Biomass heating

In energy terms, biomass heating refers to the use of a wide variety of organic material for the generation of heat.

Biomass is any form of biologically produced matter, which can be burnt as a fuel. Common sources of biomass fuel include forestry waste, sawmill residues, and dedicated energy crops, such a miscanthus grass and willow coppice.

Buy a biomass heating system

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Biomass is an environmentally friendly renewable source of energy. The use of biomass to meet energy needs is a 'carbon-neutral' process because the carbon dioxide released during combustion is balanced by that absorbed by the plants during their growth.

Biomass can be used to provide energy for many applications, from domestic and commercial space heating up to industrial-scale combined heat and power (CHP). Modern biomass boilers are easy to operate and in many cases the cost of heat from biomass is lower than the fossil fuel equivalent.

There are four types of biomass generall in use today: 1) wood and agricultural products; 2) solid waste; 3) landfill gas; and 4) alcohol fuels.

Wood chips constitute one of the most economical forms of biomass fuel, as they can be burned with little or no preprocessing.

The use of biomass energy has the potential to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Burning biomass releases carbon dioxide. However, when fossil fuels are burned they release carbon dioxide that was captured by photosynthesis millions of years ago— thus an essentially "new" greenhouse gas is being released into the atmosphere. Biomass, on the other hand, releases carbon dioxide that is largely balanced by the carbon dioxide that has been captured in its own growth, over a much shorter time period. Consequently, displacing fossil fuels with biomass should result in significantly lower net carbon emissions to the atmosphere.

Seventy-nine percent of the biomass we use today comes from burning wood and wood scraps - The rest of the biomass comes from crops, garbage, landfill gas, and. alcohol fuels.

Who uses biomass energy? Industry is the biggest user of biomass. Seventy-seven percent of biomass is used by industry.

Homes are the next biggest users of biomass energy. About one-fifth of American homes burn wood for heating. Three percent of homes use wood as their main heating fuel. For small-scale domestic applications of biomass the fuel usually takes the form of wood pellets, wood chips or wood logs

Electric utilities also use biomass energy to produce electricity. One percent of biomass is used to make electricity. Still, biomass produces only a tiny amount of the electricity we use in this country.

Environmentally, biomass has some advantages over fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. Biomass contains little sulfur and nitrogen, so it does not produce the pollutants that cause acid rain. Growing plants for use as biomass fuels may also help keep global warming in check. That's because plants remove carbon dioxide--one of the greenhouse gases-from the atmosphere when they grow.

You should consider the following issues if you're thinking about a biomass boiler or stove. An accredited installer will be able to provide more detailed advice.

The cost for boilers varies depending on the system choice; a typical 15kW (average size required for a three-bedroom semi detached house) pellet boiler would cost around £5,500 - £12,000 installed, including the cost of the flue and commissioning. A manual log feed system of the same size would be slightly cheaper. A biomass powered boiler could save you around £200 a year in energy bills and around 8 tonnes of C02 per year. Your biomass boiler may be fitted in the same position as your current boiler, depending on space. A biomass boiler that would heat a 2 to 3 bedroom house or a commercial unit up to 3000sq ft would fit in a 2M cube space. The hopper could be next to it or remotely placed; depending on model.

Unlike other forms of renewable energy, biomass systems require you to pay for the fuel. Fuel costs generally depend on the distance from your supplier and whether you can buy in large quantities.

The DTI funded low carbon buildings programme provides grants to help with the costs of installing biomass technologies.

Ask the right questions when sourcing a biomass heating system

The most important things to consider when searching for a biomass heating system are to know your needs and ask the right questions of a potential biomass heating system manufacturer.

In a survey of nearly 100 manufacturers of biomass heating systems in the United States and Canada with the capability of serving light industrial / commercial purposes and agricultural needs, AURI identified the most important questions to ask:

Case studies

Heating an Auto Body Shop with Biomass

Biomass energy, or bioenergy, refers to all forms of renewable energy that are derived from plant materials produced by photosynthesis. Biomass fuels can be derived from wood, agricultural crops and other organic residues. These fuels can be obtained from many sources in Canada, including sawmills, woodworking shops, forest operations and farms.

The recent upward trend in oil and gas prices has caused many Canadian business owners to reflect on the finite nature of fossil fuels and to take another look at renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and biomass. Many are discovering that renewable energy technologies today are well developed and reliable. Bioenergy is regarded as "green" energy for several reasons. Assuming that biomass resources, such as forests, are managed properly, biomass fuels are infinitely renewable. They have already proven to be economically stable sources of energy over time. Bio-energy is neutral in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions.

