FAQ's

Question

Why should I burn wood?

Answer

When plants grow they use carbon dioxide from the air to make their wood. If you burn the wood the carbon is released back to the atmosphere. As long as you grow another plant/tree then a stable carbon cycle is set up. So ,the use of sustainably produced wood as a fuel does not increase the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Question

Can I use wood fuel to heat my home?

Answer

Wood fuel is one of the most appropriate renewable energy technologies for heating the home. In a domestic property the two fuels to consider are logs or pellets. Woodchips are not generally suitable for use in a domestic property because of the ancillary equipment needed.

Question

Can I burn wood in a smokeless zone?

Answer

Wood can be burned in a smokeless zone if the appliance (i.e. the stove or boiler) has an Exemption Certificate. Companies which manufacture stoves with Exemption Certificates include Clearview, Vermont Castings, Dovre, Dunsley Yorkshire Stoves, Morso and Jotul. Obtaining an Exemption Certificate is an expensive and lengthy process. There are currently no pellet burning stoves or boilers that are on the exempt appliance list, although many are tested to a high standard in their country of origin.

Question

Are there grants available to help cover the cost of installing wood fuel heating?

Answer

For Domestic there are grants through the Clear Skies programme, run by BRE and funded by the DTI. It offers £600 off the cost of a pellet stove and £1500 off the cost of an automatic wood fuel boiler systems, regardless of size. Originally community groups could also obtain grants through Clear Skies but this funding stream is now at an end.

Question

How many tonnes of logs would I need to heat my 3 to 4 bedroomed detached house?

Answer

You would need about 6 to 8 tonnes of logs to provide space and water heating if the house is not particularly energy efficient.

Question

Could I be self sufficient in wood?

Answer

You would need to have sufficient land to produce 6 to 12 tonnes dry logs p.a. This could be done by planting a hectare of poplar or willow.

Question

What size of boiler/stove do I need for my home?

Answer

Heating output is specified in kilowatts, kW, (metric units) or BTUs (Imperial units) and represents the rate at which the system can deliver heat energy. Sizing of heating systems should be done by a qualified heating engineer. It is dependent on many factors including levels of insulation and draught proofing of your home, lowest outside temperature of your locality and patterns of use. However the following 'rule of thumb' can be useful for making initial sizing estimates for central heating boilers: Boiler size (in kW) = volume to be heated (in cubic meters) divided by 34 (for a reasonably well insulated house). It is important to bear in mind that all biomass boilers burn most cleanly and efficiently when working at their maximum output. Therefore it is best not to over-specify but to choose a biomass boiler which is sized to meet your average heating requirements with additional heating sources to provide extra heat on the coldest days.

Question

What are the emissions from burning wood?

Answer

The main emissions from a wood fired plant burning clean wood from forests or coppice will consist largely of water vapour and carbon dioxide (plus nitrogen and oxygen from the combustion air). The emissions will also contain traces of carbon monoxide, particulates and volatile organic compounds. However, these emissions are not exclusively produced by burning wood. They are also produced when fossil fuels like gas and oil are burned to produce energy. However, this is not a reason to be complacent. Instead it highlights the needs to consider seriously the appliance that the wood is burned in and the quality of the wood fuel that is used

Question

Where can I see a wood fuel boiler system in action?

Answer

If you would like to see a wood fuelled boiler in action, contact Paul on 08000932055 and ask him if you might be able to visit one of their customer’s premises in your area.

Question

Kg of CO 2 emissions emitted per KWh of different fuels

Answer

The official Carbon Trust data for kg CO 2 per KWh for different fuels is: Average grid electricity: 0.43 Natural Gas: 0.19 Domestic heating oil: 0.25 LPG: 0.21 The figure for electricity has fallen - it was 0.80 in 1990. For energy related emissions, the protocol is based on the product of energy consumption and CO 2 emission factors. This approach can be used for determination of the project baseline and the forecast of annual emissions. The calculation of CO 2 emissions is simply: