An Introductory Guide to Biomass Heating Stoves
Solar thermal products and biomass stoves or boilers are two most prominent examples of greener technologies widely adapted all across the country today. Biomass stoves seem to have all desired features and facilities – the technology is robust and the products are durable; and the fuel is cheap, renewable and easily available.
What is biomass heating?
As the name suggests, biomass heating makes use of biomass fuel to heat up a site, which can be your room, office or any industry. And biomass fuel is anything that once cultivated and that can be scorched. Some examples of biomass fuel include straw, rapeseed pellet and miscanthus. But wood is one of the most popular and most widely used forms of biomass fuel in the UK.
Biomass resources are the one that are biological material, meaning they are either made from living or recently living materials such as energy crops, food waste and agricultural residue . And wood being the most common form of biomass heating, it is used in various forms such as logs, chips and pellets.
Wood pellets are a manufactured product, while logs and chips are readily available. Wood pellet is made of compressed wood dust and produces heat output of 5,000kW/tonne in comparison of 2,000-3,000kW/tonne heat output of logs and chips.
The value of heat output also varies dramatically based on the type of wood used in the heating process. For example, hardwood produces more amount of heat than softwood. Also, the wood needs to be properly dried to make it moisture-free and use in a heating appliance.
What are the benefits of biomass fuel heating?
One of the key reasons why biomass fuel heating is beneficial is the fact that it uses sustainable meaning renewable sources unlike gas or electricity. So, by opting for biomass fuel heating, you are in a way contributing to a better environment. Wood chips, logs and pellets are available in abundance all across the UK, so there is no dearth of biomass fuel in the country. Moreover, the fuel is available at much cheaper rate than other forms of energy sources whose prices are growing very fast; it is certainly more economical to use a furnace heating system than using an electrical or gas heating system.
In short, biomass is beneficial for us as well as for environment. Biomass fuel is regarded as carbon neutral fuel.
Use Biomass Appliances in Home
There is a wide range of appliances available out there that use biomass fuel to heat up your home. Energy efficient wood stoves are one of them. Other products include biomass boilers and multi-fuel boilers (uses biomass and solar energy). Using one of these appliances in your home also make you eligible for the government-introduced RHI (the Renewable Heat Incentive) scheme. Browse the web to know more about this scheme and how it can save you installation cost for this biomass stove and boiler.