Biomass is just one of the many ways that businesses and homes throughout the country are reducing their energy usage, switching to biomass fuelled heating devices such as log burning stoves. With every exciting new technology comes a series of associated misconceptions and myths.
Whether it’s doubts about fuel, cost or maintenance, people can often be reluctant and sceptical of embracing alternatives. Here at greendealshop.com we love helping people benefit from energy saving upgrades, and this is no truer than with biomass for business.
Here, we’ve taken a look at some of the myths people may have regarding biomass for a company or non-domestic purpose. From misunderstandings of the Renewable Heat Incentive, to day-to-day biomass operations, we’re here to debunk some of the preconceptions.
Biomass is too expensive
A concern that many businesses may have when considering a biomass boiler is that of price. Whilst it’s true that it may be expensive initially to install a biomass system, there is a wide range of financial options that could see businesses paying nothing for their energy efficient heating.
Funding such as the Renewable Heat Incentive are helping homes throughout the UK to afford Biomass and other renewable heating technology. Here, by installing a qualifying energy saving device, you receive money not only for heat that is send back onto the grid, but any heat that you use too.
Taking into account that the Non-Domestic RHI is more generous in payments, and that you will no longer be paying for the ever rising costs of fossil fuel, businesses could make their money back anywhere between 5 – 7 years on average.
Many companies are currently offering free installation and servicing of biomass boilers for companies in exchange for the RHI payments. So not only will you receive 20 years of guaranteed, carbon neutral heat, but you could receive this only for the low cost of the biomass fuel itself.
Biomass burns wood and isn’t environmentally friendly
This myth is generally used to state that biomass is no better than the burning of fossil fuels, and again can be easily debunked. For businesses in the UK, it is most likely that you will receive a wooden pellet biomass boiler, and will therefore be powering your heating system through wood.
It’s correct to that a wood burning stove will release Carbon Monoxide into the air, and this is also true of fossil fuels. However, the similarities stop there. Biomass is named so because it is ‘carbon neutral’ meaning that it releases no more carbon emissions when being burned that it does in the process of being produced.
Providing the wood used to fuel a biomass boiler is sourced via sustainable methods, a carbon cycle will be developed. This is where the carbon monoxide that is released from burning biomass fuels is reabsorbed by the growing biomass plants to help them convert oxygen. This isn’t true of fossil fuels, as they release much more carbon emissions when burnt than when grown and cannot reabsorb any emissions in the production process.
Biomass heating is difficult and time expensive to maintain
Many people believe that using biomass boilers is more work intensive on the owner’s behalf than it is for a gas or oil fuelled boiler. In some ways this is true, however, the advantages by far outweigh these factors. As mentioned before, many biomass installers will offer services and maintenance with installation, or as an additional extra, and this will include, like with gas boilers, an annual service.
If you are to have a hand fed wooden log biomass boiler installed, then it is true that clearing ash and feeding a heating system will take up more time than a conventional heating system. Looking at a pellet system, however, this is not the case. Most wooden pellet systems are automatically fed, and simply require refilling the fuel once every month.
Many companies that supply wood pellets will offer delivery in a number of ways. For a commercial size biomass system this can range from directly fed pellets through to large storage containers that will continuously provide a fuel source to your heating system.
Not only this, but an ash collection and removal system is installed with most commercial biomass boilers, meaning you simply need to replace the ash bin occasionally to prevent build up.
Biomass boiler myths
As you can see, there are a number of biomass myths that simply aren’t true, or are common misconceptions. With the latest biomass technology and sustainable fuel production, biomass is not only more energy efficient than fossil fuels, but can also be much cheaper.