How To Install A Biomass Boiler

Biomass Boilers: The Complete Guide

What is a biomass boiler?
Pros of biomass boilers
Cons of biomass boilers
Best biomass boilers
Price of biomass boilers
Biomass boiler running costs and maintenance
Biomass boiler installation
Is a biomass boiler right for your habitation?

Biomass Boilers

Biomass boilers fire a highly sustainable, carbon neutral and renewable fuel in the form of wood. This may feel like a fairly historic way of generating heat merely it's one of the most reliable. So if y'all're looking for a renewable alternative to fossil fuels so a biomass boiler could be a suitable choice.

What is a biomass boiler?

A biomass boiler does the very aforementioned job as gas and oil boilers – burning a fuel to provide central heating and domestic hot water. Biomass fuel typically includes wooden pellets, chips or logs only tin can also include biological material from plant-based organisms besides.

There are 3 forms of biomass boiler with each existence designed for the different types of fuel.

Wood fries

Biomass boilers that burn woods chips need checking more routinely than other fuel types and are trickier to store than pellets. And while they are more affordable than pellets, they're less efficient.

Wood logs

Every bit the largest blazon of fuel used past biomass boilers, woods logs must exist manually fed into the boiler. And while you could potentially have a free supply of wood logs if yous live near a wooded area, this will add together to your workload.

Woods pellets

Wood pellets are compressed sawdust and shavings of wood. A biomass boiler with a hopper volition automatically feed wood pellets from where they're stored into the boiler.

With a wood pellet biomass boiler, it's important to be aware of the shape, size and wet content suitable for the banality.

Pros of biomass boilers

Equally a renewable heating system, biomass boilers concord many advantages over conventional boilers.

Biomass boilers are carbon neutral, highly efficient, entitle the owner to government payments and tin can potentially be fuelled for free.

Carbon neutral

Lowering carbon emissions is essential if nosotros're to accomplish internet-zero carbon emissions past 2050. And biomass boilers could be 1 of the solutions.

The only carbon released into the temper is the carbon absorbed past the institute during its lifetime. If it wasn't burnt for fuel, the plant would release this carbon into the temper at the end of its life anyway.

This isn't the whole story though. More on this in the disadvantages…

Efficiency of over 90%

The efficiency of a banality relates to how much of the fuel is converted into usable energy. And biomass boilers are capable of delivering efficiencies of over 90% – a similar level to modern condensing gas and oil boilers.

Fuel is inexpensive

Wood chips and pellets are a relatively inexpensive way to heat your habitation. Plus, if you alive nigh a wooded area so y'all could potentially rut your home for costless.

Receive payments through the Renewable Heat Incentive

Past investing in a renewable heating arrangement you could exist eligible to receive payments through the Renewable Oestrus Incentive (RHI). These are quarterly payments that continue for a menstruation of 7 years.

Cons of biomass boilers

Now we've been through the benefits of biomass boilers but are in that location any considerations to make?

More expensive than gas boilers

While the running costs of a biomass boiler can exist depression, the initial costs are high. Depending on the model, biomass boiler installation tin autumn betwixt £four,000 and £21,000.

They can have up a lot of space

Biomass boilers aren't small and additional space is needed to store the fuel. So if yous're considering a biomass boiler then you'll need to ensure that you take enough of space available.

May non exist good for the planet…

Biomass boilers are sold as carbon neutral heating systems. The merely carbon released into the temper, was stored past the tree.

But in order to get the fuel, trees must be cut downwardly. And we need copse to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

So for a biomass banality to be carbon neutral, trees will need to be planted to supervene upon those cutting downwards for fuel. Simply trees take many years to grow so we're amend off leaving them.

Plus, burning wood emits fine particle pollution and other contaminants which are all bad news for the planet. As well equally our health.

Detect out more than in Biomass Boilers: Advantages & Disadvantages.

Best biomass boilers

If a biomass banality would brand a suitable heating system for your home and then there are multiple biomass boiler manufacturers worth comparing.

The best biomass boilers are manufactured by Viessmann, Froling, Windhager and Grant.

Biomass Boiler Manufacturer	Best Biomass Boiler	Biomass Fuel Type	Efficiency
Viessmann	Vitoligno 300-C	Pellets	Up to 95%
Froling	T4	Pellets & Chips	Up to 95%
Windhager	LogWIN Premium	Logs	Up to 92%
Grant	Spira	Pellets	Upwardly to 97%

As you lot can see from the table above, biomass boilers are highly efficient. Modern gas boilers are typically effectually 94% efficient so on the whole, biomass boilers are more efficient.

Find out more nearly the Best Biomass Boiler Manufacturers.

Toll of biomass boilers

At get-go sight, the costs of a biomass boiler can feel daunting. With prices ranging from £4,000 upward to every bit high as £21,000. Ultimately, how much the unit costs will come up down to the type of biomass boiler existence installed and the complexity of the installation.

Biomass boiler costs can range from £4,000 to £10,000 for a manually-fed unit of measurement while an automatically-fed boiler volition cost more than at between £9,000 and £21,000.

Manually-fed biomass boilers are the nigh affordable option with prices of effectually £4,000 to £x,000. While these are cheaper than automatically-fed units, you will have to top the boiler upward with fuel yourself. The price of automatically-fed biomass boilers can get up to £21,000 but will salvage you from having to put fuel into the banality.

