Providing adequate heating for homes in rural Scotland is a challenge. Older properties were designed and built before the concept of central heating was considered, and consequently, these houses tended to use open fires in each room. A shift towards central heating systems has occurred, using oil and gas-fired boilers to provide distributed heat through radiators, and although modern buildings can now consider new and innovative heating systems, such as air and ground-sourced heat pumps, old properties need a good level of heating and improved insulation to provide comfort and healthy living standards. Orkney Sustainable Energy has decided to demonstrate that high standards of heating can be achieved at low cost without the need to use fossil fuels, and that using high technology is not always necessary. We believe that a good solution is to use wood pellets, and accordingly we have installed a demonstration wood-fired boiler, set up a supply of fuel and arranged that a local company will be able to provide installation and maintenance services. Why wood pellets? | Carbon Neutral Fuel Wood is a renewable source of energy because the carbon dioxide emitted when the wood is burned has been taken out of the atmosphere by the growing plant. Even allowing for emissions of fossil carbon dioxide in planting, harvesting, processing and transporting the fuel, replacing fossil fuel with wood fuel will typically reduce net CO2 emissions by over 90%. Pellets have the following advantages over other types of wood fuel: Less volume to transport and store due to higher energy density and fewer deliveries. Consistent size and moisture content, less ash and emissions. Versatility - can be used in stoves and boilers, Pellets are dry and can be stored without degrading, Flows like a liquid and can be used in automatic machinery, Easier to handle and ignite.Pellets are mostly manufactured from waste products from sawmills and other wood processing industries. The materials used, include ground woodchips, sawdust and bark. No chemical additives are needed, as the natural lignin of the wood itself serves as a binder. Comparison with heating oil Most rural properties in Scotland use Kerosene heating oil or bottled gas for heating purposes. The price of these fuels varies considerably, as can be seen in the following graph: Boilerjuice. Over the last twelve months the price of heating oil has gone up by almost 80%, reaching over £600 for 1000 litres in January 2010, however the cost of wood pellets has remained constant; £230 per tonne (Orkney prices). Oil is more energy dense than wood pellets, and for a direct comparison the cost of wood should be doubled to calculate if using wood pellets would be more economic. In January 2010 wood pellets were the most economic fuel in Orkney.
Woodpecker Boiler
Woodpecker Energy produce the Woodpecker range of boilers, the most popular wood pellet boiler in the British Isles; Cosyman_Outdoor_Boiler. The Cosyman Woodpecker has been designed to suit developers and homeowners who do not plan to build a garage or boiler house, as the unit can sit outdoors, with no external protection. The wood pellet system is encased in a galvanized outdoor module, and is accessed by hinged doors at the front, and has rear access panels for the plumbing connections. The Cosyman also has a twin walled insulated flue with a cowl which eliminates the cost of purchasing a chimney to the householder. Installation and Service | |
