Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy this is often used to mean plant based material.
CO2 emissions are a major cause for concern; fossil fuels won’t last forever and utility bills are rising. The Government is incentivising renewable energy heating systems and has a payment system in place to reward renewable energy solutions. Biomass boilers may qualify for a one off subsidy – a Renewable Heat Premium Payment – from the Government if your installation takes place before the end of March 2012. From autumn 2012 you may be eligible for regular Renewable Heat Incentive payments if your biomass system is put in place by a micro-generation certified installer.
Total system costs vary considerably from installation to installation. Typically the cost of the boiler will be a relatively small proportion of the total cost, perhaps one third for a log boiler installation. A boiler house, fuel store, accumulator tank, fuel feed system, and flue will all add to the cost, as will design, project management and commissioning.
Yes. Biomass boilers and stoves are capable of heating your whole building and Domestic Hot Water and work extremely well with radiators and underfloor heating.
If sized correctly, a biomass boiler should take the place of a traditional boiler and is far greener and efficient. The average house uses around 23,000 kWh of heat per year for heating and hot water – a 15kW biomass boiler should be sufficient for a reasonably well insulated home.
Not at all – biomass fuel is burned within a closed, well designed flued system, so should be no smellier or smokier than a standard gas boiler.
Unlike oil and coal which release pollutants into the atmosphere when burnt, biomass boilers burn cleanly and only produce a small amount of ash. Unlike coal ash, clean wood ash is an excellent fertiliser and can be used in the garden or returned to the forest. Modern appliances burn very cleanly with minimal smoke.
You do get a noise from the auger that feeds the combustion chamber with pellets from the hopper. This sounds like a quiet mechanical whirr and therefore the boiler should ideally not be situated in a living area, but in an outbuilding or utility room where the noise will not be noticeable.
Yes. If you don’t have access to natural gas,your MCS-approved biomass boiler installation will earn you money for every kWh of heat generated. This money is tax-free, and will be paid straight into your bank account every quarter for 7 years and could total over £4,000 a year. It’s all thanks to the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive
If you have access to free logs, then it won’t cost you a penny to produce hot water or heat your home. If using Pellets it’s significantly cheaper than using oil, LPG or electricity. Fuel prices are always rising, so expect the savings between biomass and fossil fuels. With government’s Renewable Heat Incentive out next year, your system will even pay you.
A Biomass boiler can be seamlessly integrated into your existing heating system. It is no different than replacing your existing Gas or Oil boiler.
This depends on whether using Logs or Pellets and what time of the year. With Pellets most people find themselves emptying the ash bin once a fortnight, but your Roses will love it.
Absolutely – as well as creating a commercial use for timber by-products that would otherwise end up in landfill, the demand for biomass provides financial support for woodland management activity. When managed properly, every woodland can provide a sustainable yield of timber that can be harvested indefinitely without posing any threat to the future of that woodland.
Yes, at present for commercial installations, you can receive the renewable heat incentive which is a quarterly payment depending on the amount of heat used. On domestic installations are now also eligible for RHI payments although the terms and payment amounts differ slightly from commercial RHI.
Biomass boilers need to be kept clean and free of obstructions (for ventilation). You need to make sure you have sufficient fuel in the hopper, check the flue occasionally and empty the ash bin every couple of weeks. But we would recommend at least an annual service although two may be required if the boiler is used heavily.
Reliable Renewables currently supply KG Premium and Imperial Heat bagged wood pellets and will deliver direct to your pellet store. Your pellet store can either be custom designed & built by us or a pre-fabricated hopper can be used. (See our Wood Pellets Page)
There are no two technologies that work better together than these two. Solar thermal panels are the most efficient way to generate hot water during the summer months, and in the winter your biomass boiler will take over if your solar thermal panels aren’t generating sufficient heat or hot water.
All our biomass boilers come with the manufacturers warranty and when we install, an installation warranty also.