The burning of biomass fuels merely releases the CO2 that the plants absorbed over their life spans. In contrast, the combustion of fossil fuels releases large quantities of long-stored CO 2 , which contributes directly to climate change. Using bioenergy displaces fossil fuels and helps slow the rate of climate change. Commercial wood heating is common in rural areas across Canada. Between 1980 and 1993, many businesses and institutions in the Atlantic provinces installed automated biomass heating plants to stem rising energy costs. Despite relatively low oil prices in the last decade, many businesses have continued to operate - and often expand - their biomass heating plants. They have achieved significant savings and other benefits from low-cost bioenergy. This case study features one of several small businesses that have installed a biomass combustion system (BCS).

BCSs are used to heat many types of businesses. A somewhat unusual use is in an auto body shop. Dave Koughan owns an auto body repair business in Donagh, Prince Edward Island, 15 km east of Charlottetown. Because heating oil is so expensive, Dave originally heated the shop only during working hours. But the uneven heat in the shop was not well suited for drying paint on freshly painted automobiles.

In 1992 Dave expanded the auto body shop to 290 m2 = (3100 sq. ft.). Then he needed a new heating system. "I wanted a cost-effective heating system that would keep the building warm around the clock," says Dave. After considering various options, he elected to install a biomass heating system to heat both the shop and the nearby 110-m2 (1200 sq. ft.) home of his father, Bill Koughan. Under-floor heat distribution systems were installed in both buildings. The BCS was installed in a new, separate building that measures 9 m x 15 m (30 ft. x 50 ft.).

The net heat output of the BCS is controlled by an Aquastat , a temperature-control mechanism in the boiler that regulates the quantities of fuel fed to the combustion cell. The BCS operates in either the high-fire mode, when the Aquastat calls for heat, or the hold-fire (or idle) mode, when the boiler reaches the desired temperature. The burning of fuel in an automated biomass system occurs under ideal conditions at very high temperatures in the cell, with controlled under-fire and over-fire air. This results in high combustion efficiency and low emissions with very little smoke or airborne particulates being produced.

Dave Koughan's bioenergy system cost about $50,000 in 1992. This covered the burner and boiler, the heating plant building, the entire heat distribution system and a used skid-steer loader (which cost $3,500) to fill the day bin. A separate fuel-storage building was constructed near the heating plant in 1994.

The Koughans operate their biomass system year-round. In the winter, it provides low-cost heat and hot water for both the auto body shop and Bill's house. Dave Koughan keeps the BCS running at a low level during the summer to produce hot water for washing cars for the business and domestic hot water for the house.

Both Dave Koughan and his father are satisfied with the performance of their biomass system. It provides them with a high degree of convenience and has proved reliable.

Dave believes that his biomass system paid for itself in six or seven years. The cost of the chipper probably added an extra year to the payback. "I consider that the payback was reasonable," says Dave. When he installed the wood-chip system, he estimated that it would have cost about $5,500 to heat the expanded auto body shop for the winter with heating oil. But he acknowledges that the cost would now be considerably higher. Dave calculates that it presently costs about $2,000 per year for biomass heat for the shop and his father's house. This includes both the labour and the diesel fuel involved in producing the wood chips. The cost is somewhat offset by the money they make on about 75 t (50 cords) of sawlogs that they sell from their wood lot each year. Thus, the annual savings produced by the Koughan's biomass system range from $3,500 to $6,000 per year.

Dave sees low-cost, 24-hour heat in his auto body shop as the main benefit of the BCS. He also likes having the heating plant in a separate building. "It's very safe for an auto body shop," said Dave. "The underfloor heating is also very good, compared to hot-air oil furnaces that blow dust and fumes around the shop." Dave also parks freshly painted vehicles in the warm heating plant to dry. This frees up shop space for other tasks.

The Koughan family places a high value on being self-sufficient in the heating of both their business and the home. "I'm pretty pleased with the way things have worked out with the wood-chip system," says Dave Koughan. "And the way things look with oil at the moment, I think that I will be burning wood chips for quite a while." With their bioenergy system running smoothly, the Koughans are not planning any major changes in the foreseeable future.

Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan's) Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative (REDI) promotes investments in renew-able energy technologies. These include biomass combustion systems that produce space heat and water heat for businesses. REDI serves to stimulate market demand for renewable energy systems and ensure that industry infrastructures are developed to meet consumer demand.

A buyers' guide to small commercial biomass combustion systems is available from NRCan. For more information, contact the following:

Bridging Bridging refers to the tendency of some small-particle, biomass fuels to lock together in an arch configuration above a fuel feed mechanism (such as a screw auger or a day-bin agitator). When this happens, the fuel above the bridging configuration ceases to flow, the BCS is starved for fuel and the production of heat is curtailed.