These prices can seem very high, especially when you lot consider that a gas boiler can be installed for effectually £two,000. Even so, the upfront costs don't tell the whole story. This is because once installed, a biomass boiler tin be cheaper to run than gas, oil and electricity. You could also receive payments through the Renewable Rut Incentive.

Biomass boiler running costs and maintenance

While there are diverse fuels that can be used by a biomass banality, the 3 main fuels are wood pellets, wood chips and wood logs. All of these fuel sources could potentially save you money over oil, electricity and fifty-fifty gas.

Wood logs are the ideal fuel for anyone with admission to a wooded expanse. That'southward because y'all could potentially gather them up for free – you lot just need to know where to expect.

Fuel	Boilerplate Toll (pence per kWh)
Wood Chips	ii.90
Forest Pellets	5.99
Gas	4.17
Oil	4.81
LPG	7.xix
Electricity (Standard Rate)	xvi.36

Source: The Energy Saving Trust

The fluctuations in toll that affect how much gas costs isn't something that you need to concern yourself with when information technology comes to biomass fuels. On average, gas prices are ascension by effectually ten% annually.

Different gas and electricity, biomass fuel must be purchased in majority and stored at your home. As a fuel that needs to be purchased in bulk, it's of import to look at the potential cost per tonne. Wood chips are likely to be the virtually affordable while pellets come up at the higher toll.

Biomass Fuel	Potential Cost (Per Tonne)
Woods Chips	£59
Forest Logs	£99 (gratis if you have access to a wooded area)
Wood Pellets	£245

Renewable Heat Incentive for biomass boilers

Every bit a advantage for heating your dwelling house with renewable energy, you tin can receive payments through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RHI is a government backed scheme which entitles eligible homeowners to quarterly payments over seven years. Other renewable heating systems eligible for the RHI scheme include:

Air source heat pumps
Footing source heat pumps
Solar thermal systems

The RHI tariff is paid on a pence per kilowatt-hr (kWh) of renewable heat produced by the arrangement. These prices are reviewed on a quarterly basis. Of these 4 renewable heating systems, biomass boilers currently receive the everyman tariff.

Renewable Heating System	Tariff based on applications submitted between one July 2022 and 30 September 2022 (p/kWh)
Air Source Heat Pump	10.85
Biomass Boiler	6.97
Basis Source Heat Pump	21.16
Solar Thermal	21.36

The Domestic RHI volition only be open to new applications until 2022 when the scheme will be replaced by the Make clean Rut Grant. You tin find out more in Clean Heat Grants to Supersede the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Biomass banality installation

A biomass boiler needs infinite. And plenty of it. This is because in addition to the biomass boiler itself, a biomass boiler installation must also include:

Buffer tank (accumulation tank)

Stores hot h2o and performs the role of a 'heat storage battery'. Different gas and oil boilers, which can fire on and off without any problem, it's more complicated for biomass boilers then the buffer tank

Fuel storage

As a physical fuel it must be stored within a container and depending on the type of biomass boiler it will either be automatically-fed into the boiler or you will have to practice it manually.

Flue pipage

Waste gases are released out of the belongings through a flue pipe which can be fitted into a chimney depending on where the biomass boiler will exist installed.

Expansion vessel

Contains air and water to maintain the right level of pressure level within the heating system.

Hot water cylinder

The domestic hot water needs to be stored within a hot water storage cylinder.

Due to all of the space required, a biomass boiler would be most suitable for installation in a garage or purpose-built outhouse. Behave in mind that if the boiler is installed externally to the property it will exist heating then pipework will need to travel to the home – which volition add to the installation costs.

Is a biomass boiler right for your home?

Biomass boilers are one of several renewable heating systems that volition play a big role in helping to reduce carbon emissions. And if a biomass is suitable for your home then you will stand to benefit in a number of ways.

Called-for woods to provide heat may seem a flake dated simply information technology'southward an constructive, efficient and low-carbon alternative to natural gas.

Before being able to commit to having a biomass boiler installed, there are some important considerations to make:

The need for a larger rut delivery arrangement (underfloor or bigger radiators) due to the lower temperature of water than gas boilers
Sufficient cavity wall, floor and loft insulation to ensure the heat remains within your holding
A hot water storage cylinder will be needed to store the domestic hot h2o
As a result of burning wood, biomass boilers produce ash which will need to be disposed off on a regular ground (an automated biomass boiler volition take care of this for y'all)

For properties connected to the gas network, a fundamental heating system that includes a gas boiler makes complete sense. It's a relatively inexpensive fuel that'south delivered to your property on demand. Withal, with supplies beginning to run low, the price of natural gas is ascension past around x% each yr.

And if you've accounted for the considerations in a higher place then a biomass banality could be an effective alternative. By burning institute-based organisms, there'due south no risk of us running out of fuel for biomass boilers – more tin can always exist planted. On top of that forest is a very cheap fuel for heating your home and tin can even be free. And every bit well every bit lower fuel costs, yous could be eligible to receive payments through the Renewable Oestrus Incentive. And so, if the higher upfront price of a biomass banality, compared to gas boilers, has put you off consider the long term costs involved.

If you lot have the space for a biomass boiler alongside somewhere to store the fuel then they're well worth considering. And y'all can get free quotes for the installation from installers in your area. But complete our online form and upwardly to three fully-qualified installers will exist in touch to provide their complimentary quote. Sourcing at least three quotes will give you the confidence that you're getting the about competitive price.

Adam Cherry

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