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Wood Pellet Heating- Good Idea/Bad Idea?

By Renew iT Energy Solutions | Published: 22nd Jun, 2007 | Viewed 2119 times This time last year wood pellet heating systems were being hailed at the best thing since sliced bread- an answer to both our environmental conscience and the insanity of our heating bills. One year on, there is a much most reserved approach to wood pellet heating- and this can only be a good thing. Wood pellets can be used in two main ways for heating: 1. Central Heating (wood pellet boilers or wood pellet stoves with back-boilers) 2. Space Heating (wood pellet stoves) Wood pellet stoves and boilers have been used on the continent for years. If a quality product is used and it is sized and installed correctly- they DO work and they DO save you money. But they also DO take a little bit more effort than oil/gas systems to operate. There has been negative press in terms of both the availability of pellets and the efficiency of the boilers. As a simple reply- there are pellets available to meet the market’s need, and the boilers will work efficiency if installed correctly. Why Choose Pellet Heating? ENVIRONMENT: Wood pellets are a clean, dry fuel made from a mixture of sawdust and wood shavings. The carbon dioxide that is released when pellets and burned is equal to the amount the tree consumes when it was growing, they are therefore considered to be carbon neutral. Wood Pellets are manufactured with wood from sustainable forests. SAVINGS: So having helped the environment, does the move also make financial sense? Wood pellets can be purchased in bulk or bagged. Four tonnes of pellets provides the same heat output as about 2,000 Litres of oil. Buying your pellets in bulk for central heating purposes should help realise about 40-50% savings over oil. The key word here is “should”. For these savings to be realised you need to work with a good quality of pellet- this is something not very available in bulk form in Ireland just yet. Using poorer quality pellets means that your savings may be reduced a little as you will burn more pellets. Outside of the quality issue, to run your boiler on minimum pellets it will need to be installed and commissioned correctly. The use of a buffer tank will also help this situation. Over the first 12 months as you get used to your boiler, you should be able to adapt the pellet consumption bit by bit to ensure optimum efficiency for your boiler. Worst case scenario- centrally heating your home or business with pellets should save you 20-30% on oil/gas heating costs. How much will my wood pellet system cost? Wood pellet boilers vary in price from about €5,000 to €15,000. This can be very daunting for people in terms of choice. An average priced good quality boiler which will do your job perfectly will cost you about €6,500. You then need to consider the price of installation and a bulk pellet storage unit (if not building your own). So working on the €6,500 price, expect to pay in the region of €10,000 for the full package. The averaged priced wood pellet stove will be €3,300 installed. What grants are available? Grants are available from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) (www.sei.ie or 1850 734 734) for the installation of wood pellet heating systems under their Greener Homes Scheme. The grant available on the wood pellet boiler is €4,200. The grant available on the wood pellet stove is €1,100. You can apply for a grant for only one pellet system- boiler OR stove. SEI also provide grants for other energy and cost saving technologies such as solar water heating systems and heat pumps. So are wood pellets really available? Yes they are! In December 2006 back-up of demand, with many people unaware that the pellets needed to be ordered a few weeks in advance to ensure delivery. However, people should not have been left without heat as there are many bagged pellet suppliers on the marketplace. The problem is that using bagged pellets for central heating can cost you more than oil. BALCAS in Fermanagh are putting in place a nationwide network of pellet suppliers; therefore you will soon be able to order your bulk delivery from someone in your county or the next county over. In general, you can expect more bulk suppliers to enter the marketplace in the next 12-18 months- pellets will become a local fuel. SEI have a list of all pellets suppliers available for download on their website www.sei.ie. So, Pellet Heating- Good Idea/Bad Idea? Good idea….with some conditions: - Choose a company who will give you ongoing service and help - Utilise your pellet stove/boiler only in conjunction with an effectively designed heating system - Learn about your boiler or stove to enable you to work it at peak efficiency- don’t be afraid of it. - And finally- if you are adverse to removing ash- think again! For further product information, and SEI grant forms you can contact Renew iT Energy Solutions on 094 9621921, info@renewit.ie; www.renewit.ie or visit their showroom at Ballindrimley, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. BACK TO ARTICLES