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Is wood fuel sustainable?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 10th July 2009 at 10:40 am
Biomass sounds like a great idea, but I've always had a bit of a nagging question at the back of my head about whether it would be possible or sustainable if we all suddenly converted to wood fuelled heating. Haven't we, over the years, been denuding Britain of trees to such an extent that we can’…
Posted in: Biomass
Six steps to claiming £400 for a new boiler
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 6th January 2010 at 12:10 pm
Households with inefficient, old boilers (G-rated) can get £400 off the price of a new A-rated boiler thanks to the new boiler scrappage scheme launched yesterday by Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband. You can also put the money towards a renewable heating system such as a biomass boiler or heat pump. …
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Uncertainty over renewable heat is delaying installations
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14th October 2010 at 12:37 pm
People are delaying installing renewable heat technologies such as solar hot water panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps until they know whether or not the renewable heat incentive is going ahead according to our new poll. 85% of respondents to a YouGen poll said they are waiting until they know wh…
Posted in: General
Schools lead the way on energy efficiency
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th October 2010 at 3:14 pm
Electricity consumption has halved at an award-winning Devon school thanks to the energy saving measures it has introduced. Okehampton College’s good practice and leadership role was recognised as it was a finalist at the 2010 Ashden Awards. The college has replaced 3,000 fluorescent lights wit…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
14 things to ask your biomass boiler installer
Posted by Jon Edge on 3rd November 2010 at 9:20 am
Biomass is still pretty new to a lot of people in the UK. However, it is a tried and tested technology, used successfully for many years in other countries. Biomass boilers are a modern and very low carbon alternative to fossil fuels, especially oil or LPG and will give you as much heat and hot wat…
Posted in: Biomass
Grants will be available for renewable heat as interim measure
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th March 2011 at 10:57 am
Domestic installations of renewable heat will be eligible for a grant, while we wait for the full renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced in October 2012. From July 2011 RHI Premium Payments will be available. These will be a one-off payment to help with installation costs - essent…
Posted in: General
Will Renewable Heat Premium Payments kick start the domestic market?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th July 2011 at 9:47 am
The government is putting up £15m for the renewable heat premium payments between September (probably) and October 2012 when the domestic version of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is due to start. In essence they are a grant to help with the capital cost of installation; but will they kick sta…
Posted in: General
Renewable Heat Premium Payment rates confirmed - but are they enough to kickstart renewable heat?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st July 2011 at 11:22 am
Capital grants to help with the cost of installing renewable heat technologies will be available from 1 August. Any householder in England, Scotland or Wales can apply for the £300 renewable heat premium payment for solar thermal panels. However, payments for biomass boilers (£950), air sou…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Wood co-ops offer access to woods, free logs and friendship
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 9th August 2011 at 10:20 am
Where the wood will come from is one of the issues to consider when investing in a wood burning stove or biomass boiler. The provision of wood pellet and wood chip are growing industries with measurable standards. Log supply, however, generally remains local, with variable quality, and difficulty co…
Posted in: Biomass
What to expect from your biomass boiler
Posted by HETAS on 19th August 2011 at 9:27 am
Biomass has an important role to play in the generation of heat for domestic users, according to the Microgeneration Strategy published by the department for energy and climate change (DECC) in June. It also highlighted the universal requirement for a greater understanding of the ‘durability of m…
Posted in: Biomass
Five top tips for choosing the right wood pellets
Posted by David Fields on 31st October 2011 at 5:30 am
Since the announcement of the Renewable Heat Incentive an increasing number of homeowners and businesses are looking to new and innovative ways to power and heat their property. Alongside solar panels and heat pumps, wood pellet boilers are emerging as one of the most efficient ways to generate …
Posted in: Biomass
'World's first RHI' launch over-shadowed by FITs debacle
Posted by Stewart Boyle on 7th December 2011 at 10:08 am
The long-awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) officially ‘opened for business’ on 28th November. With £864 million available for the cashback scheme to support biomass boilers, solar water heating systems, heat pumps and bio-methane projects, it should have been a day of great celebration…
Posted in: General
Installing a biomass boiler: what it's really like
Posted by Harvey Jones on 14th March 2012 at 8:01 am
We’re off the mains gas grid so I chose biomass (wood chip) to replace our old oil-fired boiler as I wanted to be as CO2 neutral as possible. It also meant there was no possibility of a catastrophic heating-oil spill. Our old, cold house already had central heating with radiators and we were told…
Posted in: Biomass
Readers tips of the month: biomass and air source heat pump
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th March 2012 at 9:02 am
When people register on YouGen we ask them about their renewable energy, and any tips they have for others. Here are our favourites this month: Drumrossie is retired, and lives in a large, old and difficult to heat house. He has installed a log burning boiler with a 60kW output and with 4,000 lit…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps
Renewable Heat Premium Payments scheme is extended; RHI delayed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th March 2012 at 10:35 am
The domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) remains elusive, as the government announced a second phase of the renewable heat premium payments (RHPP) scheme yesterday. The domestic RHI, which will reward people who switch to renewable sources of heat with regular payments for and anticipated 20 y…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Financial help is availabe for wood burning boilers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st May 2012 at 10:19 am
Q: Could you point us in the right direction in regards to having an external wood burning boiler installed (for heat and hot water), and would it be covered under a FIT scheme like our solar PV system? A: Interest in wood burning boilers - also known as biomass boilers - is on the increase…
Posted in: Biomass
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