CEEAC

Energy from biomass is produced from organic matter of recent origin. It does not include fossil fuels, which have taken millions of years to evolve. The CO² released during the generation of energy from biomass is balanced by the CO² absorbed during the fuel's production. It is therefore a carbon neutral process. For small-scale domestic applications, biomass would usually be wood pellets, wood chips or wood logs.

How does it work?

There are two ways of using biomass to heat a property:

• Stand alone stoves provide space heating for a room. 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 a central heating and hot water systems. These are suitable for pellets, logs or chips, and are generally larger than 15kW.

What are the benefits?

Producing energy from biomass has both environmental and economic advantages. A biomass system is ‘carbon neutral' and can be cheaper to run than oil, LPG or electric heating systems. Furthermore, biomass can help reduce waste by creating energy from products that are often disposed of at landfill sites.

How much does it cost?

Stand alone room heaters generally cost between £1,500 and £3,000 installed. The cost for boilers varies depending on the fuel choice: a typical 15kW pellet boiler would cost from £4,000 to £12,000 installed, including the cost of the flue and commissioning. A manual log feed system of the same size would be slightly cheaper.

What grants are available?

• Automated wood pellet fed room heaters/stoves: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme is offering grants of £600 or 20% of the eligible costs, whichever is the lower.
• Wood fuelled boiler systems: LCBP offers a maximum of £1,500 or 30% of the eligible costs, whichever is the lower.

Useful Links

British Biogen, UK Trade Association for bioenergy: http://www.britishbiogen.co.uk/
Information on wood fuel, and local fuel suppliers: www.nef.org.uk/logpile