Wood-fuelled heating systems (biomass systems) burn wood pellets, chips, logs or straw bales to provide heat for industrial processes, non domestic and domestic heating.
Perthshire Biofuels can install a biomass system to suit your needs, from industrial commercial scale systems down to 10KW domestic installations.
Biomass can help to combat climate change and meet the targets set by The Scottish Government. It comes with numerous benefits; from reducing pollution and associated health care costs to strengthening and diversifying the local economy by shifting to renewable energy.
There are real financial benefits to biomass. Under current Government legislation, once you change to a Biomass heating solution you will qualify for financial incentives† under the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive ‘RHI’ scheme.
Payments under the RHI scheme are provided to cover the financial capital costs associated with renewable heat technologies by covering the difference in upfront capital and ongoing costs between renewable and conventional heat.
Following system installation, for every KW of heat used, a quarterly subsidy payment will be made. This will effectively repay the capital costs within 1-6 years*. Biomass fuel is significantly cheaper than other forms of fossil fuel so you will benefit immediately from lower fuel bills.
Additionally the wood burning boilers that Biofuel Scotland install are over 90% efficient compared to oil or gas boilers, which can be just 60% efficient. Using a higher efficiency boiler can reduce your energy usage by a third.
If you are considering a Biomass heating solution please contact us to arrange a free survey.
† Subject to availability
*Based on size of installation and amount of fuel used.
Logs are obtained directly from trees, with minimum processing involved. Generally, they are just covered to keep them dry and left for one to three years to ‘season’. In this time, the moisture content falls from around 50% to 20%, and they become lighter. The drier the logs, the hotter the fire and the less smoke and tar will be produced.
Log boilers have to be filled with wood manually; most pellet and chip burners use automatic fuel feeders which refill them at regular intervals. Logs require considerably more work, and you will need a significant fuelstock storage and handling area. Logs can be cheaper than pellets if you have a good local supply.
Derived from wood by-products from saw mills and wood manufacturing. Pellets are denser, drier (8 – 10% moisture content) and require around a third of the storage space of logs or chips.
Pellet biomass boilers are Perthshire Biofuels’ preferred option, as they are space efficient and offer simpler storage and operation. Pellets are much easier to use and much more controllable than logs; pellet boilers can run automatically in much the same way that gas or oil boilers operate. Most pellet and chip burners use automatic fuel feeders which refill them at regular intervals.
Generally derived from forest or saw mill residues or from clean, untreated waste timber. They are typically used for larger scale applications such as leisure centres or community heating schemes. For problem free use in smaller systems they need to achieve high uniformity in size and have low moisture content.
Chip boilers are a Perthshire Biofuels recommended solution, though the feedstock still needs to be monitored to ensure it has the correct moisture content. Most pellet and chip burners use automatic fuel feeders which refill them at regular intervals.
There is a lot less competition for straw as a fuelstock, as more specialist equipment is required to burn it.
The existing market for straw centres around animal feed and bedding and producers and buyers are usually some distance apart. This means transport costs and delivery logistics limit its value. A Biomass energy project can represent a good opportunity where there is a good local supply of straw and suitable fuelstock storage.
Solar panel electricity systems, also known as solar photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells. These cells don’t need direct sunlight to work – they can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run.
Solar Energy is a wonderful, renewable energy, generating electricity for your use, or re-sale with the export tariff. Perthshire Biofuels’ clients benefit from so much more than a Solar PV installation. We provide all the information you need to make an informed decision, this includes detailing predicted performance calculations so you understand how much feed in tariff and energy savings you can expect each year.
Our friendly and knowledgeable team assist with all paperwork and are on hand throughout the entire process and afterwards to ensure you are completely satisfied with our service.
Solar water heating systems use free heat from the sun to warm domestic hot water. A conventional boiler or immersion heater can be used to make the water hotter, or to provide hot water when solar energy is unavailable.
As experienced heating and plumbing engineers, we’re ideally placed to help ensure that your solar thermal system is optimised alongside your existing heating installation. We provide all the information you need to make an informed decision, this includes detailing predicted performance calculations so you understand the energy savings you can expect each year.
Our friendly and knowledgeable team assist with all paperwork and are on hand throughout the entire process and afterwards to ensure you are completely satisfied with our service.
Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air. This heat can then be used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems, or warm air convectors and hot water in your home.
An air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15° C. Heat pumps have some impact on the environment as they need electricity to run, but the heat they extract from the ground, air, or water is constantly being renewed naturally.
We provide all the information you need to make an informed decision, this includes detailing predicted performance calculations so you understand the energy savings you can expect each year. Our friendly and knowledgeable team assist with all paperwork and are on hand throughout the entire process and afterwards to ensure you are completely satisfied with our service.
