wood chippings for heating? (and other questions)

flogen

This is something I'd never heard of before, so I figure I'd ask here for information; my parents heard about these wood chippings you can get to replace oil used for central heating, and apparently the government are giving a grant to people who use them..
Can someone explain to me how they work, what kind of equipment you need to use them, and how cost effective they are?
From what I can imagine they aren't very green, given that you're probably burning wood for heat (creating smoke, forgetting about the felling of trees, I assume they're replaced). Would they be more cost effective than oil, with or without a government grant?

As someone only beginning to think about going greener, I'm wondering what the best route is for electrical supplies... for example, I'd love to have my rooms elecriticity coverage more eco-friendly (at most I'd have a PC - with modem/router, Stereo and light on at one time, but also have some games consoles, a tv etc. in the room which are used here and there), but I realise that covering that usage would probably cost me heavily in the short term; is there any way to find out how much energy my room uses and how expensive it would be to get the equipment, solar or wind, to cover that?

Thanks for your help.

Karoma

You'd probably get a better response in DIY (or Green Issues?).

flogen

wtf? Sorry, mods, was planning on posting this in Green Issues, had a new post thread open there and in here, and just posted in the wrong one (lucky I didn't most my computer query there!!)

Please move to Green Issues if possible, apologies for the error too

Karoma

flogen wrote:

wtf? Sorry, mods, was planning on posting this in Green Issues, had a new post thread open there and in here, and just posted in the wrong one (lucky I didn't most my computer query there!!)

Please move to Green Issues if possible, apologies for the error too

I thought you were using "Technology" as a reason...

(TBH, I thought you had just lost it.)

flogen

Karoma wrote:

I thought you were using "Technology" as a reason...

(TBH, I thought you had just lost it.)

Once it goes 12 my brain tends to melt!

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense, I could have chosen a worse forum to post in by accident!

Tom Dunne

While you are waiting for this to be moved (didn't know we had a green issues forum - must check it out). I did a bit of research on these wood burners.

Bottom line is that they are identical to your regular oil burner in so far as you can time it to come on whenever and it can heat the whole house.

It is carbon neutral, so they tell me. What this means is that even though you burn it (they are pretty much smokeless, AFAIR), but the carbon they give out is cancelled by the carbon they, erm, reduce when they were trees. Or something like that.

Check out www.sei.ie. They cost a crazy 9,000 to 16,000 Euro to install, but the grant is only for around 4,000 Euro. Mad money.

flogen

tom dunne wrote:

While you are waiting for this to be moved (didn't know we had a green issues forum - must check it out). I did a bit of research on these wood burners.

Bottom line is that they are identical to your regular oil burner in so far as you can time it to come on whenever and it can heat the whole house.

It is carbon neutral, so they tell me. What this means is that even though you burn it (they are pretty much smokeless, AFAIR), but the carbon they give out is cancelled by the carbon they, erm, reduce when they were trees. Or something like that.

Check out www.sei.ie. They cost a crazy 9,000 to 16,000 Euro to install, but the grant is only for around 4,000 Euro. Mad money.

Thanks for that; that's pretty big money alright, at least with solar and wind you know that you'll eventually make your money back, I'll have to see how cost effective the actual fuel is here compared to oil, so would you make your money back after a few years in saving etc.

Tom Dunne

flogen wrote:

I'll have to see how cost effective the actual fuel is here compared to oil, so would you make your money back after a few years in saving etc.

Yeah, that's a big question I can't seem to find the answer for.

One of the points they make on that website is the need to buy the wood pellets in bulk - so presumably buying a bag here and there wouldn't be very cost effective. You of course also need somewhere dry to store them. I would imagine they would take up a considerable amout of space.

Triangle

tom dunne wrote:

Yeah, that's a big question I can't seem to find the answer for.

One of the points they make on that website is the need to buy the wood pellets in bulk - so presumably buying a bag here and there wouldn't be very cost effective. You of course also need somewhere dry to store them. I would imagine they would take up a considerable amout of space.

*Semingly* they are as cheap as, if not less, to run per kilowatt of heat produced . And as the price of Oil/Gas is going up constantly - then in the forseeable future the price difference should increase (Unless the producers get greedy, but more producers of the pellets and staring up recently)

3 Tonnes should get you through a winter in a Semi-D house, the average containter (Hopper) is about 200KG with add ons available that can contain 3.5 tonnes.

The pellets are cheaper unbagged than bagged.

I have heard various reports about wood pellet burners from people who have them and some swear by them and some swear at them. (Swearing at them could be too small a burner in their homes, I don't know)
Try www.sei.ie (general info)
or www.ecostoves.com (sales info)

I was quoted roughly €6,200 for a 30KW Burner and Accesories (200Kg Hopper) - not sure of the make or any additional info.


Hope this helps you a bit, I know its a bit non technical but it is information..

Khannie

moving

po0k

I was talking to a guy in work (who's building a new house at the moment) about this.
It's not a whole lot greener (though it is an improvement over dino-juice), not a whole lot cheaper, the chippings have to be kept dry otherwise they crumble to dust and in traditional Irish style, we're importing much of ours from the UK and further afield. I sincerely hope that is just to kick-start demand and domestic production. What treatments/chemical processes do the chips go through between felling and burning?
I'm very interested in sourcing an alternate heating system for my family's house as they're planning a bit of work in the back garden anyways - I just don't want to get stung if this turns out to be a bit of a golden horse (looks great, useless for pulling a cart).