Carbon Trust calls for massive switch to biomass heating

Friday, January 23, 2009

Businesses and public sector organisations could benefit by switching from oil, gas and electric heating to biomass, according to Biomass Heating, A Practical Guide, published today by the Carbon Trust. Financial pressures and the coldest start to a winter in over 30 years make reducing heating bills a priority. However, by working with biomass heating projects across the UK, the Carbon Trust has found that a lack of understanding of the technology and its potential benefits is preventing wider uptake.

Biomass heating offers most significant cost savings in parts of the UK which are not currently on the gas grid. For example, using wood or straw can provide cost savings of 2-4 p/kWh (pence per kilowatt hour) relative to use of heating oil. A biomass system generating 1,600MWh of heat (roughly equivalent to the annual heating requirements of a typical school) could therefore save up to £50,000 per year on fuel costs relative to an existing oil-based heating system. The costs of biomass fuels also tend to be much less volatile than fossil fuels.

Mark Williamson, Director of Innovations at the Carbon Trust, explains: “We’ve become so reliant on oil, gas and electricity that many businesses just aren’t aware of the cost and carbon benefits of turning to biomass for their heating supply. Renewable heating will need to play a key role in meeting the UK’s renewable energy targets and biomass offers the greatest potential to contribute to this. Growing the UK biomass industry can also offer other positive impacts, such as creating new green jobs in the UK and making use of certain waste products that would otherwise go to landfill.”

Heating presently accounts for almost half (49%)3 of the UK’s carbon emissions. Biomass typically offers carbon reductions of around 90% relative to fossil fuel heating systems. In its Renewable Energy Strategy consultation, the Government proposed that renewable sources may need to provide 14% of the UK’s heating requirements (up from its current level of less than 1%) to meet the 2020 renewable energy targets. Biomass is expected to account for a significant proportion of this.

The most cost-effective carbon savings can be achieved with small to medium scale biomass applications (100 kWth-3MWth). Cwm Taff NHS Trust decided to replace heating oil with a 1.2MW biomass boiler burning woodchips. This will save an estimated £35,000 per year and pay back the initial investment within five years.

Anthony Hayward of Cwm Taff NHS Trust, said: “By investing in biomass we are considerably reducing our carbon footprint, making significant financial savings and supporting local fuel suppliers”.

Another organisation taking full advantage of biomass heating is Bell Bros Nurseries Ltd which will be providing 60-70% of the heat needed for its 50,000m2 of glasshouses by using woodchip. Not only will the switch to biomass save 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, it will also mean a 40-50% reduction in annual heating costs.

Robert Bell of Bell Bros Nurseries said: “Installing a suitably sized biomass heating plant at our nursery has allowed us to achieve significant savings in our fuel bills. We are particularly happy that we have been able to contribute to our environmental credentials while achieving significant cost savings”

The Carbon Trust provides interest-free loans of up to £200,000 to help small businesses upgrade to more energy efficient equipment, including biomass boilers. Particularly when replacing electric, LPG, or heating oil systems, the payback on the initial capital outlay can be less than three years.

The Carbon Trust is launching Biomass Heating, A Practical Guide to help organisations that are considering using biomass as an alternative source of heating. It provides a detailed overview of biomass heating systems and fuels, plus a step-by-step guide to successfully implementing and operating biomass systems.

Angela Duignan, Woodfuel Implementation Officer for Forestry Commission England said: 'The Forestry Commission - through A Woodfuel Strategy for England - is working to facilitate the use of additional two million tonnes of wood each year by 2020 for renewable heat generation in modern, efficient boilers.

'We welcome the Carbon Trust's Biomass Heating publication, which provides an easy-to-understand, practical guide to installing and using biomass heat systems. The guide is perfect for businesses and organisations looking to reduce their environmental impact and their fuel bills. It demonstrates that biomass boilers offer an attractive and viable alternative to heating with fossil fuel.'

This story was featured on The Environmental Expert website

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