pilot projects undertaken in 2000-2001. The school building badly needed rehabilitation – the wooden window frames and doors were worn out, there was no thermal insulation of the outside walls and the roof, the distribution pipes had leaks, and the radiators and electrical installations also needed improvement. In addition, the boiler room was running on fossil fuels (coal, coke and sludge) and was not energy efficient.

The school building after reconstruction

Project description
Aim	The aim of the project was to combine the complete reconstruction and upgrade of the school building, which was done as a pilot project for school buildings’ rehabilitation in Slovakia, with the boiler room reconstruction and the fuel switch from fossil fuels to wood pellets. _ Klokocov school was the pilot project of BIOMASA Association for the replacement of an old fossil boiler using coal and coke with a biomass boiler. _ As a result of the project, a reduction in CO2 emissions and lower energy bills for heating were expected.
Key points	New heating system _ The new biomass heating boiler was installed in the main school building. It is a small district heating unit using biomass as a fuel, which provides the heating for the school (including the school gym and canteen), two one-storey homes, the municipal office building and the village service building. This boiler, with a total output of 910 kW, replaced the two old inefficient coal and coke boilers previously in the school and in the municipal administration building. _ Building retrofit _ The school building’s retrofit included: - Replacement of windows and doors  Thermal insulation of the outside walls and the roof  Replacement of the heat distribution pipes  Installation of new radiators  Installation of heat zone regulation  Upgrading of the electrical installations  Improvement of the façade _ Monitoring confirmed the reduction of heat consumption due to the improvement of the thermal characteristics of the building, the replacement of windows and the heating zone temperature controls. The achieved heat consumption savings were 52.4 %. _ _ The installation of the new biomass boiler and rehabilitation of the building were promoted at many meetings and awareness raising activities, organised by BIOMASA staff. BIOMASA staff communicated intensively with the mayor of the municipality, the director of the school, the politicians and state employees (as schools were state property at that time), as well the parents of the pupils and residents to promote the benefits that the project achieved – both environmental and economical.
Reason for inclusion as Shining Example	This project and the experience gained during its successful implementation shows that a strong partnership between the state, the municipality and a non-governmental organisation can achieve excellent results in energy saving and protection of the environment and can be a good example to follow.

Costs & Benefits
Costs & funding	The project was financed by grants, a state subsidy, private home owners connected to the heating system and the municipal’s budget. The total investment cost was €336,000 (boiler room, distribution system, building reconstruction). _ The new boiler room was financed by a grant from DEPA (Danish Environmental Protection Agency) and the pipes and valves by the owners of the homes connected to the distribution system and by the municipality (as owner of the school’s distribution system at that time). The energy efficiency reconstruction of the school building was financed by the state. _ BIOMASA is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the boiler house and for the fuel supply (BIOMASA supplies pellets from its own plant, although at the beginning the wood chips were sourced from neighbouring producers). The association guarantees the proper functioning of the boiler and has signed a contract with all consumers for a period of 12 years for fixed price monthly payments for the heat delivered.
Benefits	School children visit the Klokocov boiler room _ This project resulted in a 50% saving in energy and heating costs. The price of the heat delivered by the wood pellet boiler is 20% lower than the country’s average price for heat delivery. The CO2 emissions were reduced by 560 tonnes/annum (compared to the brown coal used before) for all of the connected buildings. In addition, emissions of CO and NOx have been measured in 2001 and in 2006 and there has been a substantial reduction in these gases, which are now much lower than the reference values. _ _ Another benefit of the project is that those receiving their heat from the biomass boiler no longer have to take care of their heating system or fuel supply. The new heating system also provides a greater comfort level for the end users of the heat because their heat supply is now stable, without ups and downs. _ The school rooms are now better heated and provide a higher level of comfort for pupils and teachers. _ The broad awareness raising campaign that BIOMASA organised to promote the measures that were implemented in the school changed the attitude of the local community in regards to environmental issues.