Cord A traditional North American unit for measuring the volume of wood. A cord represents a pile of neatly stacked wood that measures 1.2 m x 1.2 m x 2.4 m (4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft.). The pile volume, including air spaces, is 3.6 m 3 (128 cu. ft.), but the actual solid wood volume is about 2.3 m 3 (80 cu. ft.). A cord of softwood weighs about 1.6 t. A cord of green softwood (chipped) can displace about 340 L of heating oil.

Moisture content The moisture content in wood or other biomass fuels is most commonly expressed on a "wet basis." Moisture content on a wet basis (or MCWB) refers to the proportion of the total weight of a given quantity of wood that is actually water. For example, if green wood has a moisture content of 45 percent MCWB, then 45 percent of the total weight is water and 55 percent of the total weight is wood.

Units of measure Wood chips and other particulate wood-waste materials are sold in a variety of measurement units. Wood fuels may be sold by weight (e. g. by the tonne) either with or without a calculation of the moisture content of the wood. Wood fuels may also be sold by volume (e. g. in cubic meters or cubic yards) or simply by a fixed amount for a truckload of a stated volume. The haul distance from the source (e. g. a sawmill) is also commonly factored into the delivered price of biomass fuels.

Centre for Sustainable Energy

This project aims to tackle a major barrier to the wider development of biomass heating in the South West (and the UK generally), namely the lack of good-quality, strategically-placed exemplar biomass heating projects. This barrier has been identified through dialogue with local authorities, the biomass industry, Regen SW (the renewable energy agency for the South West) and renewable energy agencies in the South West.

to provide good-quality, strategically-placed exemplars and raise awareness of the potential for biomass heating among key public sector stakeholders

The project engaged with local authorities, housing associations and other key stakeholders in the seven counties of the South West to raise awareness and identify opportunities for considering biomass heating. The project aimed to prepare detailed scoping studies for eight of these sites in order to be able to facilitate grant applications and ultimately implementation.

the potential for considering biomass heating as an option when refurbishing existing boiler plant and/or designing and installing heating systems for new buildings

The Bioscope project has been successful in raising the profile of biomass heating amongst local authority stakeholders. It has served to cement existing activity and foster new interest within the sub-regions of the South West.

The project also highlighted barriers to be overcome if biomass installations are to become commonplace in public buildings. Some of the most critical issues that must be addressed include:

In many cases local authority decision makers do not believe biomass heating presents a credible alternative to fossil fuelled plant

There is, at the time of writing (early 2006), a lack of coordinated effort across the South West with biomass initiatives, leading to a piecemeal disconnected approach and duplication of effort, subsequently undermining the credibility of the industry.

3. There is significant interest in using biomass heating in the South West, but a lack of capacity in the private sector to meet this demand. Support from the region to build capacity in the sector is critical and needs to happen in tandem efforts by agencies to create and maintain levels of interest and demand for biomass heating installations.

4. Proposed biomass installations within public buildings still encounter significant objectors from within local authority departments. There needs to be a concerted effort to educate these client groups about the benefits of biomass technology.

5. Related to point 4, there are no large scale biomass heating installations in the South West which can be reliably used for site visits. Bioscope has sought identify potential sites where such a system could be implemented.

6. Engaging stakeholders throughout the project proved relatively straightforward, the importance of SWRDA funding and the regions role in developing biomass should not be underestimated and gives initiatives such as Bioscope added creditability.

8. One site identified in the Bioscope project stands out as a potential exemplar project; Cannington College in West Somerset. With courses covering biomass heating to be offered on site, energy crops grown locally to supply the boiler and accessibility of the site for public awareness raising it meets all of the projects criteria. SWRDA should investigate the provision of capital support more fully with the site contacts and Somerset County Council to enable the project to proceed.

9. There should be further contact with all Bioscope applicants to establish whether any assistance is required to facilitate biomass heating installations.

Biomass Heating | my barn conversion

The term biomass heating refers to the combustion of plant based organic materials for the purpose of heating a volume of air. Biomass fuels fall into two main categories:

The important point to note is that fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas that have taken millions of years to form are excluded from the definition - a biomass fuel will be carbon neutral. The CO2 released when energy is generated from combustion of the biomass is balanced by the CO2 absorbed during the fuel’s production. In the case of fossil fuels, when burned they release carbon dioxide that was captured millions of years ago and as such only increase current total CO2 levels.

For space heating purposes, the biomass will be utilised either by the primary heating source in a room (for example, a wood burning stove) or the secondary heating source of the building (for example, a pellet fed boiler connected to the central heating and hot water systems).

