Reduce your fuel bills using Biomass is produced from organic materials, either directly from plants or indirectly from industrial, commercial, domestic or agricultural products. It is often called 'bioenergy' or 'biofuels'. It doesn't include fossil fuels, which have taken millions of years to be created.
Biomass fall into two main categories:
- Woody biomass includes forest products, untreated wood products, energy crops and short rotation coppice (SRC), which are quick-growing trees like willow.
- Non-woody biomass includes animal waste, industrial and biodegradable municipal products from food processing and high energy crops. Examples are rape, sugar cane, maize.
For small-scale domestic applications of biomass the fuel usually takes the form of wood pellets, wood chips or wood logs.
The benefits
Producing energy from biomass has both environmental and economic advantages.
It is a carbon neutral process as the CO2 released when energy is generated from biomass is balanced by that absorbed during the fuel's production. Furthermore, biomass can contribute to waste management by harnessing energy from products that are often disposed of at landfill sites.
It is most cost effective when a local fuel source is used, which results in local investment and employment and also minimises transport miles to your home.
How it works
There are two main ways of using biomass to heat a domestic property:
- Stand alone stoves providing space heating for a room. These can be fuelled by logs or pellets but only pellets are suitable for automatic feed. Generally they are 6-12 kW in output, and some models can be fitted with a back boiler to provide water heating.
- Boilers connected to central heating and hot water systems. These are suitable for pellets, logs or chips, and are generally larger than 15 kW.
There are many domestic log, wood chip and wood pellet burning central heating boilers available. Log boilers must be loaded by hand and may be unsuitable for some situations. Automatic pellet and wood chip systems can be more expensive. Many boilers will dual fire both wood chips and pellets, although the wood chip boilers need larger hoppers to provide the same time interval between refuelling.
Is it suitable for my home?
You should consider the following issues if you're thinking about a biomass boiler or stove. An accredited installer will be able to provide more detailed advice.
- Fuel
It's important to have storage space for the fuel, appropriate access to the boiler for loading and a local fuel supplier.
- Flue
The vent material must be specifically designed for wood fuel appliances and there must be sufficient air movement for proper operation of the stove. Chimneys can be fitted with a lined flue.
- Regulations
The installation must comply with all safety and building regulations.
- See Part L of the Building Regulations, Northern Ireland
- See Part F of the Building Regulations, Scotland
- Smokeless zones
Wood can only be burnt in exempted appliances, under the Clean Air Act.
- Planning
If the building is listed or in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), then you will need to check with your Local Authority Planning Department before a flue is fitted.
Costs and savings
Stand alone room heaters generally cost around £3,000 installed. Savings will depend on how much they are used and which fuel you are replacing.
The cost for boilers varies depending on the system choice; a typical 15kW (average size required for a three-bedroom semi detached house) pellet boiler would cost around £5,500 - £12,000 installed, including the cost of the flue and commissioning. A manual log feed system of the same size would be slightly cheaper. A biomass powered boiler could save you around £200 a year in energy bills and around 8 tonnes of C02 per year.
Unlike other forms of renewable energy, biomass systems require you to pay for the fuel. Fuel costs generally depend on the distance from your supplier and whether you can buy in large quantities.
Where can I find out more about installation?
The DTI funded low carbon buildings programme provides grants to help with the costs of installing biomass technologies.
*Source Energy Saving TrustRenewable Energy Articles | SEO Top Ten Google
