VAN BUREN — By all accounts, a heating system conversion project being done at Gateway School in Van Buren is proceeding on schedule. Should any work remain by the time pupils return to school on Wednesday, Aug. 19, it will be done after school or on weekends.

The $230,000 project calls for conversion of the heating system at Gateway School from electric-powered to less costly oil-burning. SAD 24 Superintendent Wayne Mowatt earlier said the conversion should to save the school unit about $40,000 a year in energy costs.

The work being done by low bidder Aroostook Plumbing & Heating of Presque Isle involved converting a storage area into a boiler room and installing two boilers, coils and piping.

School maintenance workers were responsible for removal and reinstallation of ceiling tiles. A separate contract for installing the fuel storage tank went to Bob’s Burner Service, a local firm.

Much of the work has been completed, Project Manager Jack Kazenski said Wednesday. “It’s getting very close.” He said the installation of coils was delayed because they had not arrived yet. Because of the economy, Kazenski said, many manufacturers were not stocking equipment on store shelves and that required special orders.

At least three other Maine school systems were undergoing similar projects, according to Kazenski. Converting from electric to oil heat, he said, made sense because recent cost comparisons showed that every $1 spent on oil heat equaled $4 in electric heat.

“The savings in electricity will be significant,” Mowatt said. “We’ve been spending a tremendous amount on electricity that just wasn’t necessary. We also will be able to maintain the building a much greater comfort level for students.”

The bulk of the project’s funding came from a Department of Energy matching grant. Van Buren, Hamlin and Cyr Plantation will have to pay about 12.5 percent of the local share at SAD 24’s state current reimbursement level.