Biomass systems are often bulky and so can require extensive storage space for both fuel and machinery. Unlike other sustainable heating solutions (such as heat pumps) the fuel will need to be sourced (often bought) and so fuel and transportation costs, as well the environmental impact of production and transportation will need to be taken into account.

With careful planning and appropriate sourcing of fuel, a biomass heating solution will have both environmental and economic advantages, providing a carbon neutral heating solution with lower running costs than traditional (gas, oil, coal) powered alternatives.

The younger sibling of the ground source heat pump (GSHP), the air source heat pump (ASHP) is an exciting development in heating technology.

Through recent technological innovations it is now possible to insulate buildings to such an extent that no heating system is required to maintain comfortable temperatures.

Barnsley pioneers biomass heating system - Yorkshire Forward

Biomass heating systems are being used in Barnsley following trials which showed they are cheaper and more effective than gas systems.

The trial undertaken by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council found that biomass (fuel from forestry, crops and waste) pellets have a better combustion efficiency than coal.

Also, a costings survey demonstrated that over 25 years a 450 kW boiler using biomass fuel would cost £300,000 to operate whereas it would cost £500,000 with gas.

The council has now adopted a policy to use biomass heating when boilers need to be replaced.

Already the council has used the services of an energy company, Econergy, to install two biomass boilers to supply heating to three blocks of flats in Union Street.

Nationally the Biomass Task Force claims that biomass heating could reduce the nation's carbon emissions by almost three million tonnes a year.

BillingsGazette.com : School embraces biomass heating

TOWNSEND - A number of state officials gathered here Friday to help celebrate Townsend School's new "biomass" boiler, which burns wood pellets for heat.

The heating system is one of five operating in Montana public schools under the federally funded Fuels for Schools program, which offers financial aid to public buildings willing to heat with biomass. Three others are under construction.

Townsend also is the first school district to burn wood pellets in its new biomass heating system, Farr said.

Townsend Schools are expected to use approximately 250 tons of pellets annually, saving around $19,000 per year in heating costs.

I was surprised to see this when Townsend School, or more appropriately, the architect rejected a much more cost effective "green" system when they built their new school. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites Geoexchange or groundsource heating & cooling as "the most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly heating and cooling technology available." For more information: www.geoexchange.org/press/schools

Case Study: Biomass central heating in Cuéllar - Segovia, Spain on the ManagEnergy Website

This project consisted in the installation of a biomass central heating plant with capacity to supply heat and domestic hot water (DHW) to a neighbourhood composed by approximately 1,000 inhabitants including a school, a cultural centre and a municipal sports centre.

Biomass & Bioenergy : Buildings : DE - Deutsch : Decision Makers : District Heating : ES - Español : FR - Français : Heat/Heating : Households : IT - Italiano : Local Government : PL - Polski : PT - Português : Penelope Project : RO - Român : Regional Government : Renewable Energy Sources & Systems : Utilities

Missoulian: Thompson Falls schools eye biomass heating system

He said the school district could save $30,000 a year - probably more - if it burns this biomass fuel in the central boiler-fired heating system interconnecting the buildings on campus.

If a supplier can be found, the district may apply for a $400,000 grant to help pay for the substantial upfront costs of installing an efficient biomass burner. The district would borrow the remainder from the state's InterCap loan program at below-market rates, Pauli said.

Recently, Pauli and Thompson Falls school trustees visited Darby schools, where biomass fuel has been used to heat the school district's buildings all winter. The system was built with the help of federal funds as a demonstration or pilot project for the rest of Montana.

If Thompson Falls could get a comparable $29-a-ton price, with a contract guaranteed for two years, it would be eligible for a massive federal "fuels for schools" grant. The campus was built in the 1930s with central heat supplied by a boiler system, so the piping is already installed to the buildings. Adding a biomass burner system would be a snap, Pauli said, saving the district some $30,000 a year within 10 years of installation, and after repayment of the loan.

"The biomass systems are fairly expensive upfront, but there are significant savings long term," said Greg Larson of Libby, an official with the Northwest Regional Resource Conservation and Development Council, an umbrella group of local county conservation districts in Lincoln, Flathead, Lake and Sanders counties encouraging the "fuels for schools" project in the region.

He said the idea to use hog fuel as a heating source is nothing new; lumber mills and others have used it for years for their own plants.

He said demand for hog fuels for various heating or electricity generating sources, as well as the demand for the same product for the pulp mill outside Missoula, could drive up the price of the hog fuel and reduce supply. But a preliminary analysis indicates any one school's share of the fuel supply would be quite small, and probably not affect the market much.

Modern biomass burners are highly efficient, burning 20 times cleaner than wood stoves, and generating virtually no visible emissions.