HONESDALE, PA — Estemerwalt Log Homes, a 140-year-old family-owned company with a record of environmental sustainability, has saved more than 2.3 million gallons of fuel oil since debuting its sawdust-burning kiln system in 1996.

Estemerwalt’s green choice to use sawdust—a waste product of its operations—to power its kiln saves 240 gallons of fuel each day it is used. As of August 30, Estemerwalt had conserved 2,335,440 gallons of fuel oil. That’s the equivalent of filling the typical 275-gallon oil tank, found in many homes, 8,492 times. 

“This is a substantial benefit for not only today, but for future generations,” owner Kurt Propst said.

Estemerwalt’s sawdust-gasification system has three phases: Green sawdust is fed into a primary burn chamber where the sawdust is burned, yet starved of oxygen. This converts the sawdust into gas. The wood gas then passes into a secondary chamber where it is ignited—creating an environmentally efficient heat supply. The kiln is used to dry lumber. 

“Estemerwalt always has been a stalwart steward of the environment,” said Propst. “Though we could have selected fuel oil (relatively inexpensive in 1996) to run our kiln, our commitment to conserving natural resources led us to sawdust as the optimum fuel. The result has been massive savings—environmentally and financially—that have been reinvested into industry-leading products and extremely competitive pricing for our valued customers.”

Estemerwalt is a producer of custom log homes and rustic lumber products, including logs, timbers, siding, trim, flooring and posts, all produced at the mill and dried in the company’s sawdust-burning kiln. 

To learn more, or to inquire about log homes, visit Estemerwalt.com or call 570/729-0733.

This article was contributed by Focus Media, Goshen, NY.