WELCOME TO OUR Biomass Boilers PROJECT
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Summary: Advice on what Biomass Boilers are, how wood fuelled heating systems work and their benefits, and whether a biomass boiler is suitable for your home.
BIOMASS BOILERS
Without a biomass boiler, the average household can expect to send between 8 and 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. This figure would be reduced to nil if biomass boilers were installed.
These boilers burn timber – logs, wood chip and/or pellets which are all carbon neutral. The logic behind this is that burning timber produces the same amount of carbon dioxide that would be produced if the tree was just left to rot in the ground so it is regarded as carbon neutral.
In terms of efficiency, biomass boiler compare favourably with fossil-power condensing boilers with up to 90% being achieved. They are capable of supplying both heating and hot water but expert advice should be sought to assess the size of the boiler required. The size of rooms and insulation levels can affect a boiler’s efficiency but in general terms a 25kW boiler could provide all the heat required for a standard three bedroom semi-detached house.
Biomass boilers work at their most efficient when burning wood pellets and an advantage of using them is that they are easy to store and can be incorporated into an automatic hopper feeding system. Wood chips and logs can also be used – the latter being an attractive alternative to people living in wooded rural areas.
There are four basic questions to be asked that prospective biomass boiler users must answer.
- Do you live in a smokeless zone?
- Is planning permission required?
- Do you have enough fuel storage space close to the position of the boiler?
- Is your existing flue suitable or does it need to be lined?
Another point to be considered is the question of storage. Using an automatic hopper feed system in particular may be a problem because the hopper arrangement may take up more space than the boiler. And if the boiler is to be hand fed, the fuel supply must be close to the boiler–trailing to the outhouse on a wet November evening is not much fun!
The storage issue can also affect costs. There are substantial discounts to be obtained by buying in bulk but this should only be done if there is secure, clean and dry storage space available.
The savings in running costs between a biomass boiler system and other systems vary. Replacing a gas-fired system would not produce significant savings and may even cost more. But annual savings of between £200 and £400 could be achieved against electric or solid fuel systems. The boiler will need an annual service check costing about £200.
The Feed-in Tariff system (FiT) came into operation in UK in April 2010 and householders producing electricity from green sources can receive 41.3p per unit of power produced for a guaranteed period of 25 years provided that the system is installed by an accredited contractor. It is generally believed that this rate will not be maintained and may be reduced to new installers when this new green initiative is established.
You might like to go to our video section on Green Living to watch a film on using a pellet boiler in the home.
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