Wood Pellet Boilers

Hi,

I have been reading and listening to a lot of people going on about Global warming and the need for us to use renewable energies.

I already have an oil fired central heating system in my home and im considering changing to a system that is more environmentally friendly like a Wood Pellet Boiler.

Here are five important questions and answers on the subject.

Question 1

Is a wood pellet boiler really an effective heating system to replace my Oil or gas Fired Boiler?

Answer: 1

Obviously the answer is yes. As an alternative renewable energy source wood pellets are an ideal solution. We know that fossil fuel demand is increasing while reserves are declining, leading to large price increases across the mechanical spectrum of our life since we are all energy dependent. It is wise keeping in mind these factors that we make an effort even now -as it is inevitable - for a seamless transition to alternative sources of energy for our existence.

Heating immediate environment for comfort has been done by humans from pristine times in the colder regions. Plant products such as wood, oil from seed bearing trees, coal etc has been extensively used. It is needless to say here that technology was always upgrading equipments of heating but only recently has technology set into the fuel used for heating. Thus we have Briquettes and Pellets today made solely of waste products. Thanks to science that system of heating today has become extremely efficient that is in converting 90% of fuel spent to heat. This site deals exclusively on wood pellets.

Wood pellets are usually made of highly compressed waste sawdust from wood conversion. Being produced to high homogenous density and low humidity content - as low as 10%- they burn very efficiently with high predictable combustion characteristics. Compressed into convenient sizes which allow easy management and operation for any system where the pellets are used. Storage and transportation due to these properties naturally does not pose a problem. (Pellet sizes are standardised by agreements between pellet producers throughout Europe and the USA). Whereas fossils fuel expels latent CO2 when used thereby adding to the greenhouse gasses while wood pellets give out the same CO2 used for their synthesis when they were part of a living tree. Normally this CO2 is released when a plant dies. Understandably replacing fossil fuel with wood pellet fuel will reduce net CO2 emissions significantly and makes fine eco sense. Adding to all the above positive aspect the waste -as little as 1%- from the spent fuel which is potash can be used as fertiliser.

Question 2

Will a wood pellet Boiler provide the same results as my Oil Fired Boiler? ( to heat my home to a satisfactory level) provide hot water, etc.

Answer 2

Yes. Nowadays wood pellet boilers are equipped with automatic ignition and easy to use as a gas or oil boiler, and can deliver a similar heat yield. The burner is microprocessor-controlled for extinction as well as monitoring. It has complete electronic control over the entire heating system. It will match heating requirements by modulating and by cycling. Of course, being fully automatic, the boiler re-ignites itself electronically whenever heat is required meaning that the occupants need not know anything about the boiler controls. Wood pellets have a heat output of 4.8 kWh/kg, while heat output from oil is over twice that level (10.6 kWh/kg). In other words a similar result from the pellet boiler would need double the volume of fuel (pellets) which isn't an offset against it because we are talking in terms of space not of efficiency. A wood pellet boiler and pellet store require a very minimum of 8m2 floor space.

Heating with pellets is almost as convenient as using oil. No supervision of the equipment is required, although the pellet-burner will need cleaning about once a month. At the same time the ash must be removed, although the quantity is small (1%) as the pellets burn very efficiently.

A wood pellet boiler is sized for larger and commercial heating loads such as schools, mid-sized buildings and small businesses premises. To heat a home of an average family setting of 4 to 5 rooms a wood pellet stove is used.

Question 3

How much will a Wood Pellet Boiler cost to install and maintain?

Answer: 3

An automated wood pellet heater will be in the range of $1700 to $3300 a domestic sized wood fired boiler from $7000-$10,000, with larger wood boiler systems over 50kW costing around $150-$200 per installed kW.

Yet with wood pellet is much cheaper than traditional fuels (at current prices for oil above $100/barrel) the economics work out favourably, especially for larger systems they are a highly attractive and functional solution to heating needs. Installation costs are fairly low, usually from $350 to $550, because a pellet stove doesn't require a chimney but only a straightforward 3"-4" venting system. Many stoves can be vented horizontally, directly through an outside wall, and no special materials on the surrounding walls are required. A wood pellet boiler will need cleaning about once a month but is otherwise low on maintenance. Most pellet systems incorporate computer controls that can start-up and shut down automatically and modulate continuously according to heat requirements. Most also have a self-cleaning combustion chamber. Ash from wood pellets is minimal (1%) and needs to be removed from the boiler once every 3 - 4 weeks. As with an oil or gas boiler, servicing of the pellet stove or boiler once a year is recommended.

Question 4

Will there be a constant supply of wood Pellet fuel in the future and will its cost remain stable?

Answer:4

As the Pellet industry is growing exponentially worldwide the availability of the pellets is also increasing. In 2007 the production of pellets in Europe was about 5,000,000 tonnes with Sweden, Austria and Germany as main producers. Approximately 300 pellet plants are located in EU ranging from small scale producers with an annual capacity from 2,000 to 150,000 tonnes of pellets. Pellets industry shows large potential in Brazil, Russia and Canada due to their vast resources. Hence the European scene holds good for pellets supply and hence consumers need not worry about its availability. Yet the most secure supply is likely to be local, so it's worth investigating where the nearest pellet plant is and how committed the manufacturer is to producing them.

Question 5

Will a Wood Pellet Boiler replace my Oil fired Boiler and also save money in the long run?

Answer: 5

The answer is again yes, considering the oil prices Pellet Boiler is definitely going to replace Oil fired Boiler and also save money in the short term itself. If one goes for the bulk pellets the saving would be about 35% to 40% while the bagged one will save about 20% to 15%. But considering the other benefits such as reduction in CO2, afforestation and the employment it brings and above all it will help in decentralizing the sourcing of energy from some handful of nations to a vast potential of natural renewable resources, success of which will feed into focusing of such replenishable resources, investing in a Pellet Boiler is a big step on the road towards harmonical existence with mother nature.