The furniture manufacturer will use the funds to install a renewable biomass cogeneration system to supply heat and electricity to its operation.

LISBON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, UNITED STATES, June 22, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Furniture manufacturer DCI,Inc. was awarded $706,000 from the USFS as part of the USDA’s initiative to fund grant proposals to develop and expand the use of wood products, strengthen emerging wood energy markets, and protect community forests. The grant is part of the Forest Service’s Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Grant Program which provides funding to install thermally led community wood energy systems or to build innovative wood product manufacturing facilities.

This is the third—and largest—grant DCI has secured to fund a new high efficiency wood boiler to generate space heat, process heat, and electricity at its vertically integrated furniture plant. DCI also won a $250k grant from the USDA‘s Rural Energy for America Program, and a $500k grant from the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Renewable Energy Fund. This brings the total funds raised for the renewable energy system to nearly $1.5 million.

DCI President Henry Kober projects that out of the box the new renewable biomass boiler will save DCI $390,000 annually in energy costs. The Forest Service grant also enables the company to recommission a steam engine generator to further reduce its dependence on the electrical grid. By powering the renewable energy system with its own wood waste, DCI is taking another step towards realizing its commitment to zero waste and carbon neutrality.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the awards saying, “To manage wildfires and address climate, we need to manage our forests. Today’s investments underpin USDA’s commitment to address the climate crisis with a market-based approach that begins to move us toward a clean energy economy, led by production of renewable fuel and energy and biobased products grown and manufactured here in the U.S.”

Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen added, “We are placing emphasis on assisting wood energy facilities in economically challenged areas to retool or add advanced technology to replace systems that are inefficient or fueled by fossil fuels.”

On receiving the Forest Service grant, DCI President Henry Kober said, “We are honored to receive grants from the USDA,USFS, and the Public Utility Commission of New Hampshire for the construction of a new biomass boiler to replace the existing wood fired boiler that has served us well, but is now forty years old. The new boiler will operate more efficiently and will reduce particulate emissions by 75%. In addition, it is designed to burn locally-sourced whole tree chips to supplement the wood waste from our furniture operations in Lisbon, further reducing our carbon footprint."


USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. Visit the Forest Service website for a complete list of projects and organizations receiving grants under the Community Forests Program.

DCI, Inc. is a family-owned, fully integrated, American furniture manufacturing company based in Lisbon, NH specializing in sustainable solid wood furniture since 1976 and supplying the higher education and military markets. With its FSC-certified sawmill and zero-waste manufacturing plant, DCI is committed to minimizing its ecological footprint while making the highest quality sustainable furniture.

Henry Kober
DCI,Inc.
+1 800-552-8286 ext. 611
email us here

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