Biomass has a bright future thanks to Government initiatives designed to encourage the use of renewables, according to Steve Dolby.
Following the Government's plan to introduce and fund the Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) - and despite more recent doubts over when the RHI might be introduced - the industry is primed and, I hope, ready, to meet the demands that will arise from the changeover to a more sustainable approach to heating. A major part of this revolution will be the move from fossil fuel-based heating to biomass heating systems.

However, before installing a biomass heating system, several aspects need to be taken into account, such as the availability of biomass fuel; the availability of system management manpower and equipment; the availability of space for fuel storage and equipment; and capital expenditure.

As a rule of thumb, the first step should be to ascertain where the fuel will come from.
The three main types of biomass are logs, wood chip and wood pellet. Of these, wood chip or wood logs are cheaper than wood pellet, but are only part of the cost of running such raw timber heating systems, as the boilers and ancillaries are usually more expensive than those that run on wood pellet.

Add to this the need to have people on site to oversee the loading of fuel into the boiler, e.g. with a loading shovel; its quality and production (if self chipping); and indeed the removal of contaminants such as stones from the fuel and the required level of commitment is quite high. The ideal scenario would be a local source of seasoned wood chip or logs, either from your own resources or from a reliable, affordable fuel supplier.

Wood pellet is more expensive, but requires only about a quarter to a fifth of the space for storage, compared with wood chip or wood log. Wood pellet is a compressed fuel which is more energy dense, burns very efficiently and leaves little residue. They can be delivered by specialist blower lorry to a silo (which is linked to the boiler by auger or vacuum feed), which means that this type of installation can be similar to an oil boiler experience. Particulates and ash from wood pellet are minimal.

Consistent heat source

As the moisture content is governed by CEN/TS and ONORM standards of production, wood pellet is also a far more consistent source of heat than the raw wood fuels. Wood pellet can even be used in smoke-free zones.

Biomass is seen as a more secure supply of fuel than fossil fuels as it is either likely to come from local sources (e.g. raw timber), or is easily transportable and tradable (e.g. wood pellet). Production and supply of wood fuels encourages UK enterprise, as does the development of the installation industry, which in some respects is still at an embryonic stage. Delays in the number of initiatives required in driving things forward has resulted in a cautious approach with regards to development, training and commitment.

However, the industry is growing in order to fulfil the demands that will be made of it if the Government is to meet its Carbon Reduction Commitment.
Unfortunately, some contractors and specifiers are reluctant to invest in training for biomass systems, which has caused a lack of local installers in some parts of the country.

At Woodpecker Energy UK, we are quite aware of the importance of training and have developed an installation, service and demonstration centre in Somerset, where we train heating engineers to understand, use and install our biomass heating systems.
Having said all that, we are confident that, as more incentives become available and regulations come into force, biomass heating systems will become a more familiar part of commercial buildings.

In future, heating systems that cut carbon emissions may no longer be considered a new technology but a must.